Constitution-making

Alternatives to war: Colombia’s peace processes (Accord issue 14, 2004) is an introduction to more than three decades of peacemaking efforts. It reveals the extraordinary work of civilians at grassroots, regional and national levels, and documents the main features and outcomes of formal peace processes with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the National Liberation Army (ELN), smaller guerrilla groups and more recently the paramilitaries.

The process for making a transition from war to peace provides an opportunity to agree new political, constitutional and economic arrangements that can deal with the roots of a conflict. However such decisions are often made solely by governments and armed groups’ representatives, who do not always represent the wider public’s interests.

Accord 21, Whose peace is it anyway? connecting Somali and international peacemaking, seeks to improve understanding and links between Somalis and international policy and practice. Edited by Mark Bradbury and Sally Healy it contains over 30 articles including interviews with Somali elders and senior diplomats, and contributions from Somali and international peacemaking practitioners, academics, involved parties, civil society and women’s organisations.