Syria, Ukraine, Iraq, Afghanistan—today's’ violent conflicts and civil wars are significant manifestations of organized violence. BICC studies such civil wars with the aim to prevent, transform and end them.

In its research cluster “Dynamics of violent conflict”, BICC deals with the nature of different formations of violence such as internal wars, transnational wars, civil wars, hybrid wars or liquid warfare. Its research here is related to debates on fragile states, the state’s monopoly of force, counterinsurgency or spaces of violence (e. g. ungoverned territories, frontiers). Moreover, BICC investigates ways how to end violent conflicts and atrocities. Here, BICC deals with external intervention politics and related concepts such as human security or the responsibility to protect (r2p). A key topic within this cluster is BICC’s work on the mobilization and demobilization of violent actors (e.g. in Afghanistan and Ukraine. Here BICC’s interest is in social networks, patronage systems as well as the use of social media. Security sector reform (SSR) is one topic of BICC’s research agenda as well as Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) of former combatants. Here, BICC takes a particular interest in how employment policies can contribute to end violent conflicts.