Citizens in Peace Processes

• Author: Felix Haass,Caroline A. Hartzell,Martin Ottmann
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/00220027221089691
• Published date: 01 October 2022
• Date: 01 October 2022
• Subject Matter: Special Feature Articles

Special Feature Article

Journal of Conf‌lict Resolution

2022, Vol. 66(9) 1547–1561

© The Author(s) 2022

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DOI: 10.1177/00220027221089691

journals.sagepub.com/home/jcr

Citizens in Peace Processes

Felix Haass

1

, Caroline A. Hartzell

2

,

and Martin Ottmann

3



Abstract

Citizen engagement in and support for peace processes have been deemed important

for sustainable peace after civil wars. Yet much of what we know about peace pro-

cesses in civil wars centers on the interests of elite actors. This special feature aims to

advance a research agenda focusing on citizens in peace processes to address this

mismatch. In the introduction to the special feature, we f‌irst present empirical evidence

situating citizens in relation to civil war peace processes. We then trace the current

state of the literature on the roles of citizens in peace processes. Following that, we

introduce a conceptual framework designed to improve scholarly analysis of the

political behavior of citizens in peace processes. We also locate the individual con-

tributions to the special feature within the framework in order to demonstrate its

utility and as a means of helping to identify directions for future research.

Keywords

civil wars, peace agreement, negotiation, implementation, legacies, citizens, peace

process, political behavior

Introduction

Ordinary citizens typically bear the brunt of the destruction and violence in civil wars.

Their engagement in and acceptance of peace processes increasingly has come to be

considered a crucial ingredient for sustainable peace. In 2003, for instance, the protest

1

Department of Political Science, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

2

Political Science Department, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA, USA

3

School of Government, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

Corresponding Author:

Martin Ottmann, School of Government, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.

Email: m.ottmann@bham.ac.uk