1st Edition
Can Peace Research Make Peace? Lessons in Academic Diplomacy
Biography
Timo Kivimäki is Professor of international relations with particular expertise in peace and conflict studies at the University of Bath. Previously he has held professorships at the University of Helsinki, University of Lapland, and at the University of Copenhagen. Professor Kivimäki has also been director of the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (Copenhagen) and the Institute of Development Studies of the University of Helsinki. In addition to purely academic work Professor Kivimäki has been a frequent consultant to the Finnish, Danish, Dutch, Russian, Malaysian, Indonesian and Swedish governments, as well as to several UN and EU organizations on conflict and terrorism. He was President Martti Ahtisaari’s (mediators) adviser in the Aceh peace talks, and the initiator of the West Kalimantan peace process, led by Indonesia’s Vice President, Jusuf Kalla. Dr Kivimäki’s latest book, The Long Peace of East Asia was published by Ashgate in 2014.
Nominated for the 2014 Conflict Research Society Book of the Year Award. ’Prof. Kivimäki’s book is a fascinating analysis of the sources of and remedies to the conflict in Indonesia’s West Kalimantan. It is interesting not only for Indonesia-specialists, but also to peace researchers and peace activists. As a crucial peace practitioner in West Kalimantan, and a theorist, Prof. Kivimäki reveals the role of peace researchers as part of a team in a collaborative venture: officials and peace researchers can work together for peace. What both his practice and his analysis has pointed out is that peace research really does have an important role to play in the settlement of conflicts.’ H. Djohermansyah Djohan, Director General of Regional Autonomy, Ministry of Internal Affairs, The Republic of Indonesia






