Redefining Ceasefires: Wartime Order and Statebuilding in Syria

Since 2012, ceasefires have been used in Syria to halt violence and facilitate peace agreements. However, in this book, Marika Sosnowski argues that a ceasefire is rarely ever just a 'cease fire'. Instead, she demonstrates that ceasefires are not only military tactics but are also tools of wartime order and statebuilding. Bringing together rare primary documents and first-hand interviews with over eighty Syrians and other experts, Sosnowski offers original insights into the most critical conflict of our time, the Syrian civil war. From rebel governance to citizen and property rights, humanitarian access to economic networks, ceasefires have a range of heretofore underexamined impacts. Using the most prominent ceasefires of the war as case studies, Sosnowski demonstrates the diverse consequences of ceasefires and provides a fuller, more nuanced portrait of their role in conflict resolution.

Table of Contents:
1. Beyond violence: towards a more nuanced understanding of ceasefires; 2. Redefining ceasefires in civil war; 3. Ceasefires in the Syrian context; 4. Different types of ceasefires; 5. How ceasefires affect rebel governance; 6. How ceasefires affect citizenship and property rights; 7. How ceasefires affect aspects of the sovereign state; 8. Ceasefires: order amid violence; Appendix 1. List of interviews; Appendix 2. English translation of Homs ceasefire agreement; Appendix 3. English translation of Busra al-Sham ceasefire agreement; Appendix 4. English translation of al-Waer ceasefire agreement.

About the Author :
Marika Sosnowski is an Australian lawyer, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne Law School and Research Associate with the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) in Hamburg. Her primary research interests are in the fields of critical security studies, local/rebel governance and legal systems. Her geographical area of specialisation is the Middle East, particularly Syria. Her PhD dissertation was awarded the 2020 Syrian Studies Association Dissertation Prize.

Review :
'This important book analyzes the complex relationship between conflict dynamics, political order, and governance by zooming in on the political, societal, and strategic impact of ceasefires in the context of the Syrian civil war. It offers a nuanced, original analytical prism through which to better understand civil wars. Essential reading for both scholars and policymakers.' Benedetta Berti, Head of Policy Planning – NATO 'Redefining Ceasefires makes a ground-breaking contribution to scholarship on ceasefires and state-building. Based on hard-to-collect data from the Syrian war, it presents a novel way to look at ceasefires by analysing them as types of wartime order. The book is of very high interest to both peace researchers and practitioners.' Sara Hellmüller, Geneva Graduate Institute 'Sosnowski makes a pathbreaking contribution to scholarship on civil wars by showing how ceasefires are not mere lulls in fighting, but instead shape wartime orders and even enable new forms of violence. Carefully theorized and powerfully illustrated with original data from Syria, this book is a must-read for students of conflict and practitioners in the field of conflict resolution.' Wendy Pearlman, Northwestern University 'This is the most interesting scholarly work on Syria I've read in years. Marika Sosnowski's outstanding analysis of primary documents and interviews shows how ceasefires - commonly understood as the first step towards peace - easily become a tool to reframe structural and systemic violence in the context of a power imbalance.' Bente Scheller, Heinrich Böll Foundation '… a must read for scholars researching civil wars, peacekeeping, state-building, regime-repression, and Syria.' Benjamin Tkach, International Peacekeeping 'This passionately argued book is an important contribution to policy debates on how ceasefires alter the course of civil wars … and a vital guide for scholars and policy makers alike.' Kevin Mazur, Perspectives on Politics 'This book is a very welcome addition to the specialized literature. It represents an important study for those trying to understand how local governance is constructed, maintained, and legitimized in armed conflict. I am indeed convinced that its findings will be of use beyond the Syrian context, informing strategies of engagement with local actors and also serving policymakers when negotiating ceasefires.' Ezequiel Heffes, Articles of War 'Sosnowski's appropriately titled book redefines ceasefires using the Syrian civil war for narrative description. The excellently researched chapters on Syria's experiences with ceasefires effectively applies the abductively generated typology in a dynamic, approachable, and detailed analysis. While focused on ceasefires, this book is a must read for scholars researching civil wars, peacekeeping, state-building, regime-repression, and Syria.' Benjamin Tkach, International Peacekeeping