2134/22708 Giulia Piccolino Giulia Piccolino Winning wars, building (illiberal) peace? The rise (and possible fall) of a victor’s peace in Rwanda and Sri Lanka Loughborough University 2016 Peacebuilding Statebuilding Civil war Rwanda Sri Lanka Victory Authoritarianism Political Science not elsewhere classified 2016-10-06 13:34:39 Journal contribution https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/journal_contribution/Winning_wars_building_illiberal_peace_The_rise_and_possible_fall_of_a_victor_s_peace_in_Rwanda_and_Sri_Lanka/9469193 © 2015 Southseries Inc., www.thirdworldquarterly.com.The literature on peacebuilding dedicates very little space, empirically and theoretically, to countries that are emerging from a war waged to a decisive outcome. This review essay looks at Sri Lanka and Rwanda, two countries where a victorious leadership has led the process of post-conflict reconstruction, largely by employing illiberal means. It looks at the effect of decisive war on statebuilding and at the role of local agency and illiberal practices in a post-victory context. It concludes by assessing the global significance and long-term sustainability of post-victory illiberal statebuilding.