A detailed account of the formal and social processes that ended years of conflict in Central America, this study analyses various aspects of conflict resolution: forms of intervention, local participation and international cooperation. It evaluates the negotiations that took place in El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua, identifies their flaws and makes recommendations to NGOs for working in conflict. It also looks atthe bigger picture;, exploring how the end of the Cold War and the consequent restructuring of the United Nations changed the ways in which conflict is explained and addressed.