Why Peace Fails: The Causes and Prevention of Civil War Recurrence
Author(s): Charles T. Call (Author, Contributor)
Publisher: Georgetown University Press
Publication Date: 3 April 2012
Edition: Illustrated
Language: English
Print length: 288 pages
ISBN-10: 158901894X
ISBN-13: 9781589018945
Book Description
Why does peace after civil war, once it is widely seen as consolidated, often fail to hold? What explains why peace “sticks” after some conflicts while others reignite? This is an important topic because civil wars have resulted in more deaths worldwide than any other form of organized violence since the end of the Cold War. Furthermore, the failure of peace has often led to doubly devastating conflicts the next time and recurring conflicts are particularly difficult for international peacekeeping efforts. This groundbreaking study finds that multiple factors account for the success of consolidating peace and averting a resumption of civil war, but Call’s key finding is that one factor in particular, political exclusion, plays the decisive role in most cases where armed groups have resumed conflict. Call also finds that political inclusion of former opponents is highly correlated with the successful consolidation of peace. This book is a corrective to a trend in recent scholarship that has attributed the resumption of conflict primarily to economic factors such as natural resources. This study has important implications not only for scholarship but also for conflict resolution practitioners who design programs to help build peace in war-torn societies. The particular cases of conflict analyzed in the book are Burundi, Chechnya, Central African Republic, East Timor, Haiti, Lebanon, Liberia, Mali, Nicaragua, Peru, South Ossetia, Rawanda, Sudan, Tibet, and Zimbabwe.
Editorial Reviews
Review
Its clear structure, honest discussion of shortcomings, and mixture of methods – as well as its policy debates and recommendations – make this book an invaluable teaching tool. Indubitably, Call makes some signicant theoretical contributions, important for scholars and practitioners alike, as civil war recurrences continue to occur.
Call cites sources that represent the most credible scholarly and professional works available. His research is rigorous, comprehensive, and compelling. It is well articulated and appropriately interwoven, with substantive depth and analysis. His conclusions and recommendations are sound and constructive . . . a must-read for conflict theory scholars, academics in the fields of political science and international studies, and military and government leaders-especially those who shape US policy with fragile states.
A systematic, engaging and critical account of commonly used theories and methodologies, while providing a deep understanding of a range of cases that display both the successes and failures of various peace settlements.
An impressive, focused examination of a crucial question in the study of political violence.
The book’s most valuable contribution can be found in its final chapter where conclusions for policy and practice are discussed. The book closes with a sophisticated analysis of why legitimacy-building by external actors is so difficult, and an invaluable analysis of the four moments in postwar political processes.
About the Author
Charles T. Call is an assistant professor in the School of International Studies at American University. He was previously a senior fellow at the US Institute of Peace and is the editor of Building States to Build Peace and Constructing Security and Justice after War. He has conducted research in Afghanistan, West Africa, Bosnia, Kosovo, Haiti, Colombia, Chechnya, and Central America.
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