1. For the period 1947-2007, CONIS covers both domestic and interstate wars and violent conflicts
below the threshold of war as well as non-violent conflicts, and thus offers the basis for an
overall perspective on global conflict.
2. The CONIS data enables the dynamics of conflicts to be identified and analyzed: Starting with
the question what phases there are to conflicts before they escalate into violence, through to
an analysis of how long violent conflicts last and how often violence and cease-fires/nonviolence
alternated before a conflict was enduringly settled.
3. The CONIS database studies the genesis of conflicts at different levels. Thus, the CONIS conflict
model embraces five levels of intensity in total. The first (“dispute”) pinpoints the
articulation of a difference in interests, the second (“non-violent crisis”) entails the threat of violence.
The third level (“violent crisis”) involves the occasional use of violence and in the fourth
(“limited war”) violence is used deliberately but without the goal being to overcome the opponent.
The fifth level is “war” and signifies the systematic use of violence with the objective of
overthrowing the opponent and imposing one’s own will on him (Schwank, 2008).
4. In addition to constellations of actors and the actors’ military, economic, institutional and sociocultural
characteristics CONIS primarily covers conflict measures, i.e., actions and statements
by the actors involved of relevance to the conflict. CONIS thus covers precisely that data which
is of relevance for the thrust of this study.