ABSTRACT

Sharing power between warring parties has become a standard arrangement to end civil wars during the post-Cold War era. One reason is that peace agreements have become significantly more common. After 1989, peace agreements have been signed in close to half of all civil wars. Before 1989, peace agreements were quite rare, and many conflicts ended in the victory of one party. After a victory, the life and liberty of defeated groups were often endangered. Peace agreements seek to prevent such oppression. The vast majority of peace agreements include provisions for the sharing of power to balance the influence of actors in the country. During the period 1989 to 2004, 70 out of all 83 agreements signed provided for power-sharing (Jarstad and Nilsson, 2008: 215).