There is an international norm of inclusion in peace processes and political settlements. This is recent. Twenty years ago, the participation of unarmed political parties, civil society actors and women, was only a moral principle and an aspiration, disputed by political elites and questioned by conflict mediators. Today it has become a norm of international political practice, in the sense that people in conflict-affected countries demand inclusion, the international sponsors of peace processes seek it, and protagonists in conflicts tactically call upon it, occasionally to good effect. Inclusion is not law. It is still contested, but its challengers are in retreat. This paper examines what has occurred.
‘Inclusion in Peacemaking: From Moral Claim to Political Fact,’ in Pamela Aall and Chester Crocker (eds.) The Fabric of Peace in Africa, Looking beyond the state, Waterloo ON, Centre for International Governance Innovation, 2017
