International Peacebuilding and Local Involvement: A Liberal Renaissance?

Description

This book interrogates the common perception that liberal peace is in crisis and explores the question: can the local turn save liberal peacebuilding? Presenting a case for a liberal renaissance in peacebuilding, the work interrogates the assumptions behind the popular perception that liberal peace is in crisis. It re-examines three of the cases igniting the debate – Cambodia, Kosovo, and Timor-Leste – and evaluates how these transitional administrations implemented their liberal mandates and how local involvement affected the conduct of their activities. In so doing, it reveals that these cases were neither liberal nor peacebuilding. It also demonstrates that while local involvement is imperative to peacebuilding, illiberal local involvement restores an elite-centred status quo and reinforces or creates new forms of conflict and violence. Using both liberal and critical lenses, the author ultimately argues that the conceptual and operational departure from the holistic and comprehensive origins of liberal peacebuilding in fact paved the way for the liberal peace crisis itself. Drawing on analysis from in-depth field research and interviews, this book will be of much interest to students of peacebuilding, peacekeeping, statebuilding, security studies and International Relations in general. Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents List of tables Acknowledgements List of abbreviations Introduction Main argument Introduction to the case studies Peacebuilding components Examining local involvement in liberal peacebuilding Organization of this book Notes References 1 Locating a middle ground between liberal and local trajectories in peacebuilding Introduction The origins The problem The outcomes The local turn The middle ground Conclusion Notes References 2 Cambodia: politicized involvement in a compromised peacebuilding Introduction Compromised democracy Politicized justice Everyday reconciliation Corrupted development Local involvement in mine action Conclusion Notes References 3 Kosovo: superficial involvement in a co-opted peacebuilding Introduction Short-lived negative peace Co-opted peacebuilding Trial without justice Lopsided development Declining legitimacy Conclusion Notes References 4 Timor-Leste: exclusive involvement in a fragile peacebuilding Introduction Fragile peace Fragmented leadership International-local encounters Incomplete justice Captured development Conclusion Notes References 5 The perils of liberal peacebuilding and pitfalls of local involvement Context matters Providing security Pursuing justice and reconciliation Promoting development Is liberal peacebuilding liberal and peace building? Can the local turn save peacebuilding? Conclusion Notes References Conclusion Notes References Appendix: list of interview participants and resource persons Interview participants Resource persons Index