GSDRC newsfeed on Violent conflict

Community-based Approaches to Peacebuilding in Conflict-affected and Fragile Contexts

Huma Haider — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The �community� has often been resilient in conflict-affected and fragile contexts, providing survival and coping mechanisms for violence, insecurity and fragility. Growing attention has thus been paid to the adoption of community-based approaches to help address the extensive needs in these contexts. This paper from the GSDRC explores the principal aims of community-based approaches and key challenges and considerations in designing and implementing such approaches, particularly in environments of conflict and fragility.

Democratic Dialogue: A Handbook for Practitioners

Bettye Pruitt, Philip Thomas — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

What is dialogue and how can it respond to the need for wider participation in the public sphere? The first section of this handbook from CIDA, International IDEA, OAS and the UNDP outlines the need for dialogue and how it can make a difference in pursuit of peace, development and democratic governance. The number of dialogue processes taking place around the world has increased, as has the need for a greater understanding of effective dialogue.

Peacekeepers Among Poppies: Afghanistan, Illicit Economies and Intervention

Vanda Felbab-Brown — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

What have been the effects of counter-narcotics policies in Afghanistan since 2001? Have eradication campaigns been successful? This article from the Journal of International Peacekeeping argues that aggressive opium poppy eradication programmes have been premature and counterproductive. They have not increased stability or undermined the counter-insurgency. The most important role peacekeeping forces can play is providing security.

Policies Towards Horizontal Inequalities

Frances Stewart, Graham Brown, Arnim Langer — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

What are the most effective strategies for reducing Horizontal Inequalities (HIs)? This book chapter assesses the range of policies that could alleviate the impact of political, cultural and socioeconomic HIs on conflict likelihood. While there may need to be trade-offs with other policy objectives, there is no evidence that reducing HIs needs to reduce growth.

With the State against the State? The Formation of Armed Groups

Klaus Schlichte — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

How do armed groups develop? This article from Contemporary Security Policy investigates the formation of armed groups using the concept of figuration, which emphasises the interdependence of individuals. There are three main ways by which armed groups come into being: in response to violent repression, through exclusion from the ruling class and when government-created informal armed forces become free from state control. These mechanisms provide insights into the conditions under which armed groups are likely to form and whether they become institutionalised.

From �Refugee Warriors� to �Returnee Warriors�: Militant Homecoming in Afghanistan and Beyond

Kristian Berg Harpviken — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Why do some refugees, upon return to their countries of origin, engage in violent action? This paper from George Mason University assumes that in some refugee situations a significant share of returnees engage in militant action. It examines three sets of explanatory factors (enabling environment, ideology and organisation) in order to contribute to an expanding analytical framework for refugee warrior phenomena, and to identify an agenda for future research.

Conflict, Conflict Prevention and Conflict Management and Beyond: A Conceptual Exploration

N. Swanström, M. Weissmann — Sat, 01 Jan 2005 00:00:00 GMT

What are the interpretational differences in conflict, conflict prevention and conflict management? How do we come to terms with the lack of consensus within the academic and policy community? This paper, published by the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute and Silk Road Studies Program, provides an overview of the conceptual terms. Traditional assumptions are challenged with the three concepts viewed as inter-related rather than as separate. An integrated, holistic approach is recommended.

A Social-Psychological Approach to Conflict Analysis and Resolution

Herbert C. Kelman — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

How can social-psychological theory and research inform the analysis and resolution of international conflict? This book chapter from the Handbook of Conflict Analysis and Resolution outlines psychological processes that promote the escalation and perpetuation of conflict. A conflict relationship generates images and norms that entrench conflict and create barriers to change. Conflict resolution work must therefore identify possibilities and conditions for change and overcome resistance to change.

The Transnational Political Engagements of Refugees: Remittance Sending Practices amongst Somalis in Norway

Cindy Horst — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

How do diaspora groups seek to influence political developments in their home countries? What can be learned from the engagement of Somalis living in Norway with conflict and reconciliation processes in the Somali territories? This article from Conflict, Security and Development shows that the Norwegian Somali diaspora engages primarily on a sub-national level � through clan relationships rather than through �state� entities. Diaspora groups promote conflict and peace, and may promote both simultaneously. Their substantial remittance flows can alter the local balance of economic, political and military power.

Measuring Progress in Stabilisation and Reconstruction

Craig Cohen — Sun, 01 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Measuring progress is essential to the success of stabilisation and reconstruction efforts. This report, published by the United States Institute of Peace, examines the shortcomings of current processes, including the tendency to measure implementation rather than impact. Proper assessment tools and reliable measures of progress are needed to enable policymakers to take stock of the challenges before intervening and to continuously track the progress of their efforts towards stabilisation. Political will is also essential to ensure leadership and cooperation across organisational boundaries.

Promises and Pitfalls of an Emerging Research Program: The Microdynamics of Civil War

Stathis N. Kalyvas — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

How can micro-level research on the dynamics of civil war be improved? This chapter from Order, Conflict, Violence analyses micro-level studies of civil war, identifying a mismatch between their micro-level empirical focus and their macro-level conceptual and theoretical focus. This mismatch leads to difficulties that introduce bias: problematic proxies resulting from concept conflation, observational equivalence, endogeneity, overaggregated variables, and the omission of significant variables. Engaging with cases, careful and detailed collection of fine-grained data, and thorough theorisation are therefore needed.

Who Fights? The Determinants of Participation in Civil War

Macartan Humphreys, Jeremy M. Weinstein — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Why do individuals choose to participate in civil war? Why do some individuals fight against the government while others defend the status quo? This study from the American Journal of Political Science tests the three major theories relating to participation using testimony from ex-combatants who participated in Sierra Leone's civil war. The results indicate the relevance of all three theories: grievance, selective incentives, and social sanctions, directing attention to the interaction between them. Factors such as poverty, a lack of access to education, and political alienation prove to be important in determining participation but the evidence suggests that they may indicate a general susceptibility to engage in violence or a greater vulnerability to political manipulation by elites rather than political grievances.

Evaluation in Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding

E. Çuhadar-Gürkaynak, B. Dayton, T. Paffenholz — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Why is evaluation essential in conflict resolution and peacebuilding work? How can traditional evaluations be adapted for this purpose? This chapter from the Handbook of Conflict Analysis and Resolution examines the difficulties and possibilities of evaluating conflict resolution and peacebuilding initiatives. Renewed attention to evaluation strengthens connections between peacebuilding theory and practice.

Preventing Violence, War and State Collapse: The Future of Conflict Early Warning and Response

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Are early warning and response systems prepared for the conflicts of the future? This report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development reviews recent literature on early warning and response to assess their value and their role in the prevention of violent conflict and for peacebuilding. It concludes that early warning and response systems require further support to ensure their future relevance.

Building Relational Empathy Through an Interactive Design Process

Benjamin J. Broome — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

How can opposing groups move beyond their differences to develop a shared agenda for building peace? This chapter from the Handbook of Conflict Analysis and Resolution discusses an example in which Greek and Turkish Cypriots collaborated to develop a shared strategy for civil society peacebuilding. Structured dialogue supported the development of �relational empathy� between them, allowing new understanding to emerge and creative approaches to be developed.

Participating in Development? Refugee Protection, Politics and Developmental Approaches to Refugee Management in Uganda

T. Kaiser — Sat, 01 Jan 2005 00:00:00 GMT

This article, published in the Third World Quarterly, examines the �Self-Reliance Strategy� implemented by the Government of Uganda and UNHCR for long-term Sudanese refugees in Uganda, which seeks to move from a relief to a development approach. However, the prospects for success are limited by ongoing conflict in northern Uganda and the lack of rights of long-term exiles - in particular, freedom of movement. Developmental approaches must go beyond a narrow focus on material needs and incorporate an explicit focus on refugee protection.

Peacebuilding in Eastern DRC: Improving EU Support for Economic Recovery

International Alert — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

How can economic activities help to address the factors that undermine sustainable peace? This report from International Alert centres on economic recovery in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Efforts are needed to promote job creation and shared income-generating opportunities, as well as to address the drivers of conflict and fragility, if long-term economic recovery is to be realised. In order to ensure that assistance contributes positively to transformational peacebuilding, donors must be prepared to bear high transaction costs, particularly in terms of staff on the ground and longer time frames.

Understanding the Conflict-Development Nexus and the Contribution of Development Cooperation to Peacebuilding

Thania Paffenholz — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

How does development cooperation contribute to peacebuilding? This chapter from the Handbook of Conflict Analysis and Resolution examines connections between conflict, security, peace and development. It summarises: (a) research debates about the causes of armed conflict; (b) discourse in the development community on conflict and peace and (c) the influence of these debates and discourses on development cooperation in conflict-affected contexts. Development policies should be an integral part of the peacebuilding agenda. But transfer from research to policy has largely ignored the complexity of development in conflict situations and the contribution of development to peacebuilding.

Conflict Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect

Alex Bellamy — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Why has conflict prevention been neglected in the ongoing debates over global security? This article from Global Governance examines attitudes toward the international community�s responsibility to prevent conflict since the publication in 2001 of the report The Responsibility to Protect. In explaining the relative neglect of prevention in debates about The Responsibility to Protect, it argues that the answer can be found in a combination of doubts about how wide the definition of prevention should be, political concerns raised by the use of prevention in the war on terrorism, and practical concerns about the appropriate institutional locus for responsibility.

Addressing Internal Displacement in Peace Processes, Peace Agreements and Peace-Building

Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

How can internal displacement best be integrated into peace processes, peace agreements and peacebuilding? This report from the Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement contends that resolving displacement is strongly connected to achieving peace, especially in cases of large-scale displacement. Assisting displaced people to return and reintegrate has the potential both to address the root causes of conflict and to prevent further displacement. Durable solutions to displacement should form an integral part of effective peacebuilding.