"War-torn to peace-torn" is a framework developed by Jason Miklian and Angelika Rettberg (2019) that describes how the transition from conflict to peace creates its own set of business uncertainties and challenges. Drawing on evidence from Colombia's peace process, the concept shows that businesses face a distinctive "peace-torn" environment where the rules, relationships, and risk calculations that enabled operations during conflict no longer apply, requiring fundamentally new strategies for navigating post-conflict economies.
The conventional narrative suggests that when conflict ends, business conditions improve. In reality, peace creates a different set of vulnerabilities. During conflict, businesses often establish relationships with armed actors, develop supply chains adapted to insecurity, and operate under clear (if violent) rules. When peace agreements are signed, these arrangements become liabilities rather than assets.
Relationships that were protective during conflict become compromising in a peace process. Supply chains designed for conflict economies become inefficient in peacetime. The informal security arrangements businesses negotiated with armed groups disappear, replaced by formal legal systems that may be weak or hostile. Companies face a distinctive "peace-torn" transition where old strategies no longer work and new ones must be invented.
The war-torn to peace-torn framework highlights that businesses require different strategic approaches before, during, and after peace agreements. Companies succeeding in war-torn environments must actively restructure their operations, supply chains, security arrangements, and political relationships when peace arrives. This transition is not automatic or guaranteed.
The framework is particularly relevant in Colombia, where the 2016 peace agreement created a complex period in which old conflict-adapted business models had to be abandoned while new peace-adapted ones were still being invented. Understanding this transition is crucial for supporting post-conflict economic recovery and ensuring that businesses contribute to rather than undermine fragile peace processes.
Miklian, Jason and Angelika Rettberg. "From War-Torn to Peace-Torn? Mapping Business Strategies in Transition from Conflict to Peace in Colombia." 2019.
Miklian, Jason and Angelika Rettberg. "From War-Torn to Peace-Torn? Mapping Business Strategies in Transition from Conflict to Peace in Colombia." 2019.
War-Torn to Peace-Torn is a framework developed by Jason Miklian and Angelika Rettberg (2019) that describes how the transition from conflict to peace creates its own set of business uncertainties and challenges. It shows that businesses face a distinctive peace-torn environment where the rules, relationships, and risk calculations that enabled operations during conflict no longer apply.
During conflict, businesses establish relationships with armed actors, develop conflict-adapted supply chains, and operate under clear (if violent) rules. When peace agreements are signed, these arrangements become liabilities. Relationships protective during conflict become compromising, conflict-adapted supply chains become inefficient, and informal security arrangements with armed groups disappear.
Businesses require different strategic approaches before, during, and after peace agreements. Companies succeeding in war-torn environments must actively restructure their operations, supply chains, security arrangements, and political relationships when peace arrives. This transition is complex and requires businesses to abandon old conflict-adapted models while inventing new peace-adapted ones.