Join us on Thursday, February 19th at 4pm in the library atrium for a faculty lecture by Dr. Yvan Ilunga!

This lecture will focus on alternative approaches to traditional United Nations Peace Operations and the protection of civilians by arguing for the primacy of justice, education, health, and public safety as foundational pillars for peace recovery and long-term protection of civilians.

Dr. Yvan Yenda Ilunga serves as Associate Director of the MA International Relations and Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Salve Regina University, where he teaches undergraduate, master, and doctoral level courses. He also serves as Deputy Director of the Joint Civil-Military Interaction (JCMI) Research and Education Network. Dr. Ilunga is the author of the book Humanitarianism and Security: Trouble and Hope at the Heart of Africa (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020). He is working on two book projects, The Dynamics of Religion in Peacebuilding and Peacekeeping Operations; and Designing and Teaching Peace. Among his recent book chapters is “Peace Leadership, Security and the Role of the Military in Ethnopolitical Conflict,” published in the Routledge Handbook of Peacebuilding and Ethnic Conflict. (Routledge Publishing 2022). He is the initiator of the African Wars in the 21st Century Project. With his research agenda broadly focused on international relations, peace operations, security, peace, and development, Dr. Ilunga addresses questions related to humanitarian action, civil–military interactions, natural resources-based conflicts, regional cooperation, and security in his writings and public engagements. Dr. Ilunga holds a Ph.D. in Global Affairs (Rutgers University, U.S.A.), He is fluent in English, French, Swahili, and Lingala.