Bougainville, Papua New Guinea: Lessons from a Successful Peace Process

Abstract

This article asks whether the experience of a successful peace process such as the one that has brought more than 20 years of peace to Bougainville offers lessons for other peace processes. Anthony Regan shows that while the strong emphasis in the cultures of Bougainville and of Papua New Guinea on reconciliation as a means of ending conflict cannot be readily replicated, an aspect of the peace process that could be considered for use elsewhere is the Peace Agreement offering implementation incentives to opposing parties.