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Built-in Safeguards and the Implementation of Civil War Peace Accords

Author

Listed:
  • Madhav Joshi
  • SungYong Lee
  • Roger Mac Ginty

Abstract

This article contributes to analyses of peace agreement implementation by focusing on the role of built-in safeguards as procedural mechanisms within peace agreements. Recent empirical studies suggest that negotiated peace agreements are a frequent mode of armed conflict termination and implementation of those agreements to be the primary predictor of enduring peace and the quality of that peace. However, in many instances implementation takes years or even decades and is subject to breakdown before achieving the key implementation objectives. In this article, we identify and theorize three key safeguards in peace accords: transitional power-sharing, dispute resolution, and verification mechanisms. We argue that these safeguards lead to higher implementation of provisions negotiated in peace agreements by addressing mutual suspicion and by facilitating more constructive working relationships among former rivals. To test our arguments, we analyze implementation of comprehensive peace agreements negotiated between 1989 and 2012 from the Peace Accords Matrix Implementation Data (PAM_ID). We find that the built-in safeguards that we have identified significantly explain variations in levels of peace agreement implementation.

Suggested Citation

  • Madhav Joshi & SungYong Lee & Roger Mac Ginty, 2017. "Built-in Safeguards and the Implementation of Civil War Peace Accords," International Interactions, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(6), pages 994-1018, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:ginixx:v:43:y:2017:i:6:p:994-1018
    DOI: 10.1080/03050629.2017.1257491
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ghani, Ashraf & Lockhart, Clare, 2009. "Fixing Failed States: A Framework for Rebuilding a Fractured World," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780195398618.
    2. Joshi, Madhav & Quinn, Jason Michael, 2017. "Implementing the Peace: The Aggregate Implementation of Comprehensive Peace Agreements and Peace Duration after Intrastate Armed Conflict," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 47(4), pages 869-892, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Madhav Joshi & Matthew Hauenstein & Jason Quinn, 2025. "Expanding the Peace Accords Matrix Implementation Dataset: Partial peace agreements in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement negotiation and implementation process, 1989–2021," Journal of Peace Research, Peace Research Institute Oslo, vol. 62(6), pages 2162-2174, November.
    2. Lesley-Ann Daniels, 2025. "Identity concessions in ethnic civil wars: When are they given and with what outcomes for peace?," Journal of Peace Research, Peace Research Institute Oslo, vol. 62(4), pages 1191-1204, July.
    3. Wakako Maekawa & Barış Arı & Theodora-Ismene Gizelis, 2019. "UN involvement and civil war peace agreement implementation," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 178(3), pages 397-416, March.
    4. Dominic Rohner, 2018. "Success Factors for Peace Treaties: A Review of Theory and Evidence," Cahiers de Recherches Economiques du Département d'économie 18.08, Université de Lausanne, Faculté des HEC, Département d’économie.

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