2005/05/27 by Courtney Jung, Ellen Lust, Ян Шапиро · 2 citations
Social Sciences · #Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East #Peacebuilding and International Security #Irish and British Studies #Negotiation #Democracy #Settlement (finance) #Human settlement #Political science #Middle East #Imperfect #Ethnic group #Political economy #Subject (documents) #Northern ireland #Development economics #Geography #Sociology #Law #Economics #Ethnology #Politics
paper · doi:10.1177/0032329205275196
openalex publication_date 2005/05/27 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
Intense ethnic, racial, and religious violence led many to classify South Africa, Northern Ireland, and Israel/Palestine as intractable conflicts. Yet they diverged, with only South Africa achieving a lasting settlement. The authors explain why. The authors analyze them as a distinctive type of negotiated transition. The ancién regime is an imperfect democracy, subject to electoral constraints and legitimated by democratic principles that it violates. This constrains negotiations but helps manage difficult commitment problems. The authors show how the principals navigated constraints and took advantage of opportunities in South Africa but have failed—so far—to do so in the other two conflicts.