Peacemaking as Statebuilding: Colombia’s 2016 Agreement in a Comparative Perspective

Joshi, Madhav; Mac Ginty, Roger

Abstract

This article shows that Charles Tilly’s argument that war makes the state can be augmented by the notion that peace makes the state too. We develop a four-part analytical framework to analyse contemporary civil war peace agreements and identify the extent to which they include provisions specific to security, institutions, governance, and external actors. Using the framework and data, we are able to demonstrate how statebuilding has played a role in peacemaking in the post-1989 period before focusing on Colombia. The article finds that statebuilding has played a significant role in peacemaking in the contemporary era and has accelerated in the post-Cold War period. In the Colombian case, unlike the 2016 peace agreement with FARC, historically peace accords between the Government of Colombia and rebel groups have not been particularly concerned with statebuilding. We are able to conclude, on the basis of comparative empirical evidence, that statebuilding is a core part of contemporary peacemaking.

Citation

Joshi, M., & Mac Ginty, R. (online). Peacemaking as Statebuilding: Colombia’s 2016 Agreement in a Comparative Perspective. Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, https://doi.org/10.1080/17502977.2025.2458917

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 23, 2025
• Online Publication Date: Apr 10, 2025
• Deposit Date: May 22, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: May 22, 2025
• Journal: Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding
• Print ISSN: 1750-2977
• Electronic ISSN: 1750-2985
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17502977.2025.2458917
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3958934