Since the end of the Cold War the nature and perception of international conflict has changed significantly. Instead of inter-state war, intra-state conflicts now constitute the majority of current conflicts. “Global nuclear warfare is no longer the primary international security concern. It has been displaced by […] excessively violent and destructive intra-state or internal conflicts.” And these conflicts, which would have been regarded as purely internal matters during the Cold War, are now seen as being of international concern. Civil wars which are normally regionalised, are often nevertheless deemed to be a threat to international peace and security. As a result, the international community has become more and more involved in the resolution of civil wars, often by mediating peace negotiations between the parties involved.
However, the resolution of civil war is one the most challenging tasks in Conflict Resolution. Only a minority of negotiations result in a lasting peace and only under exceptional circumstances is this achieved without a third party mediating the negotiations. Although many of the attempts to settle civil wars by mediation have failed, it is clear that the involvement of international mediators makes civil war negotiations more likely to succeed and in some cases indeed helps to find long-term solutions to the conflict.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Getting to Lasting Peace: Does Mediation Suffice to Settle Civil Wars Successfully?
- Introduction
- The Problem of Implementation
- The Advantages of Mediation
- Firstly: Trust and Communication
- Secondly: Problem Solving
- Thirdly: Depersonalization
- Credible Commitment Theory
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This essay aims to analyze the effectiveness of mediation in settling civil wars, specifically focusing on the challenges of implementing negotiated agreements. It argues that while mediation is crucial for facilitating negotiations, it does not guarantee successful implementation, leading to potential relapse into conflict.
- The role of mediation in civil war negotiations
- The challenges of implementing peace agreements
- The importance of credible guarantees for lasting peace
- The concept of credible commitment theory
- The advantages of mediation in promoting trust, communication, and problem-solving
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: This chapter outlines the changing nature of conflict in the post-Cold War era, highlighting the rise of intra-state conflicts and the growing involvement of the international community in their resolution. It emphasizes the challenges of achieving lasting peace in civil wars and the role of mediation in facilitating negotiations.
- The Problem of Implementation: This chapter explores the difficulties of implementing peace agreements in civil wars, arguing that even if parties reach a mutually satisfying solution, a lack of credible guarantees can lead to a relapse into conflict. It introduces the concept of 'credible commitment theory' and emphasizes the importance of third-party guarantees for ensuring implementation.
- The Advantages of Mediation: This chapter examines the benefits of mediation in civil war negotiations. It highlights mediation's ability to create an environment of trust, facilitate communication, promote problem-solving, and depersonalize the conflict. It uses examples such as the Oslo Accords to illustrate the crucial role of mediation in facilitating dialogue and establishing common ground.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This essay focuses on the key themes of civil war, mediation, peace negotiations, implementation, credible commitment theory, trust, communication, problem-solving, and depersonalization. It explores the effectiveness of mediation in settling civil wars, highlighting the challenges of implementing peace agreements and the importance of credible guarantees for achieving lasting peace.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Patrick Wagner (Autor:in), 2003, Getting to lasting peace: Does mediation suffice to settle civil wars successfully?, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/22373
