This essay is an output of the Political Settlements Research Programme (www.politicalsettlements.org) funded by the Department for International Development (DFID), UK. The views expressed and information contained herein are not necessarily those of or endorsed by DFID, which can accept no responsibility for such views or information or for any reliance placed on them. The author would like to thank Christine Bell for her helpful comments on earlier drafts of this article. Thanks are also extended to Kevin Moore.