Channels, Fall 2018

Channels • 2018 • Volume 3 • Number 1 Page 35 A Call to Peace: How Third-Party Actors and Frameworks Impacted the Peace Processes of Northern Ireland and Colombia Esther Holm History and Government Introduction t is undeniable that the end of the Cold War ushered in a new era. During the Cold War, the world was bound in a West versus East paradigm. However, the collapse of the Soviet Union also signaled the collapse of this paradigm. The world was no longer bipolar. 1 The end of the bipolar system impacted how peace processes occurred across the world. Many of the conflicts that occurred during the Cold War were largely proxy battles between the Soviet Union and the United States (Crocker, Hampson, & Aall, 1999). Thus, the post-Cold War era conflicts were largely local wars and intra-state conflicts. In fact, today, nearly four out of every five conflicts are predominantly internal (Tonge, 2014). The change in the world system also ushered in changes in how peace processes occurred. For instance, the end of the Cold War freed international organizations and small and medium powers from the bipolar restraints. 2 As such, these organizations and countries have become more involved in mediation and peace processes (Crocker et al., 1999). In the most basic sense, a peace process is, “A process aimed at bringing violence and armed struggle to an end” (Armengol, 2013). However, as with most cases, it is much more 1 In International relations, polarity is a way to describe the distribution of power. A unipolar system describes a world or a region where one state is described as a great power and has more influence than any other state. A bipolar system is a world or system where there two great powers (such as the Cold War system where the United States and the Soviet Union were the two great powers.) Finally, a multipolar world describes a world or system where there are multiple great powers. For more information on polarity see The Tragedy of Great Powers by John Mearscheimer. 2 An innovation that has occurred in mediation since the end of the Cold War is a concept known as the group of “Friends.” These “Friends” are essentially friends of the peace process. They are an informal mini coalition of states and/or intergovernmental organizations that have an interest in seeing peace accomplished. United Nations’ peacekeeping organizations often benefits from having groups of “Friends” working alongside and supporting them; between 1990 and 2009, “Friends, “contact groups, and “core groups” grew from four to more than thirty. For more on groups of “Friends” see Working with Groups of Friends by Teresa Whitfield. I