Conflict and Security
Challenges to Peacebuilding
Many ceasefires and peace agreements in civil conflicts are initially unsuccessful. Some give way to renewed, and often escalating, violence while some others have become interminably protracted. Given the huge material and human costs of a failed peace process, the international com¬munity has a strong interest in helping these processes succeed and addressing threats to their implementation. This research project -
- explores the factors that promote or obstruct conflict settlement processes by focusing on the 'spoilers' groups and tactics that actively seek to obstruct or undermine conflict settlement through a variety of means, including terrorism and violence. And;
- assesses the response and success of local and international actors- including incentives, sanctions, and coercion- to deal with 'spoilers' and suggests methods and approaches that can be employed to deal with them.
The resulting book considers why spoilers and spoiling behavior emerge and how they can be addressed by drawing upon experience from Northern Ireland, the Basque region, Bosnia, Colombia, Israel-Palestine, Cyprus, the Caucasus and Kashmir.
It takes a 'critical' approach to the concept of spoiling and considers a broad range of actors as potential spoilers: not only rebel groups and insurgents, but also Diasporas, governments, and other entities. It also demonstrates that ill-conceived or imposed peace processes can themselves sow the seeds of spoiling.
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Page last modified 2019.04.16.
