Spoiler Problems in Peace Processes

Abstract

What conflicts do peacebuilders confront in their efforts to resolve civil conflict, and what strategies are most effective in addressing these problems? Stephen John Stedman of the Center for International Security and Arms Control at Stanford University argues that spoilers - 'leaders and parties who believe that peace emerging from negotiations threatens their power, worldview, and interests, and use violence to undermine attempts to achieve it" - present the greatest danger to peace processes. The key, according to Stedman, is to identify correctly the nature of those who oppose their involvement. Stedman develops a typological theory for identifying and managing spoilers, which, he suggests, may assist peacebuilders to avoid renewals of hostilities.