Why do peace processes initiate? This study is an analysis of the explanatory value of I. William Zartman’s ripeness theory in the resolution of the Colombian internal armed conflict. This was done...Show moreWhy do peace processes initiate? This study is an analysis of the explanatory value of I. William Zartman’s ripeness theory in the resolution of the Colombian internal armed conflict. This was done by testing the elements of the theory – mutually hurting stalemate and sense of a way out – in addition to absence of economic resources and mediation presence elements (necessary even if not sufficient) that facilitate and create a favorable condition to initiate a peace process. Data collection was done through document analysis, and the analysis itself through grounded theory. The scope was of two case studies that started a negotiated settlement, the first one between the state and the 19th of April Movement (M-19) in 1989 and the second one between the state and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - People’s Army (FARC) in 1999. The contribution of this study was to understand the causes that generated opposite results, the first one ended successfully and the latter did not, even if both started a peace process. The two guerrilla groups were chosen because they were the largest groups with the characteristics described above, but why choosing Colombia? This conflict is the only one in its complex nature with five decades that still remains in the Latin American region. The findings were that a ripe moment happened only in the first case. While in the first case all elements were present except mediation, in the second one only mediation was present. A gap of the theory was that the role of mediation is not clear and under what conditions it plays a role in ripeness theory. This study may then conclude that attempts of escalation by all parties in a conflict may be necessary to set the favorable conditions for a ripe moment to happen in conflict resolution.Show less
