Historical Context and the Need for Peacebuilding
In earlier eras, wiping out enemies completely (like with the Trojans or Carthaginians) was feasible, whereas contemporary disputes often involve unresolved issues necessitating peacebuilding efforts. Dealing with post-conflict situations can be difficult. Frequently, these issues involve deep psychological and cultural injuries that are not easily fixed quickly. Instances where one party suffers a clear defeat can contribute to a mindset of losing, making it harder to achieve reconciliation and lasting peace.
Origins of Peacebuilding
Even though “peacebuilding” became popular following the 1992 UN’s Agenda for Peace, the idea has been around for a long time. The origins of peacebuilding can be linked back to the rebuilding of Western Europe and Japan after World War II.
Johan Galtung is frequently recognized as the person who introduced the concept of framed peacebuilding alongside peacekeeping and peacemaking in a tripartite approach. His thoughts on using associative methods to create peaceful infrastructures differ from the state-focused models used by organizations such as the UN.
Post-Cold War Changes
The nature of conflicts was changed by the post-Cold War era. Interstate warfare decreased, while intrastate or ethnic disputes rose in frequency. In contrast to international conflicts with clear borders, intrastate conflicts demanded strategies for peaceful coexistence within the same state. Post-Cold War hope, fueled by nonviolent uprisings and democratic movements, fueled the growth of peacebuilding initiatives, opening doors for UN peacekeeping operations in countries like Namibia, Cambodia, and El Salvador.
This change, along with promoting democracy and advocating for human rights, led to a new way of resolving conflicts that focused on peacebuilding efforts addressing root causes, instead of just halting violence.
Challenges of State Sovereignty and Humanitarian Interventions
The increasing emphasis on human rights over state sovereignty led to the development of fresh peace process strategies. This resulted in increased multilateral humanitarian interventions, raising questions about post-intervention societal reconstruction. The UN’s adoption of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) report emphasized the importance of the ‘responsibility to rebuild’, with a focus on security, justice, and development, taking into consideration local ownership.
Liberal Peace Hypothesis and Criticisms
The manner in which the Cold War concluded, via peaceful revolutions toppling authoritarian governments, appeared to support the belief that global society was undergoing an irresistible trend towards democratization.
Following the Cold War, the liberal peace hypothesis gained prominence suggesting that democracies refrain from waging war against each other. Nonetheless, this concept was expanded to include conflicts within a state as well as conflicts between states, even though there was no empirical evidence to support it. President George W. Bush often cited the ‘transformative power of liberty’ to support US interventions, creating simplistic links between democracy and peace. This approach proved problematic in Iraq and Afghanistan, leading to difficulties in peace-building efforts.
UN’s Role and the Agenda for Peace
There are two primary categories of peacebuilding scenarios: one involves recovering from civil conflict through actions like disarming, returning refugees, and reforming governance; the other addresses global conflicts by promoting collaborative initiatives for peace.
The Initial peacebuilding actions of the UN were mainly after wars and concentrated on the last phases of violent conflicts, using a state-oriented method that frequently ignored grassroots participation and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
The UN’s attempts at promoting peace have been criticized for their shortcomings, particularly in situations such as those in Somalia, Rwanda, and Bosnia. The lack of international support and challenges in transferring power and peacebuilding tasks to local actors were blamed for these failures.
The Peacebuilding Commission and Ongoing Challenges
The Brahimi Report and the Supplement:
Three years later, the 1995 Supplement to the Agenda for Peace broadened the idea of peacebuilding that was established in the original Agenda. The document acknowledged the importance of peacebuilding for preventing and resolving conflicts. After facing setbacks in Somalia and Rwanda, the Brahimi Report (2000) enhanced the UN’s peacebuilding strategy by emphasizing the need for improved capacities, increased funding, and better coordination. The report highlighted the importance of disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR), as well as the necessity to address spoilers and fight against corruption.
In 2005, the UN created the Peacebuilding Commission to tackle strategic and coordination shortcomings. Critics argue that despite being established, the commission has been slow to involve civil society and is lacking the power and resources needed for successful peacebuilding. The UN’s peacebuilding architecture review in 2010 pointed out deficiencies and requested enhancements, underlining the importance of local ownership and increased participation from civil society.
Peacebuilding is strongly connected to liberal principles advocating for democracy, human rights, and economic liberalization, yet this method has encountered substantial criticisms. Liberal peacebuilding may not take into account local factors like gender, ethnicity, and class divides, imposing outside solutions while overlooking local circumstances. Critics believe that focusing on state-driven methods can overlook the potential effectiveness of grassroots efforts in establishing lasting peace.
Conclusion
The development of peacebuilding has been an ever-changing journey, influenced by global occurrences and the increasing understanding of the intricate, enduring aspect of reconstructing societies after conflict. Although peacebuilding has grown in importance in global conflict resolution efforts, it still faces significant obstacles such as addressing local dynamics, power structures, and fostering true cooperation between international and local entities.
