The Legacy of War: Conceptualizing a ‘Culture of Violence’ to Explain Violence after Peace Accords

Abstract

The uncomfortable truth about peace accords is that they often do not lead to a real reduction of violence in societies emerging from violent ethno-national conflict. This paper asks why high levels of violence in the community, such as crime and vigilantism, often persist in post-accord societies. It argues that the period of protracted violent conflict has given rise to a ‘culture of violence’, which creates a socially permissive environment within which violence can continue even after peace accords have been signed and the violent political conflict has ended. A conceptual framework mapping the dynamics of violent intra-state conflict that can give rise to such a culture of violence is presented. The framework identifies factors at the international, state, collective and individual levels that can cause and sustain a culture of violence in post-accord societies. Examples from members of the Commonwealth who have recently experienced violent internal conflict are used to illustrate the framework.