Constructing civil society: an intervention for building peace?

Abstract

This article addresses the issue of support to civil society in peacebuilding missions and engages with the debate about the propriety of social modelling promoted and trialled in fragile, war-torn states. It is the case that programmes of intervention invariably fail to empower post-war populations to challenge governments, and that they distort and confuse relations between the two. This is problematic because civilian counterbalance to government excess is a central tenet of democracy, and democracy is considered fundamental for the sustainability of peaceful societies and is promoted in post-conflict reconstruction. This article draws from data collected during field work in Sierra Leone to provide some deeper insights into the issues of legitimacy and efficacy in post-war civil society interventions. The article speaks to the concern that constructing civil society through post-conflict interventions inverts the relationship between state and citizens, and advocates for a reconceptualisation of the process.