ABSTRACT
Conflict, especially intrastate conflict, and efforts by outside actors to help resolve it have been influential in shaping politics in sub-Saharan Africa. Adoption costs refer to local elites' cost-benefit calculation about the risks and gains to be had from cooperating rather than defecting on the commitments required by the peace agreement. It outlines the expected characteristics of effective guarantors, based on a reading of the comparative literature on postconflict peacebuilding. In Mozambique and Liberia the role of bilateral donors was critical in spite of the common tendency to attribute success in each case primarily to the UN mission. In Rwanda, by contrast, strong domestic actors had little need of external support to overcome internal political challenges. Although they still relied on international aid, donors were often unable or unwilling to truly condition aid funds on performance or to influence policy. Bilateral actors helped to advance implementation of the peace agreement by helping to overcome opposition or disagreements at key moments.
