Write an essay based on your general expertise on the topic you are being consulted about.

You have been contacted by the UN Secretary General to advise on how to bring about a stable negotiated settlement of the civil war in Megalomenia. [You are not supposed to know anything about this country; you should write an essay based on your general expertise on the topic you are being consulted about]. In particular, the Secretary would like you to provide an overview of possible challenges that may arise at various stages of the process to negotiated peace, from the initiation of negotiations among the belligerents to implementation of the agreement. Please make sure to point out potential roles (whether they are helpful for peace or destabilizing) that outside actors (i.e., other states) may play in the process. You should also discuss which feature(s) of the peace agreement to be negotiated would affect its ability to bring about lasting peace. The Secretary is going to hear from many experts. In order to make sure that your views gain the traction that they deserves, you should try your best to clearly explain the logic underlying your claims and to provide empirical support (i.e., connections to findings of studies, relevant examples from past civil wars).