Ending Civil Wars Requires More Than Just Military Victory?

This study addresses how governments bring multiparty civil wars to an end by proposing a systems approach. Prior research often focused on either individual conflicts (civil war level) or specific dyadic terminations, overlooking the connections between group-level peace agreements. The analysis examines 264 dyadic terminations and reveals that reducing systemic fighting requires demonstrating Political Will & Capacity for comprehensive reforms while dealing with security issues.

✅ Key Findings:

• Governments must show commitment to implementing political/social/security reforms across groups as part of a larger process
• Military victories against remaining groups are effective only when accompanied by these broader reform efforts (this is the "reform-process")
• Isolated military victories do not prevent future conflict levels even if they themselves endure

💡 Why This Matters

This research provides a nuanced understanding of civil war termination strategies, emphasizing that successful resolution requires attention to systemic peacebuilding rather than focusing solely on individual group outcomes.