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Since the end of the Cold War a significant number of peace agreements have been signed, many of them in bloody intra-state conflicts that were previously thought beyond resolution. How have these agreements addressed issues of territory, security, power and justice? Do they reveal a blueprint for peace, and what can we learn from both their successes and their failures?
This timely book provides a comprehensive and cutting-edge analysis of peace agreements signed in separatist conflicts from 1990 to the present day. Drawing on a diverse range of cases, including Bosnia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sudan, Israel-Palestine and Ukraine, it analyses the different peace 'packages', focusing on the interaction of the elements in play, and exploring the impact of political contestation within conflict parties and of peace process dynamics.
Though some of these agreements have displayed great ingenuity in finding lasting solutions, many have relied on more traditional, and often problematic, designs. For all such agreements, the enduring challenge is that of ensuring flexibility while avoiding destructive ambiguity. This is why the content of peace agreements really matters - not only to sustain peace once it is achieved but to make the prospect of peace possible in the first place.
List of contents
Introduction
Part 1: Content
1. Territory
2. Security
3. Power
4. Justice
5. A Post-Cold War Blueprint for Peace?
Part 2: Context and Process
6. Internal Dynamics - A Right Time for Peace
7. External Involvement - Opportunities and Constraints
Conclusion
About the author
Nina Caspersen is Professor of Politics at the University of York
Summary
Since the end of the Cold War a significant number of peace agreements have been signed, many of them in bloody intra-state conflicts that were previously thought beyond resolution. How have these agreements addressed issues of territory, security, power and justice? Do they reveal a blueprint for peace, and what can we learn from both their successes and their failures?
This timely book provides a comprehensive and cutting-edge analysis of peace agreements signed in separatist conflicts from 1990 to the present day. Drawing on a diverse range of cases, including Bosnia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sudan, Israel-Palestine and Ukraine, it analyses the different peace 'packages', focusing on the interaction of the elements in play, and exploring the impact of political contestation within conflict parties and of peace process dynamics.
Though some of these agreements have displayed great ingenuity in finding lasting solutions, many have relied on more traditional, and often problematic, designs. For all such agreements, the enduring challenge is that of ensuring flexibility while avoiding destructive ambiguity. This is why the content of peace agreements really matters - not only to sustain peace once it is achieved but to make the prospect of peace possible in the first place.
Report
"For as long as there has been war, there have been attempts to reach peace agreements. But our knowledge of peace accords (what works and what doesn't) is surprisingly patchy. Caspersen addresses this problem with a detailed and convincing comparative study that systematically analyses post-Cold War peace accords. The book will become a standard point of reference for many years to come and will be a staple on reading lists."
Roger Mac Ginty, University of Manchester
"A substantive, in-depth analysis, which offers extremely insightful lessons that will be of great value to students and practitioners of peace processes alike."
Stefan Wolff, University of Birmingham