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952. Post-War and Post-Conflict Challenges for Development Cooperation
- Author:
- Sabine Kurtenbach
- Publication Date:
- 05-2009
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Institute for Development and Peace
- Abstract:
- Conflict and violence have become an important context for development cooperation during the last decade. Donors not only have to cope with the consequences of conflict in their day-to-day work on the ground, but also need to develop strategies in the fields of early warning and prevention, as well as instruments for conflict analysis and conflic-sensitive approaches for cooperation. At the same time, external actors have been important supporters for many peace processes aiming at the termination of armed conflicts and violence. When wars or armed conflicts end (or at least when violence on the ground decreases) the hope for sustainable peacebuilding grows. UN General Secretary Ban Ki Moon pointed out the importance of the immediate post-conflict/post-war period in a report to the Security Council on June 11, 2009: “The immediate post-conflict period offers a window of opportunity to provide basic security, deliver peace dividends, shore up and build confidence in the political process, and strengthen core national capacity to lead peacebuilding efforts.” This gives a first impression of the many challenges internal and external actors face; at the same time experiences on the ground show that liberal peacebuilding conceived as a profound transformation process is a difficult endeavour.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Political Violence, Development, War, and Armed Struggle
- Political Geography:
- United Nations
953. Central Asia: Living in Afghanistan's shadow
- Author:
- Martha Brill Olcott
- Publication Date:
- 11-2009
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Norwegian Centre for Conflict Resolution
- Abstract:
- The absence of a functional government in Afghanistan has been creating economic and security challenges for the Central Asian states since their founding in 1991. Long frustrated by the international community's failure to end the Afghan civil war through negotiation, the 2001 September 11 attack created the expectation among these countries that the US would intervene successfully in Afghanistan, leading to an economic recovery that would advance the development of all the states in the region.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Security, and Economics
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan and Central Asia
954. Back from the Brink? A Strategy for Stabilizing Afghanistan-Pakistan
- Author:
- Thomas R. Pickering and Barnett Rubin
- Publication Date:
- 04-2009
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Asia Society
- Abstract:
- The governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan are at risk from a combination of violent insurgency, loss of public confidence, and economic crisis. These trends threaten not only the loss of control by the Afghan and Pakistani governments, but also the spread of terrorist safe havens and, in the most extreme situation, the loss of control over some of Pakistan's nuclear weapons or materials.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Security, Political Violence, Islam, Terrorism, War, and Counterinsurgency
- Political Geography:
- Pakistan and Afghanistan
955. Thailand: Calming the Political Turmoil
- Publication Date:
- 09-2008
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- International Crisis Group
- Abstract:
- Street protests are threatening to bring down the government led by the People Power Party (PPP) just nine months after it won a decisive victory in general elections. Clashes between pro- and anti-government protesters have left one dead and 42 people injured. Mass action is hurting the economy, including the lucrative – and usually sacrosanct – tourism industry. The replacement of Samak Sundaravej with Somchai Wongsawat as prime minister is unlikely to defuse tensions. The immediate need is to restore the rule of law and authority of the government – not because it is perfect, but for the sake of stability and democracy. In the medium and longer term, the priorities must be to resolve political differences through democratic processes and to address the root causes of the current divisiveness, including the gap between the urban rich and the rural poor. Overthrowing the government – by street protesters or a military coup – will do nothing to resolve the political polarisation that is tearing Thailand apart.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Conflict Prevention, and Government
- Political Geography:
- Asia, Thailand, and Southeast Asia
956. Right-Financing Security Sector Reform
- Author:
- Peter Middlebrook and Gordon Peake
- Publication Date:
- 01-2008
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Center on International Cooperation
- Abstract:
- Security sector reform (SSR) in weak and fragile state environments encompasses a broad range of efforts to improve the capacity, governance, performance, and sustainability of the security system. Financial dimensions of SSR include the allocation of resources according to well-defined priorities, both across sectors and within the security system, and ensuring that expenditure is transparent, efficient and effective. Issues of financial management were central to the origins of SSR in the 1990s, and they are no less central to security sector reform today. Yet current SSR strategies and programming all too often pay insufficient attention to public finance issues. As a result, the medium and long-term fiscal implications of short-run policy decisions are not factored into early post-conflict engagement processes. The negative consequences include unsustainable reforms, the squeezing out of other vital sectors, and, conversely, the under-provision of security. This paper argues for the “right-financing” approach to be adopted for the security sector – striking an appropriate balance between current security needs and the goal of building a fiscally sustainable security sector based on realistic resource projections. This paper makes four policy proposals.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Security, Democratization, Government, and International Cooperation
957. From Fragility to Resilience: Concepts and Dilemmas of Statebuilding in Fragile States (Executive Summary)
- Publication Date:
- 04-2008
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Center on International Cooperation
- Abstract:
- Policy-makers are increasingly concerned by what appears to be a growing body of 'weak,' 'fragile', or 'failing' states. This is understandable, as few issues are so central to contemporary international politics – to questions of development, management of the global commons, or human and collective security – as that of well-organized cooperation between effective states. States retain the central responsibility for assuring the safety and security of their citizens, protecting property rights, and providing public goods to enable a functioning market. Many states do more, taking on critical welfare functions for their populations.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Conflict Prevention, Development, and International Political Economy
958. In Pursuit of Sustainable Peace: The Seven Deadly Sins of Mediation
- Author:
- Lakhdar Brahimi and Salman Ahmed
- Publication Date:
- 05-2008
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Center on International Cooperation
- Abstract:
- One of the most important roles played by the civilian leadership of a peace operation is to help the parties to a conflict resolve their fundamental political differences through dialogue and compromise, rather than through violence. This role can be described in various ways: diplomatic efforts, mediation, peace-making, political facilitation, political process management or, simply, as the “political role” of the operation. It is an extremely difficult undertaking by any name, where success is difficult to achieve, but mistakes come easily. Some of these mistakes can have fatal consequences for the peace process in which the operation is embedded, and are referred to here as “the seven deadly sins.” These are: ignorance; arrogance; partiality; impotence; haste; inflexibility; and false promises.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Conflict Prevention, International Organization, and Peace Studies
959. Community Peacebuilding in Afghanistan: The Case for a National Strategy
- Author:
- Matt Waldman
- Publication Date:
- 02-2008
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Existing measures to promote peace in Afghanistan are not succeeding. This is not only due to the revival of the Taliban, but also because little has been done to try to ensure that families, communities, and tribes - the fundamental units of Afghan society - get on better with each other. War has fractured the social fabric of the country and, in the context of severe and persistent poverty, local disputes have the potential to turn violent and to exacerbate the wider conflict. But there is no effective strategy to help Afghans deal with disputes in a peaceful and constructive way.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Development, International Cooperation, Non-Governmental Organization, and War
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan, Asia, and Taliban
960. From Emergency to Recovery: Rescuing northern Uganda's transition
- Publication Date:
- 09-2008
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Despite the absence of a final peace settlement, a dramatic improvement in security in war-ravaged northern Uganda is allowing displaced civilians to return home and has transformed the humanitarian operating environment. A transition is now under way from a relief effort led by international agencies to government-driven recovery. But that shift is generating new challenges for northern Ugandans and institutional confusion among the actors working to help them rebuild their lives. After decades of conflict and marginalisation, it is critical that the government of Uganda and its international partners bring a peace dividend to the North through an inclusive and co-ordinated recovery process.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Security, and Disaster Relief
- Political Geography:
- Uganda and Africa