This book takes on one of the biggest policy problems facing policymakers today: internal armed conflicts have a nasty habit of repeating themselves and we don't really know why. Using a mix of quantitative analysis and numerous case studies, Charles Call carefully reveals the importance of political inclusion in preventing repeat violence, and in the process offers important and timely policy prescriptions. This will be required reading for anyone struggling to prevent and put an end to cycles of seemingly endless war. -- Barbara Walter, professor, Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, University of California, San Diego This important new book offers fresh insights into the failure of peace agreements that will be of great interest to scholars and policymakers alike. -- Chandra Sriram, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London Countries that fall into civil war are likely to see future violence. Charles Call's impressive book-rich with theoretical insight and rife with empirical evidence-offers new evidence into precisely why that's the case. This carefully researched, accessibly written, and engagingly argued book underscores the essential ingredients of inclusivity and legitimacy; its findings and recommendations should be essential reading for students, scholars, and practitioners alike. -- Timothy D. Sisk, University of Denver Thoughtful and thorough, Why Peace Fails combines the systematic reasoning of a social scientist with the contextualized insight of a practitioner. Charles Call has drawn on his experience in both arenas and produced a study of what makes for success and failure in peace operations. It is well worth the closest attention of both scholars and policymakers. -- Michael W. Doyle, Columbia University Charles Call has written the next important statement on why some states that come out of a civil war trend toward peace while others return to violence. Bringing to bear a deep knowledge of existing theories of the causes of and solutions to civil wars and a rich understanding of a wide range of cases, Call makes a compelling case that political exclusion is an important but overlooked reason for cycles of violence. This is the sort of book that should be read and discussed by both scholars and practitioners. -- Michael N. Barnett, University Professor of International Relations and Political Science, The George Washington University

Why does peace fail? More precisely, why do some countries that show every sign of having successfully emerged from civil war fall once again into armed conflict? What explains why peace "sticks" after some wars but not others? In this illuminating study, Charles T. Call examines the factors behind fifteen cases of civil war recurrence in Africa, Asia, the Caucasus, and Latin America. He argues that widely touted explanations of civil war - such as poverty, conflict over natural resources, and weak states - are far less important than political exclusion. Call's study shows that inclusion of former opponents in postwar governance plays a decisive role in sustained peace. "Why Peace Fails" ultimately suggests that the international community should resist the temptation to prematurely withdraw resources and peacekeepers after a transition from war. Instead, international actors must remain fully engaged with postwar elected governments, ensuring that they make room for former enemies.