United States Institute of Peace

I am convinced that the language that has the most force, that requires the more acumen, talent, grace, genius, and, yes, beauty, can never be again be found in paeans to the glory of war or erotic rallying cries to battle. The power of this alternative language does not arise from the tiresome, wasteful art of war, but, rather, from the demanding, brilliant art of peace.

Toni Morrison

Abiodun Williams

Abi Williams is professor of the practice of international politics at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and director of The Institute for Global Leadership at Tufts University. Prior to returning to his alma mater, he served for four years as president of The Hague Institute for Global Justice. Williams served at the United States Institute of Peace as senior vice president of the Center for Conflict Management from 2010 to 2012, and as vice president of the Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention from 2008 to 2009. From 2001 to 2007 he was director of strategic planning for United Nations Secretaries-General Ban Ki-Moon and Kofi Annan in New York. He gained valuable field operational experience, serving with the United Nations from 1994 to 2000 in peacekeeping operations in the Balkans and Haiti, in senior political and humanitarian roles. Professor Williams has held previous academic appointments including as Centennial Fellow and assistant professor of international relations at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, and associate dean for academic affairs, Africa Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University. He is the author of a book on conflict prevention, and editor of two others. He is the co-editor of “The UN Secretary-General and the Security Council: A Dynamic Relationship,” published by Oxford University Press in 2018. He moderates the Conversation Series Global Perspectives on Race, Justice and Equity.