Adding peacekeepers to the debates of critical liberal peacebuilding: new insights from the perspective of peacekeeping training in Africa

Abstract

This article expands upon the theoretical discussions within the critical liberal peacebuilding scholarship through the introduction of peacekeeping training to these debates. As an under-explored aspect of international peace efforts, the article, while guided by the overall question of whether or not the concepts of ‘hybrid peace’ and ‘recourse to localism’ can be operationalised, argues that bringing the peacekeepers and their training back in is critical to these debates. Exploring the training efforts of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) and the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD), I show that these training providers are faced with the overwhelming challenge of addressing the complexities of today’s peace support operations, while providing scope for active learning methods. Based on the training realities on the ground at KAIPTC and ACCORD I draw a picture of what these realities reveal with regard to the obstacles on the path of operationalising the concepts of ‘hybrid peace’ and ‘recourse to localism’.