HFG GrantsHFG Welcomes its 2026 Distinguished ScholarsThe Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation is pleased to announce the selection of its 2026 HFG Distinguished Scholars. The thirteen grantees — chosen through a rigorous peer-review competition — are exploring important problems of violence in the world. “The latest cohort of HFG Distinguished Scholars comprises outstanding researchers studying problems of serious violence around the world,” said HFG Director of Research Joel Wallman. “Land conflict in Lesotho, organized crime in Mexico, and mass killings in the US, to name just three of their projects, exemplify the topical and geographic range of our scholars. Preventing or reducing violence requires first determining what drives it; this is what our grants make possible.” In PracticeOne Year Later: Reflections on How Syrian Opposition Groups United to Oust AssadAron Lund (Distinguished Scholar 2017) explains how disparate rebel groups united to overthrow the authoritarian regime of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad in 2024. Insight into Assad’s ouster serves as a framework for understanding how insurgent organizations compete and coalesce during war and operate after war if they prevail. “The most sectarian, most hardline group is also the one that’s now in power and has an interest in preventing [violence] for basic stability and to manage relations with the West,” says Lund, noting that the calculation could later change. Foundation NewsThe Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation Welcomes Byron Boston to Board and Sees Retirements of Tina Bennett and William G. Bardel“We are honored to welcome Byron Boston,” said Daniel F. Wilhelm, president of the Foundation. “Byron brings a wealth of leadership experience in the worlds of business, finance, and investment that will be a welcome asset to The Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation board. His deep interest in and commitment to addressing pressing global challenges will likewise enhance our efforts to produce and disseminate knowledge to address violence in its many forms.” HFG ReportFueling the Fires: How Corruption and Conflict Keep Each Other BurningA new HFG Research and Policy in Brief report examines the “vicious cycle” of conflict and corruption in postconflict state such as Afghanistan, Guatemala, and South Sudan.In their synthesis of literature on the topic, authors Diana Chigas and Cheyanne Scharbatke-Church, codirectors of the Corruption, Justice and Legitimacy Program at Besa Global, explain how corruption can become an entrenched feature of political economies and a major obstacle to building a lasting peace once war ends.
