Supporting Peace After Civil War: What Kind of International Engagement Can Make a Difference?

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How can international actors effectively support peace after civil war?
Analyzing combinations of peace support provided during the first five years of 36 post-civil war episodes since 1990, CHARLOTTE FIEDLER, JÖRN GRÄVINGHOLT and KARINA MROSS conclude that international peacebuilding can clearly make a difference. More specifically, their findings show that:
• contrary to concerns regarding the destabilizing effects of democratization, the majority of successful cases are in fact characterized by substantial international support in the field of politics and governance in democratizing contexts;
• only combined international efforts across all types of support can help prevent renewed conflict in contexts of a high risk of recurrence; and
• countries that did not receive any substantial peace support experienced conflict recurrence within five years.
In a briefing paper titled Supporting Peace After Civil War: What Kind of International Engagement Can Make a Difference? for the German Development Institute, the authors recommend the following to the international community when faced with post-civil war situations:
• Engage substantially in post-conflict countries. International peacebuilding can be effective, even where there is a high structural risk of conflict recurrence. While success will never be guaranteed, countries that receive substantial international support often remain peaceful, whereas all countries that were neglected by the international community experienced conflict recurrence.
• Pay particular attention, and provide substantial support, to the field of politics and governance in post-conflict countries that begin to democratize. While it is well known that democratization processes are conflict prone, donor engagement geared towards supporting such processes can help mitigate conflict and contribute to peace. When a post-conflict country has decided to embark on political reforms donors should offer governance support to help overcome potential destabilizing effects of democratization processes.
• Invest in an international approach that encompasses all areas of peacebuilding early on after the end of a civil war. Especially in contexts with a high structural risk of renewed violent conflict, the chances of sustained peace are increased by simultaneous support for security, institutions, livelihoods and societal conflict transformation.