Securing Peace in Angola and Mozambique: The Importance of Specificity in Peace Treaties

This book helps explain how and why there are such diverging outcomes of UN peace negotiations and treaties through a detailed examination of peace processes in the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Does it really matter what’s written on page 36, protocol V, section III, point 5 of a UN-endorsed peace treaty? Dr. Miranda Ruwart Melcher shows that seemingly small details - such as who wears suits, who has toothbrushes, and how specific words are translated between French and English - can and have delayed peace or contributed to restarting wars.

Dr. Melcher uses unique primary source data, including interviews with key actors who have participated in peace treaty negotiations, as well as thousands of previously newly opened UN documents. She argues that treaty specificity is an undervalued - but important - factor in researching the success or failure of peace processes. The book offers new insights and policy recommendations for key details whose presence or absence can have a significant impact on how peace processes unfold.

Miranda Melcher received her PhD in Defense Studies from King’s College London. She received her MA in Intelligence and International Security from the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, and her BA in Political Science from Yale University. Dr. Melcher currently works in the department of Learning Enhancement and Development (LEaD) at City, University of London.