Mariano Aguirre Ernst

Mariano Aguirre is a Non-resident Fellow at CIDOB (Barcelona Centre for International Affairs), Associate Fellow at Chatham House (London) and advisor to the Regional Security Center on Peace and Security of the Friedrich Ebert. BA in Peace and Conflict Studies from Trinity College Dublin.

As a journalist and analyst he has written, co-written and edited several books on topics ranging from neo-imperialism in fragile states, humanitarian intervention, exclusion and violence in the Global South, and the US domestic and international crisis of legitimacy. His latest works as an essayist deal with the rise of the Global South.

In the field of peace and security, his work has focused particularly on the Middle East and Latin America, with studies and project organisation around the concepts of state fragility, state and peace building, political dialogue and mediation, conflict prevention, and stabilisation. 

He has also participated in negotiation processes on the 2016 Colombia Peace Agreement, the Syrian civil war, and the Israeli Palestinian conflict. From his experience at the Ford Foundation, he has led several projects in the field of philanthropy on peace and social justice. 

He was advisor to the UN Resident Coordinator's Office on the peace process in Colombia (2017-2019), former director of the Norwegian Centre for Conflict Resolution (NOREF) (Oslo, 2009-2017); co-director of FRIDE (Madrid) (2006-2008); coordinator of Peace and Security Programs at the Ford Foundation (New York), (2003-2005); and director of the Centro de Investigación para la Paz (CIP), Madrid, (1995-2002). 

He is a member of the advisory boards of the Human Rights Institute of the University of Deusto, Bilbao and the Institute of Studies on Conflict and Humanitarian Action (IECAH), Madrid. 

Author, co-author, and editor of several books on international relations. Latest titles: Salto al vacío. Crisis and decline of the United States (Icaria editorial, Barcelona, 2017); and Cold War 2.0. Claves para entender la nueva política internacional (Icaria editorial, Barcelona, 2023). 

Professor in the NOHA Master's Degree of the Human Rights Institute of the University of Deusto; in the master’s degree in human Rights of the Castilla-La Mancha University Foundation; in the School of Culture of Peace of the Autonomous University of Barcelona and in the master’s degree on Diplomacy and International Relations of the Diplomatic School/Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain.

He writes for specialised magazines and international and Spanish journalistic media such as Política Exterior, El País, El Correo, Afkar/Ideas, International Affairs, The World Today and the Janus Yearbook (Autonomous University of Lisbon). He is a regular commentator on the international television channels France24, Deutsche Welle, TVE 24 horas. 

He has received awards from Justicia y Paz (Barcelona) and the Asociación Pro Derechos Humanos (Madrid) for his professional career.