Suchergebnisse

The operations called "peace building" or "post-conflict" by the United Nations are better conceived of as internationally supported state building. They thus form part of the historical process of formation of an international state system based on the juridical sovereignty of very unequal states. The problems encountered in the Afghanistan recovery, illustrate that the divisions, rivalries, & fragmentation of authority of the "international community" can undermine the goal of state building. Sustainable stability & peace, to say nothing of democracy, require international actors to delegate some sovereign functions to a multilateral entity that can reinforce rather than undermine the institutions of the reconstructed country. The lessons of Afghanistan signal the need for the peace building mechanisms proposed by Secretary-General's High-level Panel, which would provide a unified decision-making body as a counterpart to the recipient national government & potentially bring order into the anarchy often created by multiple agendas, doctrines, & aid budgets. Adapted from the source document.

The past 10 years have witnessed a revival of interest in state building & "international protectorates." Historical precedents contain important lessons for contemporary practice but today's state-building engineers are often ill-acquainted with these lessons. Nor are they mindful of the fundamental contradictions that encumber state-building initiatives. The political project of reconstructing collapsed states, it becomes apparent, is not only ideologically freighted; it also ignores what historical sociologists have taught us about the complex processes that govern the construction of states & nations. Adapted from the source document.

The Nordic Region offers innovative interpretative approaches and models to overcome the "dilemma between security and prosperity". In this region, integration and fragmentation have been well-balanced and grounded on diversity. The first aim of this article is to explain the reasons for peace in Nordic Europe, a task sometimes more difficult than explaining wars. Historical cases of pacific resolution of disputes and the possible reasons for those policies are considered. Finally, the theoretical foundations of these approaches and how they influenced the political institutions are also analyzed.