Negotiate or �Let it Burn�? Deconstructing Arguments Regarding the �Best� Way to End Civil Wars

A number of scholars have claimed that post-civil war peace is likely to last longer if a conflict ends in a military victory for one side. Focusing on the distinction between civil war outcomes and civil war settlements, Hartzell argues that how a war ends is less important for the future of peace than the terms adversaries agree to at a war’s end. Caroline Hartzell is Professor of Political Science at Gettysburg College. Her research interests include the design of civil war settlements and post-conflict quality of the peace issues. She is the co-author of Crafting Peace: Power-Sharing Institutions and the Negotiated Settlement of Civil Wars.