The Need for Guarantee Mechanism in Complex Power-sharing Peace Agreements

A remarkable characteristic of conflict resolution practice is that a large number of actual and proposed peace agreements incorporate ‘complex power-sharing’ arrangements. These arrangements combine a self-governance regime and the sharing of power between different groups. This paper focuses on the territorial self-governance (TSG) provisions in complex power-sharing agreements, arguing that given the lack of trust in post-conflict divided societies a range of guarantee mechanisms are necessary to facilitate the establishment and operation of these institutions. It argues that it is important to 1) choose the appropriate type of guarantee for each stage of a peace process 2) combine the strengths of both international and domestic guarantees and 3) hybrid mechanisms which allow for the inclusion of domestic and international actors in the same body can maximise the legitimacy and expertise of these bodies allowing them to provide strong guarantees to overcome the lack of trust between local conflict parties.