The Fundamental Problem
Conflict data and evidence rest on perilous foundations.
In contemporary war, control over information is just as decisive as control over resources or territory. Armed actors routinely obscure even seemingly basic "facts"—from perpetrators, to illicit markets, to disinformation techniques. Doing so enables militants to build control by shaping global perceptions of conflict that mislead rivals, drive policy and misdirect international funds. Meanwhile, frontline communities frequently observe gold-standard evidence of war crimes and atrocities, yet lack sufficient, secure channels to share this information.
This resulting evidence gap distorts the basis of court processes, policy, and research. This means information about:
As a result, whose version of events is told not only creates faulty understandings of war, it amplifies the narratives that benefit violent actors.
Do we get the story right?
Perpetrators
Organizational profiles
Composition of terrorist networks
Economic development
Aid
Vaccines
Humanitarian intervention
Climate change adaptation efforts
International Law
Prosecutions and curbing impunity
Theoretical foundations of conflict research
The evidence is out there
Civilians in conflict zones often describe a startling divergence between what they observe and how violence is portrayed in international or official channels. Participants themselves—from former to active combatants, supply networks, to military officers—often whisper what they see or provide troves of material evidence in private. Yet such information rarely trickles out of warzones. Without secure mechanisms to inform recognized data about conflict, most high-quality evidence remains locked behind frontlines.
The Frontline Observatory:
higher-quality evidence through rigorous, systematic tools.
Unlocks
Validates
Secures
Corroborates
& Leverages
Our Distinctive Approach
We leverage long-term trust connections in conflict zones worldwide to address this gap from two ends: by 1) innovating a Conflict Voices Reporting Mechanism to rigorously document and securely bridge high-quality frontline evidence to international courts, practice, policy, and research; and by 2) delivering data integrity tools to global partners
Together, on-the-ground networks and high-level investigative and quantitative modeling experts create the opportunity to redesign global systems of evidence collection, verification, and dissemination in order to realign conflict data and technological tools with accountability to those most affected.
Needed Now More than Ever
In a world with more and more data, and fewer and fewer long-term, on-the-ground trust connections within warzones, researchers and practitioners are increasingly vulnerable to error.
Mission
By equipping civilians with gold-standard documentation methods, bridging frontline evidence to high-level courts, policy and research, and innovating data integrity tools, we strengthen the global evidence base on conflict to advance accountability and promote effective pathways to peace.
Vision
In a world with more and more data, and fewer and fewer long-term, on-the-ground trust connections within warzones, researchers and practitioners are increasingly vulnerable to error.