Decolonization and Peacebuilding

Abstract

Nations that fail to achieve independence at decolonization seek recognition and support from the international community. The United Nations peacebuilding activities significantly influence conflicts over statehood and self-determination. This chapter examines United Nations peacebuilding and conflict resolution through the successful independence of Timor Leste with the ongoing conflict in Kashmir since the moment of decolonization. It argues that the patterns of decolonization are critical in explaining initial UN positions, which then shape future peacebuilding operations. Decolonial designs determine the primacy of either territorial integrity or the right to self-determination. In Kashmir, partition made the new territorial boundaries geopolitically significant, which had to be maintained for international peace and security. Annexation made the right to self-determination more salient in generating support for independence since the UN understood the right within the context of decolonization rather than geopolitics.