Elizabeth Dickinson

Elizabeth Dickinson

Senior Analyst, Colombia

Crisis Group Role

Elizabeth Dickinson has been Crisis Group’s senior analyst for Colombia since 2019. Her work centers around armed conflict dynamics in the country and the implementation of the 2016 peace accord between the Colombian government and FARC guerrillas. Previously a journalist, Elizabeth first reported from Colombia in 2011, covering topics including criminal and armed group violence, illegal mining, migration, and national politics.

Elizabeth previously served as Crisis Group’s Senior Analyst for the Arabian Peninsula, where she lived for 8 years focusing on the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council. She focused extensively on Gulf countries’foreign policies in the Middle East and Horn of Africa.

Professional Background

Prior to joining International Crisis Group, Elizabeth worked for a decade as a journalist, including roles at Foreign Policy magazine, The National, and The Economist. She holds a degree in African and International Studies from Yale University.

Areas of Expertise

  • Colombia
  • Armed groups in Colombia
  • Humanitarian issues
  • Gulf politics and foreign policy
  • Saudi Arabia
  • UAE
  • Qatar
  • Bahrain
  • Kuwait
  • Counter-terror finance
  • Proxy conflict

Languages

  • English (native)
  • Spanish (fluent)
  • French (fluent)

Publications

  • “Colombia’s War Just Ended. A New Wave of Violence Is Beginning,” Foreign Policy magazine, August 2016.
  • “Fighting the Last War,” Washington Monthly, Jan/Feb 2012.
  • “Godfathers and Thieves: How Syria’s Diaspora Crowd-Funded a Revolution”, Deca, June 2015.
  • “Playing with Fire: Why Private Gulf Financing for Syria’s Extremist Rebels Risk Igniting Sectarian Conflict at Home”, Saban Center for Middle East Policy, Brookings Institution, 2013.

In The News

21 Feb 2024
The trend of violence against ex-combatants [in Colombia] is a strong deterrent to disarmament. AP

Elizabeth Dickinson

Senior Analyst, Colombia
7 Feb 2024
Violence in Colombia has long come from combats between illegal groups, and from the pressure they exert on civilians. AP

Elizabeth Dickinson

Senior Analyst, Colombia
9 Nov 2023
The ELN [in Colombia] has made very clear they have no intention of ceasing their economic activities which includes kidnapping. Financial Times

Elizabeth Dickinson

Senior Analyst, Colombia
31 Okt 2023
By the time the Colombian state signed a peace accord with the former FARC rebels [in 2016], kidnapping nearly disappeared … But in recent years that trend has reversed. The Sun

Elizabeth Dickinson

Senior Analyst, Colombia
8 Feb 2023
None of the armed groups [in Colombia] will give up anything significant unless they are under military pressure. The Economist

Elizabeth Dickinson

Senior Analyst, Colombia
1 Nov 2022
Indigenous communities have suffered disproportionately from targeted violence, displacement and massacres throughout Colombia’s conflict. Al Jazeera

Elizabeth Dickinson

Senior Analyst, Colombia

Subscribe to Crisis Group’s Email Updates

Receive the best source of conflict analysis right in your inbox.