"The More We Sweat in Peace, the Less We Bleed in War": Regional Organizations and the Prevention of Violent Conflict

This dissertation evaluates the role of third-party actors for the prevention of civil war. The project develops a theory of conflict prevention by evaluating international efforts in both structural and direct conflict prevention. It evaluates the tools third-party actors use in structural prevention and peacebuilding in post-conflict countries by comparing in detail two countries - Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia. The dissertation also examines direct prevention measures undertaken by external actors in internal conflicts around the world for the period 1993-2010. This dissertation concludes that regional organizations and neighboring states are effective actors in preventing civil war, and that direct mediation is the most effective prevention instrument used by third-party actors to halt the escalation of violent conflict.