bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Failure of Dedication: International Development NGOs in the Field of Violence Prevention
Authors: Terlinden Ulf
Published: April 2012

Most development NGOs have not explicitly committed themselves to the task of violence prevention in African armed conflicts, even though a growing number of the organisations are somehow active in this field. The article summarizes a study about the reasons behind this lack of commitment, which becomes visible in the discrepancy between NGOs' limited practice and their far greater potential and also harms the quality of the organisations’ activities. NGOs face difficulties that relate to the characteristics of violence prevention; however, these obstacles are not only a cause of the NGOs' hesitance, but also a consequence of it. This insight, together with the undeniable linkages between violence prevention and development and the account of a number of good experiences, call for an explicit and comprehensive commitment by the organisations to preventive action in violent conflicts. Such a commitment must involve an advocacy strategy that complements NGO field activities, mobilising donor governments for peaceful conflict resolution instead of facilitating their disengagement.
Health as a Bridge for Peace: Theory, Practice and Prognosis — Reflections of a Practitioner
Authors: Garber Randi
Published: April 2012

This article explores the nature of the relationship between Health as a Bridge for Peace (HBP) projects and the political contexts in which they are implemented. HBP projects derive from the intersections of the health and conflict fields, which may be formulated in one of two ways: the effect of the conflict on the practice of health care; and/or the use of the health field in the transformation of conflict. Projects carried out under the ‘health as a bridge for peace’ banner encompass a wide range of goals, target populations and project components, which vary based on factors such as local conditions and the initiating party. This paper offers two typologies for understanding HBP projects. It shows that while HBP projects are not a substitute for political processes, the relationships and the values they generate can serve as an important bridge during periods of conflict when the political processes are at their weakest point.
Macro/Micro Dynamics in South Africa: Why the Reconciliation Process Will Not Reduce Violence
Authors: Hovland Ingie
Published: April 2012

The reconciliation process in South Africa has been hailed as an astounding example of a non-violent transition to democracy, and its Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) has subsequently served as the starting point for reflections on reconciliation, transitional justice and the possibility of truth commissions in other countries. This article suggests that it is necessary to examine South Africa's reconciliation process more critically, focusing on why it has not brought about a reduction in the high levels of violence. It is argued that the reconciliation process has failed in this respect - despite good intentions - because it has not managed to transform the macro/micro dynamic in South Africa, i.e. the interaction between macro-level divisions and micro-level tensions which have fed off each other throughout South Africa's history. Macro-level violence has included - and still includes - economic policies that generate wealth for a minority while perpetuating the production of poverty for the majority. Micro-level violence includes extremely high levels of violent incidents at an interpersonal and local level. The use of the concept ‘reconciliation’ in post-apartheid South Africa may in certain respects have served as opium for the people - opium that has enabled continued accommodation of the interaction between macro and micro-level violence in the country.
Dialogical Development: A Kosovo Case Study
Authors: Preüss Gavin S.
Published: April 2012

This paper examines the practice of dialogical development in the context of the agribusiness sector of post conflict Kosovo. It looks at the role of an INGO (international nongovernmental organisation) in facilitating sectoral growth, while deliberately addressing deep historical divisions in order to promote stabilization, reintegration and ultimately societal transformation. It also attempts to define the place of dialogue in this process.
The Returns of Peace in Sri Lanka: The Development Cart before the Conflict Resolution Horse?
Authors: Sriskandarajah Dhananjayan
Published: April 2012

The current peace process between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is unprecedented on several counts: talks have never lasted this long, been this stable, or been at such a high level in the past. Also unprecedented, and perhaps key to the early success of the process, has been an agreement (referred to in this article as the ‘Killinochchi consensus’) between the main stakeholders that the first priority of conflict resolution is realising the ‘peace dividend’. This has resulted in considerable action and cooperation on reconstruction of the war-torn Northeast and development of the island's economy. It is suggested here that, apart from their direct benefits, these efforts have two further aims: to bolster popular support for the peace initiative, and to foster cooperation between the two negotiating sides ahead of discussions on more contentious issues. Also novel in the Sri Lankan case has been the willingness of international donors, particularly the international financial institutions, to get involved in the peace process well before a permanent solution has been achieved. While several questions remain about the nature and scope of the development imperative, whether it has been correctly sequenced, and whether it can deliver a sustainable peace, a constructive and pragmatic approach to peacebuilding through development holds some promise in Sri Lanka and perhaps elsewhere.
Development Aid as Third–Party Intervention: A Case Study of the Uganda National Rescue Front II Peace Process
Authors: Baaré Anton
Published: April 2012

In 2002 Denmark and other donors supported the final phases of a successful peace process between the Government of Uganda and a rebel group in Uganda's West Nile region. This article presents this case as an example of a general trend that sees donors extending the scope of their activities to the interrelation between conflict resolution, poverty eradication and peacebuilding. Third party intervention in conflict areas has become the institutional ambition of development donors. Yet development actors give little attention to an obvious implication of these expanding ambitions: as striving conflict resolution practitioners they need to understand themselves as third party interventionists with an obligation to adapt development projects and programmes in ways that conceivably support the overall peace process. The rationale for integrating a peacebuilding paradigm into development assistance is to ensure that an agreement by conflicting parties to end violent conflict is followed by consolidating peace through equitable development. The earlier this perspective is added to peace negotiations the better. The participation of development actors in peace negotiations provides incentives for conflicting parties to reach a deal because assurances can be given that reconstruction and development will follow. Development actors need to respond by stronger and longer-term commitments to address the root causes of the conflict - even if this means that current institutional policies and operational practice need to be adjusted.
Using Natural Resources Management as a Peacebuilding Tool: Observations and Lessons from Central Western Mindanao
Authors: Evans Darren
Published: April 2012

The conflict in Mindanao, Philippines, is widely presented as a religious one, often within a wider Southeast Asian context. Yet many of the underlying disputes and tensions are the result of local issues revolving around ownership, use and access to land and natural resources and the resultant impact upon livelihoods. At the local level in Mindanao peacebuilding activities need to address these livelihood issues. A number of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the area already have separate peacebuilding and natural resource management activities, yet they seem unable to link the two, both within their programmes and at a conceptual level. This paper argues that at the practical level these management activities have the potential, when used together, to reduce communal conflict and address basic human needs. The paper is based primarily on interviews with local NGO practitioners, and though not exhaustive, it provides a number of interesting lessons that have significance beyond Mindanao.
Economic Policy and Conflict in Africa
Authors: Tandon Yash
Published: April 2012

The essay seeks to explore the link between economic policy and conflict in Africa, locating the analysis within the global systemic paradigm rather than using the narrower nationand ethnicity-oriented paradigms. The analysis distinguishes between economic resources and economic policy. It argues that although in Africa (as in most parts of the Third World) direct control over economic resources is still the main objective of the major international actors, there is a major shift towards the control over economic policy as a means to control the resources, and now increasingly towards the control of the African state itself. This distinction between economic resources and economic policy helps to explain why there is so much emphasis these days on matters of democracy, good governance, the rule of law, corruption, and other such instruments of state policy and practice.
Paradoxes and Dilemmas of Institutional Change: Human Rights and Livelihoods in Rural War–Torn Angola
Authors: Wilson J. Zoë
Published: April 2012

This case study 1 critiques the conceptual architecture of a United Nations peacebuilding project called the Human Rights Committee (HRC) and suggests areas of further research and potential action to identify mismatches between local context and institution-building efforts that generate disempowering government structures. The committees were designed for implementation in Angola's war-torn provinces as peace loomed uncertainly in early 2001. The case study assesses the information available in April 2001, 2 and on this basis forecasts how the Committee was set to affect lives and livelihoods, if it was to operate as planned. In the sections below, the study considers three ‘snapshots’ of the small semiurban city of Uige, capital of Angola's northern Uige province: formal political institutions; informal landscapes; and how these were imagined in the documents and processes of the Human Rights Committee. The paper asks, ‘what are the implications associated with how well the three fit?’ Findings are presented in six parts. First there is a brief description of the HRC and how various implementers viewed it. Second is a portrait of the capital city of Uige during Angola's 30-year civil war and the massive displacement of its citizens that followed it. Third is a sketch of the ‘formal’ and ‘informal’ political and civic landscapes of Uige. The fourth section describes how the HRC valued and sought to interact with both the ‘formal’ and ‘informal’ political dimensions of Uige. The fifth section examines the finding that the Committee resembled a top-down, externally driven, state-building project premised on values that were ostensibly universal rather than on vetted knowledge. Concluding suggestions are discussed in the context of the complex relationship between state and society in Angola and the challenges for development.
Evaluating the Link between Conflict and Education
Authors: Davies Lynn
Published: April 2012

This paper examines two areas of important evaluation: the impact of education on peace and the impact of education on conflict, and argues that they are not necessarily the same type of evaluation. The paper first outlines the possible ways in which education contributes to greater conflict rather than to peace. It next explores issues in impact assessment. Then it details evaluation possibilities in three domains: international comparisons and linkages; long-term individual and group evaluation or tracer studies; and short-term or immediate evaluations. It finally argues for a focus on structures and processes within schools, looking at democratic versus authoritarian schooling, the impact of violent schools, how schools teach about conflict and the need to promote citizen research and evaluation.
The PEACE II Programme in Northern Ireland and the Border Counties: A ‘Distinctive’ Development Programme?
Authors: Lynch Catherine
Published: April 2012

This paper evaluates the usefulness of the ‘distinctiveness criteria’ in directing European Union structural funds in Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland towards peacebuilding goals. While the criteria are judged to have successfully added a peacebuilding framework to the programme, a number of weaknesses, both operational and conceptual, are found. The article argues that their impact would be sharpened by a stronger focus on evaluation at the micro and meso levels, as well as a more thoughtful qualitative application of the criteria that links actions to the challenges of peacebuilding. The relevance of the conclusions to other areas in conflict is briefly considered.
Navigating the Landscape: The Nature of Environmental Injustice
Authors: Hickey Valerie
Published: April 2012

The management of natural resources occurs within a dynamic political environment. A fundamental tenet of this management is the asymmetry of the cost-benefit paradigm, especially as people on the periphery experience costs disproportionately. This asymmetry has transformed the environment into a social construct underpinned by opposing narratives. Moreover, this asymmetry reinforces existing social inequities because environmental costs are not quarantined from other inequalities and are often married to other forms of exclusion. Such marginalisation breeds hopelessness, leading to the salience of geographic identities and resource-based conflict. This article explains why environmental justice must take its place within the framework of broader social concerns to minimise the dichotomy between those who control natural resources and those who suffer from their over-exploitation. Ultimately, this demand for environmental justice enlarges the quest for basic civil rights.
Moving beyond Sanctions: Evolving Integrated Strategies to Address Post-Conflict Natural Resource-Based Challenges in Liberia
Authors: McCandless Erin , Christie W. Tyler
Published: April 2012

Liberia is emerging from 14 years of war where it served as the epicentre in West Africa of conflict fuelled by disputes over natural resources. Almost three years after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement there remain resource-rich, poorly managed areas where ex-combatants wield considerable power due to lack of law-and-order capacity and alternative livelihood opportunities. Gaining government control of such areas and prohibiting the use of timber and diamonds to fuel conflict are central to the lifting of sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council in May 2003. This article examines the efforts of the Liberian government, the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) and other international partners to evacuate Sapo National Park as a case study for establishing control of natural resources – an important post-conflict challenge that can undermine the building of peace. Critical components of what worked are examined in an effort to design and implement an integrated strategy, as are ongoing operational, coordination and other challenges. The case study illustrates the complexity of issues raised by, and the need to move beyond, sanctions for peace to be sustainable in resource-rich countries emerging from war.
The Challenge of Pluralism: Sarvodaya's Inclusive Approach to Development and Peacebuilding in Sri Lanka
Authors: Johnson Noor
Published: April 2012

This article examines strategies to foster pluralism employed by a development non-governmental organisation (NGO) in the context of civil conflict. Through an examination of the development philosophy and Buddhist affiliation of Sarvodaya, a Sri Lankan NGO, it discusses both the accomplishments and limitations of the organisation's philosophy in terms of engaging Sri Lanka's multiple ethnic groups. The article distinguishes between inclusive and pluralistic approaches to development and peacebuilding, arguing that pluralism provides a better foundation from which to develop effective programmes in societies experiencing or transitioning from conflict. It highlights the internal and external challenges that Sarvodaya has faced in its efforts to develop true pluralism, and ofers recommendations for overcoming them.
Ruling Elite, Frontier-Caste Ideology and Resource Conflicts in the Sudan
Authors: Zain Mahmoud El
Published: April 2012

The ruling elite of central-northern Sudan has maintained a split land tenure system – a system that guaranteed the right to private ownership of ancestral lands to farming communities in the Nile Valley region and denied that right to the majority of farmers and pastoralists in other regions. Central to this tenure inequality was the emergence of an agricultural lobby which was politically encouraged by colonial and post-colonial administrations through facilitation of modern irrigated farming and was therefore economically the earliest to accumulate capital and invest further in irrigated agriculture and mechanised farming in rain-fed areas. The agricultural lobby – acting on the perception that the whole landscape of Sudan is a ‘wasteland’ that should be developed – has claimed vast tracts of this land for mechanised farming, displacing large numbers of traditional farmers and pastoralists and causing several localised conflicts. The feverish expansion of mechanised farming coupled with recurrent droughts since the early 1980s has widened the regional scale and increased the intensity of these conflicts, and the belligerents have increasingly justified their participation in the conflicts in terms of racial and religious ideologies.
War Economies and Post-Conflict Peacebuilding: Identifying a Weak Link
Authors: Brown Kaysie
Published: April 2012

While the international community has in the last several years appreciated the close links between conflict and natural resource exploitation, current efforts to transform war economies in post-conflict peacebuilding fall short of the goal. This article charts the pervasive effects of war economies – and specifically lootable resources such as diamonds and timber – in post-conflict contexts, as well as the inclusion of natural resources in the language and implementation of United Nations mission mandates in countries where economic predation has played an important role. This preliminary mapping exercise of Cambodia, Angola, Sierra Leone and Liberia highlights certain innovations in the UN's approach, yet demonstrates that post-conflict war economies continue to jeopardise expensive and well-intentioned reconstruction activities like disarmament, demobilisation and reconstruction programmes, transitional justice and security sector reform.
The Role of Social Policy in Post-Conflict Reconstruction
Authors: Cocozzelli Fred
Published: April 2012

This article argues for greater priority for social policy in post-conflict reconstruction, presenting normative and economic contributions that social policy can make in such contexts. Social policy provides a foundation for judging the level and type of social justice within a polity. Public perceptions of justice, based on levels of inclusion, promote political stability. Social policy can also provide the minimum level of human security needed for labour market engagement by helping reconstruct employment opportunities. The article argues that, despite the importance of social policy, it does not appear at the top of the reconstruction agenda. Instead a narrower, project-centred focus has dominated. Because social policy has not traditionally been integrated into post-conflict reconstruction, much of the present article is devoted to making the theoretical case for its incorporation. The article uses the case of social policy in post-conflict Kosovo to illustrate the underlying theory.
An Evaluation of ‘Process as Product’ in OTI Sri Lanka: A Typology of Community-Level Peacebuilding Activities and Programming Recommendation
Authors: Briggs Lee R.
Published: April 2012

This paper presents a set of best practices and lessons learned from a set of 93 impact evaluations conducted on community-level, small grants activities implemented between March 2003 and September 2007 by the Sri Lanka country programme of the Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). It analyses the change theories that guided programme development and common trends in impact which emerged, and discusses ways in which programme staff can improve project impact. It provides a working definition of ‘process’, a key element of OTI's approach and a key concept used by facilitators to understand the work they do with groups and communities. It also delineates a general typology of peacebuilding projects likely to emerge in the community setting. Finally, it formulates a postulate for predicting and observing generic programme impact based upon the relative richness of process, which is considered useful for informing further research design.
Building Security Where there is No Security
Authors: Hill Richard , Temin Jonathan , Pacholek Lisa
Published: April 2012

Formal and accountable security systems are rare in many of the fragile states where the international community provides assistance. In most cases, individuals and communities create their own security mechanisms or accept compromised and unaccountable security provided by non-state actors. This article examines how such alternative security mechanisms have evolved in communities in two fragile states, Colombia and Liberia. The authors conclude that the ability of both state and non-state actors to provide security hinges on perceptions of the legitimacy of those providing security among the population at large. Systems that involve community representatives in managing security mechanisms are critical to developing this legitimacy. Without attention to this key element, programmes for security sector reform are unlikely to succeed.
Security Sector Reform in Afghanistan and Iraq: Exposing a Concept in Crisis
Authors: Sedra Mark
Published: April 2012

Security sector reform (SSR) has come to be a cornerstone of the state-building project in postconflict contexts, providing an enabling environment for peacebuilding and development. However, an examination of the Afghan and Iraqi cases illustrates that the SSR model applied there is ill-equipped to confront the challenges of post-conflict environments. The failure to actualise the holistic, people-centred aims envisaged in both cases highlights a disjuncture between policy and practice consistent with the SSR experience in other post-conflict cases. This has led to questions concerning the feasibility of the SSR model in the aftermath of September 11. This article argues that resolving the crisis in which the SSR process is mired requires its re-conceptualisation and a fundamental shift in donor policy and practices.
Non-State Actors, Peacebuilding and Security Governance in West Africa: Beyond Commercialisation
Authors: Ebo Adedeji
Published: April 2012

The governance of security in West Africa manifests numerous challenges which point to the need for a comprehensive security agenda to integrate various actors often operating from opposing perspectives. This article argues that the disproportionate focus on the role of commercial security actors in West Africa effectively eclipses research and policy interest in other non-state actors in security governance and tends to undermine sustainable peacebuilding. The article attempts a typology of non-state actors engaged in security governance beyond security contractors and argues that the governance of security should be seen to include ‘insecurity actors’ (such as criminal networks and local mercenaries) because they form part of the ‘push-and-pull’ – exerted by various security actors – whose end result is the de facto governance of security. The challenge of peacebuilding therefore is to bridge the gap between the normative value of security governance (predicated on democratic principles of accountability, transparency and participation) and the reality of diverse interests and perspectives.
Committing to Peace: Soft Guarantees and Alternative Approaches to Power Sharing in Angola and Mozambique
Authors: Brown Stephen , Zahar Marie-Joëlle
Published: April 2012

This article analyses how alternative power-sharing mechanisms can be used to secure peace in countries where warring parties fail to reach a traditional power-sharing agreement, the most common method of solving the ‘credible commitment’ problem. By examining the cases of Angola and Mozambique, it demonstrates how ‘soft’ guarantees — in these cases, on the integration of armed forces and access to financial and material resources for rebel leaders — can help end civil wars. The non-binding nature of these pledges, however, also facilitated the ruling parties' progressive withdrawal from them, which has set back the democratisation process in both countries. This in turn may put at risk future peace and development.
Building States to Build Peace? A Critical Analysis
Authors: Call Charles T.
Published: April 2012

Agencies throughout the development, humanitarian, political and defence fields have recently endorsed the centrality of state institutions in post-war peacebuilding. But how can external actors go about peacebuilding in a way that reinforces effective and legitimate states without doing harm? Drawing on an International Peace Institute project, this article calls into question the assumption that peacebuilding can be boiled down to building state institutions. The article argues that the process of building states can actually undermine peace, postulating five tensions between peacebuilding and statebuilding even as it asserts that strong state institutions remain crucial for consolidating peace. Identifying three crucial state functions for peacebuilding, the article emphasises the complex interrelationships among legitimacy, state capacity and security in post-conflict societies.
Planning and Peacebuilding in Post-War Mozambique: From Narratives to Practices of Development
Authors: Bornstein Lisa
Published: April 2012

Reform of state institutions and procedures is a central element in post-war reconstruction. This article examines the reform of local planning practice in Mozambique in the immediate post-war period. The new planning approach – encompassing formulation of district plans and community projects – gave little attention to peace and conflict dynamics. As a consequence, planning initiatives became objects of struggles at material, political and symbolic/narrative levels, distorting the reforms. Resulting planning practices were products of compromise rather than fundamental inputs towards stabilisation and peace.
The Conflict-Development Nexus: A Survey of Armed Conflicts in Sub-Saharan Africa 1980-2005
Authors: Fukuda-Parr Sakiko , Ashwill Maximillian , Chiappa Elizabeth , Messineo Carol
Published: April 2012

This paper surveys the nexus between development and armed conflict in sub-Saharan Africa from 1980 to 2005. It focuses on war trends, impact of war on development, socio-economic structures as war risks, and policy responses. Several findings emerge that challenge widely held state-centric assumptions that underpin contemporary analyses, data collection and policy priorities. These wars defy conventional analytical frameworks as they commingle state and non-state actors and political with economic and private motives. As the findings illustrate, the state is not a sufficient unit of analysis: more research, data collection and policy attention should be directed to non-state actors and wars and sub-national and cross-border impacts. War is development in reverse, yet in many of these wars, the national economy continued to grow and social indicators improved. At the same time, the destructive impacts were localised, implying that development gaps and horizontal inequalities worsened. Structural risk factors – horizontal inequalities, youth bulge and unemployment, environmental pressure and natural resource dependence – have played a causal or perpetuating role in the wars surveyed. Economic, social and governance reform policies can play a role in conflict prevention by addressing these risk factors, yet at present national and international policy priorities do not systematically address these risks.
The United Nations Peacebuilding Commission: An Early Assessment
Authors: Scott Amy
Published: April 2012

The United Nations Peacebuilding Commission, established in December 2005, was designed to strengthen efforts to consolidate peace in countries emerging from civil war. It has three broad aims: first, to bring coherence to the activities of peacebuilding actors around a shared strategy; second, to marshal resources and commitments in support of this strategic vision; and third, to enhance decision-making processes relevant to conflict-affected countries across UN bodies and the international financial institutions. Two years into the life of the Commission, this article assesses its performance in these three areas and argues that progress has been limited by three main factors: the Commission's lack of clarity on the nature of a peacebuilding strategy; its vague interpretation of the mandate to marshal resources; and ongoing tensions between intergovernmental organs for influence over the Commission. There is evidence that the Commission is developing institutional momentum and learning important lessons from its first cases, but it will need to capitalise on them rapidly to achieve worthwhile results.
Perpetual Peacekeeping? Lessons from Rwanda on Structural Conflict Prevention in the New Aid Environment
Authors: Leander Sebastian Silva
Published: April 2012

This paper reviews the history of development assistance to Rwanda since the genocide of 1994 in the light of the lessons learnt from the pre-war experience. The study highlights the continued lack of analysis and understanding among donors of the impact of development assistance on structural causes of conflict. Where analysis exists, it is rarely linked to aid allocation decisions, and where actions are taken in this direction, they are rarely consistent across donors. The paper argues that the United Nations could play a role in bridging the gap between development and conflict prevention by extending some key political monitoring functions currently carried out as part of peacekeeping missions to post-conflict and fragile states that are not currently in crisis.
Exporting Cultures of Violence or Peace? Interpreting South Africa's Post-apartheid Role in Africa
Authors: Van Nieuwkerk Anthoni
Published: April 2012

This article examines a number of assumptions made in the early 1990s regarding the potential influence and power of South Africa and its subsequent (in)ability to sustain a peacemaking role in Africa. Competing interpretations are reviewed in the light of the South African government's post-apartheid policy objectives and experience regarding Africa. It also examines its more recent behaviour as Africa's ‘premier peacemaker’. The key argument is that the South African government, under former President Thabo Mbeki, adopted an ‘emerging middle power’ role, and that its foreign policy strategies were marked by the exercise of ‘soft power’, understood as the ability to set political agendas in a way that shapes the preferences of others. Co-optive and collaborative strategies rather than coercion characterised Pretoria's Africa agenda, expressed through the continent's multilateral institutions and development plans. The article notes that despite several successful interventions, the South African government's ambitious continental role as peacemaker and post-conflict reconstruction and development agent is constrained by global political agendas and domestic challenges. It identifies a number of factors with the potential to influence the international orientation of a new administration, but concludes that until the ruling party clarifies its ideological orientation, the Mbeki template will remain.
Stories and Literature in Culture as Sources of Indigenous Insights in Peacebuilding and Development
Authors: Mwikisa Peter W. , Dikobe Maude M.
Published: April 2012

This paper asserts that stories as a cultural heritage contribute to the promotion of the universal values of a culture of peace: respect for life, liberty and justice, solidarity, tolerance, and gender equality. One of the ways in which literature in general contributes to the creation of a culture of peace is found in how stories become repositories of indigenous insights and wisdom about the root causes of conflict and about how to address them in peacebuilding that includes economic and social dimensions The paper presents three stories and reads them as artefacts of African cultural heritage. In the context of a vibrant literary culture they not only yield indigenous insights into peacebuilding, but could also be the basis of a reading and discussion culture that would promote awareness-raising, intercultural dialogue and understanding. Since literary texts, including stories, are the means by which society imagines itself, the cultivation of a dynamic literature must be fostered as a valuable peacebuilding action tool.
Playing against Violence: A Case Study of Popular Theatre in Zimbabwe
Authors: Chinyowa Kennedy C.
Published: April 2012

African popular theatre has emerged as an alternative strategy through which the oppressed can discard the culture of silence and assert their desire for peace, justice and freedom. Taking cognisance of the belief that violence only begets violence, such theatre employs meta-communicative devices, like play, as non-violent means of protest against forces that have militated against the people's welfare. This article uses the case study of a popular theatre performance carried out in Zimbabwe to explore how the culture of violence has become a cyclical phenomenon that began with colonialism and extended through the time of the liberation struggle to the post-colonial period. The article focuses on how the cycle of violence can be understood in order to chart the way forward for peacebuilding and development in Africa.
Building a Culture of Peace in Africa: Toward a Trajectory of Using Traditional Knowledge Systems
Authors: Molomo Mpho G.
Published: April 2012

This article purports to study the peace project in Africa, using African social formations and traditional knowledge systems, by taking Botswana as a case study. It focuses on three aspects of Botswana culture: bogosi (chieftainship), ethnicity and botho (humility). Although the concepts are interrogated from a Botswana perspective, they have wider applicability in sub-Saharan Africa. This article will first explain these concepts, and then discuss their relationship to peacebuilding and development. Africans need to appreciate the endurance of traditional systems of governance despite the application of modern political institutions and processes. The article concludes that building a culture of peace should be filtered through social values that are culturally embedded. As Africans engage with culture and ascribe it a role in peacebuilding, they must take cognisance of its limitations and shed the negative aspects of African culture. More profoundly, building a culture of peace should be based on a recognition and tolerance of other people's cultural heritage.
When Development Meets Culture and Conflict: The Challenges and Paradoxes of the Good Samaritan
Authors: Salcedo Adriana
Published: April 2012

This essay examines the nexus between development, culture and conflict. It finds that development is not so much a well-intentioned process to raise the well-being of poor people. Rather, it is the product of a political agenda that has transformed itself over time yet continues to be characterised by insufficient attention to the goals, cultural values and agency of those for whom development support is intended. The result is that development, even when well intentioned, can contribute to increased conflict. This paper finds that some of the approaches used in effective conflict resolution could usefully be incorporated into development theory and practice.
The Western Sahara Dispute: A Cautionary Tale for Peacebuilders
Authors: Dunbar Charles , Malley-Morrison Kathleen
Published: April 2012

This paper analyses the consequences of the United Nations' failure to resolve the Western Sahara dispute. The UN Secretariat's lack of transparency in its early effort to get the conflicting parties to agree to hold a referendum to decide the territory's future strengthened the persistent distrust of the UN. Also, the comparatively low human cost of the conflict has made it easier for the Security Council to allow a self-perpetuating peace process to continue rather than to force the parties to make the hard choices needed to resolve the dispute. Moreover, despite its large investments in Western Sahara, the Moroccan government's oppressive occupation policies and its exploitation of the territory's phosphates and fisheries for the primary benefit of non-Sahrawi Morocco mean that Western Sahara's political and economic development has been stunted by the ongoing stalemate. As a response to the stymied development engendered by the long deadlock, the international community could foster educational and perhaps employment opportunities for the Sahrawi refugees in Algeria as long-term alternatives to their unproductive lives in their desert camps. To aid development further, the Moroccan government could be urged to provide more job opportunities in Morocco for Sahrawis seeking to return there.
Masculinity and Transition: Crisis or Confusion in South Africa?
Authors: Hamber Brandon
Published: April 2012

The participation of women in social, political and economic life in South Africa since the transition to democracy in 1994 has been growing. However, gender equality has not been attained and violence against women remains extremely high. This article interrogates why this is the case by focusing on masculinity and particularly violent masculinities. Through presenting the findings of primary research with men and women in South Africa, the article shows how improvements in gender justice are creating new insecurities for some women, particularly in terms of domestic violence. The article critiques responses to violent masculinities that centre on the ‘crisis in masculinity’ discourse and calls for a nuanced understanding of masculinities in transition.
Reading Women's Protest in Manipur: A Different Voice?
Authors: Chakravarti Paromita
Published: April 2012

This article revisits the Manipuri women's protest against the rape and killing of Thangjam Manorama Devi, a suspected Maoist insurgent, by the Indian Army in July 2004. The naked protest by the ‘Mothers of Manorama’ in front of the Indian Army headquarters, urging army men to come and rape them, represents a unique mode of non-violent protest. Its quiet aggression exposed the naked predatoriness of the Indian state against its own female citizens. By enacting the unnaturalness of violence on their bare bodies, they shocked the nation into realising the extraordinary conditions created in Manipur and elsewhere through the deployment of the army and the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act of 1958, which grants them legal immunity. This article explores the significance of the Manipuri women's protest in the light of the history of both the colonial and the Indian state's exploitation of the region as well as the history of women's involvement in its social and economic development and peacebuilding activities.
The Case for Situated Theory in Modern Peacebuilding Practice
Authors: Miller Derek B. , Rudnick Lisa
Published: April 2012

A challenge in contemporary efforts to prevent conflict and build peace is how to fulfil universalist aspirations – for security, stability and development – in culturally diverse communities. In considering this challenge, this article proposes, as others have recognised, that peacebuilding is ultimately manifest as set of situated practices in a particular socio-cultural context. Because the form and meaning of social practices vary across (and in turn define) socio-cultural contexts, it follows that situated action in support of peacebuilding requires situated theories about what practices will work if they are to have the desired result. If these two propositions are accepted, it suggests a particular role for both research and theory in the design of peacebuilding activities. In thinking of the nexus between theory and action this way, this article revisits an agenda for the study of peace and security that was formulated in the 1950s and 1960s. The agenda was overshadowed by trends in political science and peace research, leaving it all but forgotten in contemporary discussions. It placed the study of meaning – and the comparative study of cultural meanings – at the forefront of policy research for the benefit of decision-making and design. This article argues that this ‘lost agenda’ should be reinvigorated as a guide for modern peacebuilding efforts and that new tools from the academy – particularly those in the field of communication – can be applied to the challenges of building peace and security where possible.
Financing for Peacebuilding: The Case for a Broader Concept of Aid Effectiveness
Authors: Lotz Christian
Published: April 2012

Financing for peacebuilding has increased significantly and there are signs that it may continue to grow in the next few years. However, aid for peacebuilding is also characterised by problematic trends, including the existence of ‘aid orphans’, and volatility and delays of allocations. In order to reverse these trends and sustain higher levels of financing for peacebuilding, a broader concept of aid effectiveness is required that is better adapted to countries affected by conflict and fragility. Much of the debate has been focused on the advantages of pooled funds, but there is a need for a mix of aid instruments to achieve aid effectiveness.
Transitional Justice and Development: Partners for Sustainable Peace in Africa?
Authors: Selim Yvette , Murithi Tim
Published: April 2012

This article argues that transitional justice processes should strive to incorporate development considerations in their scope as a means of ensuring that distributive justice is achieved. Distributive injustices – social, political, economic or cultural rights violations – are often the root causes of conflict, but transitional justice processes often do not give sufficient attention to them. This has been the case in countries such as South Africa, Kenya, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Through an examination of truth commissions in Africa, the article argues that without adequate acknowledgement of the conceptual and practical synergies between transitional justice and development, transitional justice will have limited remedial utility as a means for contributing to sustainable peace.
Conflict in the Swat Valley of Pakistan: Pakhtun Culture and Peacebuilding Theory-Practice Application
Authors: Orakzai Saira Bano
Published: April 2012

The resurgence of the Taliban movement and its affiliate organisations in the Swat Valley of Pakistan since 2004, combined with military operations in 2009 and the displacement of residents created a humanitarian crisis in the area. The devastating floods of July 2010 again created opportunities for militant organisations to regain their lost position by filling the vacuum in relief efforts left by the government and international organisations. This paper suggests a framework for peacebuilding and conflict prevention in the region. The framework draws on the work of two scholar-practitioners – John-Paul Lederach and Mohammed Abu-Nimer – and practices from traditional Pakhtun, or Pashtun, culture to suggest ways in which the root cause of the conflict might be addressed to bring about peace and sustainable development. Finally, the paper suggests a number of peacebuilding strategies that need to be considered by governmental and non-governmental organisations for peacebuilding in this conflict zone.1
For the Peace of the City: A British Case Study in Developing Inter-community and Inter-religious Relations
Authors: Lewis Philip
Published: April 2012

This paper argues that the city is a neglected unit in development, international relations and conflict resolution studies. Yet, in a world after the terrorist bombings of 11 September 2001 and on the London Underground on 7 July 2005, the city is a critical site where the struggle to enable positive interreligious and interethnic relations occurs. Bradford, in the north of England, is home to a large and increasing number of British Muslims, the majority being of Pakistani ancestry. This paper is offered as a case study mapping a number of initiatives that seek to create the conditions and actors for a more peaceful city. These projects involve Christians and Muslims working in collaboration with secular institutions and agencies. A conclusion suggests a few lessons from which other cities might learn.
Cooperation, Peace and (Re-)Construction? A Tale from the Shanties
Authors: Marcelin Louis Herns
Published: April 2012

The catastrophic earthquake of January 2010 deepened the socio-cultural fault lines and disparities that define Haitian society. Even before, the needs of the population and the prioritisation of intervention were managed by international actors. As a result of societal fragilities and the ineffectiveness of the Haitian state in shoring up community relations and basic services, a proliferation of NGOs has arisen in shanties to organise local groups around short-term programmes. Building on surveys and ethnographic research, this article analyses residents' perceptions of such initiatives to foster peace, reconstruction and development in one of Port-au-Prince's poorest and most violent neighbourhoods. Findings suggest that residents remain sceptical about the peace and development impacts of the proliferation of scattered, foreign-driven and unsustainable interventions in Cité Soleil.
Efforts of Muslim Faith-Based Organisations and Initiatives to Counter International Terrorism
Authors: Petrigh Cynthia
Published: April 2012

The article examines responses by Muslim faith-based organisation to address Islamic international terrorism. After describing the root causes of international terrorism associated with Islam, it assesses traditional national and international responses and finds that they have globally failed to address the root causes of the problem. It then considers responses emanating from the Muslim community, particularly indigenous and innovative solutions promoted by faith-based organisations. These have created mechanisms, notably the ‘Amman Message’, to exclude extremists and to strengthen mainstream Islam. In other instances, for instance in the case of the Muhammadiyah organisation in Indonesia, they act daily with their communities and others to promote dialogue and understanding, notably. The article tries to assess their impact in providing hope, in enlarging the base for peaceful and mainstream Islam and in countering Islamic extremism.