Chiara Ruffa

Chiara Ruffa is a Researcher at the Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University, and Associate Professor in War Studies at the Swedish Defense University. Her work centers on civil-military relations and state militaries in nonconventional operations including peacekeeping and search/rescue missions.

Her core research interests span:

• Civil-Military Relations
• Peacekeeping Operations
• Military Sociology
• International Security
• Conflict Studies
• Peace Studies

Dr. Ruffa leads three major research initiatives: a study on norm decline in international security funded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities; collaborative research on UN peacekeeping mission composition and effectiveness (with Vincenzo Bove, Andrea Ruggeri, and Ralph Sundberg) supported by the Swedish Research Council; and an investigation into female personnel retention in the Swedish Armed Forces funded by FORTE.

Her scholarly output includes the monograph "Military Cultures in Peace and Stability Operations" (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2018) and the co-authored book "Composing Peace: Mission Composition in UN Peacekeeping" (Oxford University Press, 2020). Her work appears in top journals like European Journal of International Relations, Security Studies, and Armed Forces and Society, demonstrating consistent focus on military adaptation in complex operational environments.

Dr. Ruffa's research provides critical insights into how military organizations navigate civil-military dynamics during international stability operations, with direct implications for policy and military practice.