Peace Agreements

Although they vary enormously in complexity, number of actors, timescale and outcome, peace processes have become the orthodox way in which low intensity, seemingly intractable, ethnic conflicts reached an accommodation in the 1990s. A clear trend towards internally agreed initiatives, rather than externally imposed settlements, is noticeable. Yet, the majority of peace accords fail. Often, peace accords fail to anticipate post-conflict problems, or are regarded as a staging post in the conflict. The accords are worth examining in detail though. This is particularly the case from a comparative perspective. It has become increasingly common for actors in one peace process to borrow from the experiences of others. To this end, the publication and widespread dissemination of recent peace accords has enormous merit. Created by the International Conflict Research Institute at Ulster University, this website offers an archive of peace agreements and related documentation on conflicts, with a special emphasis on long-term, low-intensity ethnic or national conflicts with a particular emphasis on the 1980s and 1990s. Documents are divided by geographic region, country, and conflict, and most are available in English versions.