Book Chapter
| 2019
Peace Agreements
Peace agreements are the codification of the terms of settlement between some or all conflict parties for the purpose of ending conflict between them. Between 1990 and 2018, over 1700 peace agreements have been signed across over 200 peace processes (PA-X 2019). Since the end of the Cold War in 1989, negotiated settlements using peace and ceasefire agreements emerged to become the primary method of ending conflicts (Kreutz 2010). Formal “legalized” pacts, such as peace agreements, are useful as a means of screening the commitment of warring parties to the peace process (Badran 2014). The language, formality, and public availability of agreements introduce audience costs and reputational risks (Fortna 2004). Also, clarity in the content of an agreement provides a means of measuring whether the agreement is being upheld (Mattes and Savun 2009).
