In this USIP Discussion Paper, my colleagues Argyro Kartsonaki, Giuditta Fontana, and I argue that the effects of civil war recurrence can be mitigated if peace agreements include mechanisms that enable the warring parties to continue dialogue throughout peace processes beyond the implementation of a peace agreement. Based on an examination of 147 agreements across ten peace processes that experienced at least one relapse into violence, it identifies three types of mechanisms for dialogues—platforms for engagement, implementation reviews, and dispute resolution provisions—for settling differences that, left unresolved, might lead to a resumption of violence.

The paper is based on research funded by USIP’s Grants & Fellowships Program. It was also supported by the Inclusive Peace Processes and Reconciliation Program in USIP’s Gandhi-King Global Academy and by funding from the University of Birmingham’s ESRC Impact Acceleration Account.

​This paper can be found as an open-access publication here and here.