Post-conflict Peacebuilding Research Articles

Variables influencing truth reconciliation commissions to promote post-conflict peacebuilding and statebuilding in Africa: a South African experience

Truth and reconciliation commissions (TRCs) are understood to offer cheap justice, a justice not bound by the law. South African experience in the post-apartheid era shows that they are significant tools for peacebuilding as well as statebuilding. The experience shows that the use of TRCs has created an authoritative record of what happened; enabled the victims to tell their stories without fear or embarrassment, and recommended legislative, structural and institutional reforms that avoided the repetition of past abuses. Successful peace and statebuilding are based on the above in order to achieve sustainable peace. TRCs promote rule of law, human rights protection, and ensure healing and freedom for all. However, the relapses of conflicts and political tensions, intercommunal hatred and divisions in African countries, create more questions than answers. These continuous issues show that TRCs have instead not resolved conflicts. The paper found that TRCs can only lead to successful peacebuilding and statebuilding if there is willingness on the side of the citizens as well as their political leaders. There is need to learn from the South African experience to ensure that TRCs lead to successful peacebuilding and statebuilding. The paper relied on historical research designed to study TRCs in Africa.

Community radio and post-conflict peace building: A study of Orisun 89.5 FM in Ife–Modakeke, Osun State, Nigeria

In times of conflict or tragedy, radio is essential, especially in underdeveloped nations where the collapse of other communication infrastructure may make radio the sole dependable source of information. This study assessed the extent to which community radio has contributed to the peacebuilding efforts after the Ife–Modakeke conflict in Nigeria, by investigating to ascertain listeners’ perceptions and adoption of the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanism in managing the conflict to avoid a violent escalation. The study applied in-depth interviews and collected data with questionnaires. The findings of the study suggested that the inhabitants of Ife and Modakeke listened intensely to and were aware of the conflict resolution programme on one of the popular radio stations, Orisun 89.5 FM. People also used and knew others, who used the radio programme ‘ADR mechanism’ on the radio to resolve the conflict and avoid violent escalation. Since it was the only peacebuilding programme, the study found that this radio programme was an effective peacebuilding tool in the Ife–Modakeke society. The study recommended that such a good effort should be broadcast more often for further heightened awareness of its diverse listeners.

Peacebuilding with social media: Case analysis of labeling separatist groups as terrorists in Indonesia


 
 
 
 The idea of ​​peace is already being discussed in the digital space. It encourages this study to examine the idea of ​​peacebuilding in social media. This study focuses on cases of changing labels from separatist groups to terrorist groups in Indonesia. The research method uses a quantitative approach with descriptive content analysis with the data source coming from Twitter. The analysis tool used is Nvivo 12 Plus. This study shows that social media can be a new alternative to suppressing separatist propaganda through counter-separatism-terrorism narratives. Social media can also form activism that slowly changes public attitudes and responses in assessing national security situations and issues. The intensity of using social media also raises the idea of ​​post-conflict peacebuilding. However, peacebuilding cannot be based entirely on social media alone. Conventional assumptions also need to be built using a formal communication model that involves government authorities in initiating post-conflict reconciliation.
 
 
 

Post-conflict Peace-building in Sri Lanka: An analysis of Transformative approach

Peace-building is a condition in which long-lasting peace is established and preventing violence by analyzing the root causes of the conflict. Many of the third-world countries are tasked with peace-building after the 1990s. Internal conflicts and civil wars are common in these countries and most of them are the result of ethnic conflicts. Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict which resulted in a three-year-long civil war ended in 2009. This article analyzes the peace-building process in Sri Lanka with the transformative theory of peace-building.

The future of peace in Africa: complexities of local conflict(s) and liberal peace interventions.

This paper argues that a systematic understanding of local populations and their worldviews of what constitute peace – as expressed in their norms of relations holds promise for the future of peace in Africa. Africa continues to be the centre of international efforts at peacebuilding. These efforts at best have achieved mixed results, while barely addressing the root causes of violent conflicts by transforming state-society relations that breeds inclusivity and assures the progress of the collective regardless of geographic, social, economic, and political differentiations. To achieve this, it is important for actors in the peacebuilding industry to emphasise the local as fundamental to building durable peace. This stems from the knowledge that all societies embody the idea of peace with different connotations. Such worldviews are important starting points for post-conflict peacebuilding efforts that portends for the collective good. In this article, the Bimbilla case shows how local spaces that have suffered violent conflicts have inbuilt ideational and normative structures that can be used to address the anomaly of state-society relations. This is indicative of the many conflict and post-conflict spots in Africa. Emphasising the norms of the locale as a critically anchor to effective contemporary peacebuilding, and the future of durable peace in Africa.

Strengthening women engagement in post-Conflict Peace-building in North-East Nigeria: An interrogation of the UN Resolution 1325

Strengthening women engagement in post-Conflict Peace-building in North-East Nigeria: An interrogation of the UN Resolution 1325

Japanese Peacebuilding Diplomacy in Southeast Asia and Beyond in the New World Order

This article addresses the complex landscape of Japan’s diplomatic engagement in Southeast Asia, spanning from the late 1990s to the present day, and explores the transformative role that Japan has played in post-conflict peacebuilding and regional security. Japan has reinforced diplomatic relations with conflict-affected Southeast Asian countries in the post-Cold War era, contributing to security cooperation in the region under the recent Japan’s diplomatic direction of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific vision.

Strengthening Post-Conflict Peacebuilding through Digital Diplomacy for a Sustainable Peace in Africa

Strengthening Post-Conflict Peacebuilding through Digital Diplomacy for a Sustainable Peace in Africa

The Urgency of Peace Education in Aceh's Educational Institutions

The protracted conflict in Aceh has inflicted significant damage upon the region's social and educational infrastructure, engendering an urgent imperative for the integration of peace education within educational institutions. This article aims to discuss the urgency of peace education in Aceh's educational institutions. A qualitative research methodology, employing a literature study approach, was adopted, gathering and analyzing data from various relevant sources to gain a comprehensive understanding. This study showed that peace education is not only critical for post-conflict recovery but also essential in shaping the attitudes of tolerance and conflict understanding among the youth. This need is underscored by Aceh's conflict history and its enduring impact on society. The article concludes that peace education is an urgent requirement in Aceh's schools, with the potential to equip students with knowledge and attitudes supportive of sustained peace and future violence prevention. Investment in peace education in Aceh is vital for regional stability and serves as a potential global model for post-conflict peacebuilding.

The Role of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) in Post-Conflict Peacebuilding: A Civil–Military Cooperation (CIMIC) Perspective

This paper scrutinises the assimilation of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (Tentara Nasional Indonesia – TNI) into civilian structures to shape a harmonised civil–military cooperation (CIMIC) in post-conflict peacebuilding initiatives. Acting as a crucial state apparatus, the TNI confronts a spectrum of threats, upholds national integrity, and follows Law No. 34/2004 by promoting soft power in non-combative military operations. Notwithstanding concerns raised by peace activists regarding potential human rights breaches during armed interventions, peacebuilding heavily depends on trust-building, which is a key catalyst for stakeholder cooperation. In contradiction to activists’ apprehensions, 2022 surveys reveal an impressive public trust level of around 93% towards the TNI. This robust public confidence sets a promising stage for the active engagement of the TNI in peacebuilding. To ensure effective participation, the TNI must demonstrate human rights commitment and adaptability to civilian protocols and guarantee non-repressive methodologies in peace missions. Leveraging its soft power, the TNI can cultivate productive alliances with civil institutions via joint ventures under civilian supremacy within a regulated CIMIC construct. The theory of change offers a unique perspective on the intertwined dynamics of civil–military collaboration, public trust and soft military power in peacebuilding, steering state policy outcomes. These are shaped by the government’s ability to reshape military duties devoid of military overreach. In conclusion, civilian control over the military materialises through shared accountability in peacebuilding endeavours, encapsulated within the CIMIC framework.

Minority Rights in Post-Conflict Peacebuilding: An Analysis of Legislative Perspectives and Contemporary Challenges

Post-conflict peacebuilding is a complex and multifaceted process that seeks to restore peace and stability in societies that have been ravaged by violent conflicts. Minority rights are an integral part of this process, as they play a crucial role in promoting social cohesion, reconciliation, and sustainable development in the post-conflict context. Unfortunately, minority rights are often marginalized and underrepresented in postconflict peacebuilding efforts, leaving minority groups at risk of continued discrimination and exclusion. The neglect of these rights hampers the prospects for lasting peace and hinders the contributions of minority populations to post-conflict societies. This paper examines or analyses the significance of minority rights in postconflict societies. It provides an in-depth examination of issues such as (a) the impact of religion on the formation of majority and minority dynamics in diverse societies, (b) the transformative potential of information technology and its role in fostering inclusive communication, (c) the interplay between primordialism and constructivism in understanding ethnic identities and their implications for the practice of consociational democracy; (d) the inclusivity of peacebuilding approaches and their integration of reconciliation across various facets of post-conflict development. To achieve this, the paper employs a multidisciplinary and non-empirical approach to desk research, including an extensive literature review, qualitative analysis of case studies from conflict-ridden regions, and a critical examination of consociational democracies. This methodological diversity enables a comprehensive exploration of minority rights' complex dynamics in peacebuilding contexts. Finally, the paper argues that achieving sustainable peace requires acknowledging the pivotal role of minority rights and fostering inclusive approaches that empower diverse community members to contribute actively. Despite its limitations, the consociational model offers an adaptable framework for balancing the preservation and reconstruction of ethnic identities in post-conflict settings. Moreover, involving historically marginalized groups, such as women and youth, is essential for building more equitable and peaceful societies.

Non-Western Peacekeeping as a Factor of a Multipolar World: Outlines of Research Program

This paper describes the contours of a research program on peacekeeping and peacebuilding, representing the interests of Non-Western countries (the world’s majority). The article is based on both individual developments of its expert authors in the theory and practice of peacekeeping, international law and development cooperation, as well as on generalized conclusions of eight international workshops on Non-Western peacekeeping, held by the Department of Theory and History of International Relations of the RUDN University in 2020-2021 with the participation of leading Russian and international experts. Particular attention is paid to the current moment in international peacekeeping associated with the “power transit” (from the United States to China, and more broadly, from the West to the Non-West) and the power vacuum observed in a number of regions. Conclusions are drawn about the crisis of humanitarian intervention and the system of liberal peacekeeping in general. At the same time, the remaining instruments of Western structural power in the field of peacekeeping are examined in detail, covering both personnel representation in the UN and the practice of ‘penholding,’ as well as the discursive hegemony of the “Collective West.” The main directions in the development of Non-Western academic discourse in the field of peacemaking and peacebuilding are explored in the context of building a multipolar world. Special attention is paid to the problems of regional human rights systems in the context of the protection of civilians and post-conflict peacebuilding. The study concludes that Non-Western countries have a significant influence on the formation of international norms in the field of peacekeeping (rule-changers), but so far do not act as norm-setting actors in world politics (rule-makers).

Addressing psychosocial trauma in post-conflict peacebuilding: Emotions in narrative and arts-based approaches

Drawing on contemporary research on the nature and treatment of trauma in psychology, neuroscience and the emerging field of art therapy, this article adopts a psychosocial approach to examine the role that the arts may play in assisting individuals and societies to recover from the trauma of violent conflict and contribute to the establishment of sustainable peace. Taking a broad understanding of the arts to include a range of creative endeavours, it primarily focuses on non-verbal art forms, including but not restricted to music, painting, sculpture, drawing and dance, as well as traditional arts and crafts. It demonstrates that many art forms have the potential to make specific contributions to the amelioration of conflict-related trauma by addressing pervasive non-verbal memories that typically stand outside the remit of more conventional psychosocial practices, such as truth-telling and storytelling. They do so, it argues, by providing a means of expressing, evoking, regulating and transforming the emotions in ways that allow individuals and societies to confront and acknowledge their violent pasts, develop supportive relationships in the present and draw on their creativity to imagine a better future.

A conflict-sensitivity dilemma: how conflict denialism constrains spaces for conflict-sensitive actions for peacebuilding

ABSTRACT Despite a rapid proliferation of conflict-sensitivity approaches and tools over more than two decades, a key question is largely unanswered: Why does conflict sensitivity remain a resisted concept in post-conflict peacebuilding? Regardless of socio-political contexts of armed-conflict termination, authorities in post-conflict countries, such as Nepal and Sri Lanka, often deny the existence of conflict, despite situations in which social division and polarisation continue to threaten peace and stability. This conflict denialism at the political level often engenders a type of conflict-sensitivity dilemma. This article highlights two types of conflict-sensitivity dilemma: operational dilemma and thematic dilemma. It argues that implementing conflict sensitivity requires peacebuilding and development actors to overcome these dilemmas and enhance their engagement with political elites, with consideration of the political settlement framework that shapes peacebuilding and the dynamics of conflict denialism.

The impact of decentralisation on health systems in fragile and post-conflict countries: a narrative synthesis of six case studies in the Indo-Pacific

A health system has three key stakeholders, the State—at national and subnational levels—the health service providers and the citizens. In most settings and especially in peacetime, these stakeholders are typically well-defined. In contrast, during conflict and crisis as well as during ceasefire and post-conflict peacebuilding, stakeholders in the health system are often more diverse and contested. Health systems in such settings tend to be more decentralised, de facto—often in addition to de jure decentralisation. Despite much debate on the potential benefits of decentralisation, assessing its impact on health system performance remains difficult and its effect is open to dispute in the literature. This narrative synthesis aims to support efforts to assess and make sense of how decentralisation impacts health system performance in fragile and post-conflict countries—by synthesising evidence on the impact of decentralisation on health system performance from six country case studies: Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Pakistan, Myanmar and Nepal. The impact of decentralisation on health system performance is optimised when combining centralisation (e.g., the benefits of central coordination in improving efficiency) with decentralisation (e.g., the benefits of local decision making in improving equity and resilience). The findings may inform efforts to think through what to centralise or decentralise, the impacts of those choices, and how the impact may change over time as countries go through and emerge from conflict—and as they go through and recover from the Covid-19 pandemic and prepare for future pandemics.

Theoretical approaches to studying the post-conflict peacebuilding in ,,prolonged conflicts”: the case of the Republic of Moldova

The article is devoted to the analysis of theoretical approaches to the study of the post-conflict stage of peacebuilding in „protracted conflicts”. In this context, the definitions of „prolonged conflict” and „post-conflict stage” are analyzed, as well as various approaches to the emergence of the post-conflict stage in the context of conflict transformation theory. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the factors that influence the emergence of the post-conflict stage in „unresolved conflicts”. The application of the theory of conflict transformation to analyze the relationship of the parties in the conditions of the „hybrid field”, which includes the absence of hostilities and the presence of a dialogue between the conflict parties, as well as the use of the efforts of international actors to reach a political decision on the resolution of the conflict, form the basis of the methodology of the study of the post-conflict peace consolidation stage related to the conflicts in the post-Soviet space. This approach, which is of not only scientific, but also practical interest in the context of the existence of a prolonged unresolved conflict in the Republic of Moldova, highlights the need to form a different vision and a new pr

“We Shout at Each Other, But We’re Not Shooting Each Other”: An Interview with Reverend Harold Good on the Decommissioning of the Provisional Irish Republican Army

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Additional informationNotes on contributorsMatt FullerMatt Fuller (he/him) is a PhD candidate at the University of Otago in Aotearoa/New Zealand. He earned his IMAS Level Three Explosives Ordnance Disposal Certification from MAT Kosovo in 2022. Previously he was a Lecturer of Philosophy at St. Philip’s College in San Antonio, Texas. His focus is on ethics, post-conflict peacebuilding, and disarmament. E-mail: mattfullerauthor@gmail.com

An Analysis of Non-Governmental Organisations’ Approach to Post-Conflict Peacebuilding in Northern Ghana

Non-governmental organisations in northern Ghana have been key actors in rural development and peacebuilding in conflict-affected communities. This study employed qualitative methods to critically examine how NGOs contributed to maintaining relative peace for the successful resolution of the crisis in Yendi after regicide in 2002. Forty- nine respondents were selected using purposive sampling criterion. Thematic descriptive approach was used for the analysis of the data. The research reveals that peacebuilding NGOs, in partnership with the state agencies and international community, play significant stabilisation role in post-conflict societies due to their neutrality and general acceptability to conflict parties. Based on the perspectives of interview respondents, we argue for the state to focus on creating a conducive atmosphere while NGOs and other non-state actors synergize to effectively manage conflicts in affected societies until lasting solution can be achieved. Some of the recommendation are: Donors must be expanded in order to solicit sufficient funds for successful completion of peace initiatives. NGOs must expand their scope of operations, devise a comprehensive approach for addressing adverse activities and turning them into ‘builders’ in post-conflict settings.

Feminist Rethinking of the Representation of African Women in Peacebuilding: A Theoretical Analysis

Are women just victims in times of war and post-conflict peacebuilding? This question is a manifestation of years of research into the participation and underrepresentation of women in peacebuilding. Women’s underrepresentation in peacebuilding has been ascribed to several factors such as the patriarchal culture of most African societies, the “women-as-victims-only” narrative and the under-reporting of informal contributions women make through their participation in peacebuilding activities. Importantly, the women as-victim-only narrative which features in numerous studies is often cited as why women are not participating in post-conflict peacebuilding, thereby necessitating the opening question. Therefore, this paper used the radical feminist theory as a lens to rethink the agency that women embody during peacebuilding in a bid to argue that women are much more than victims. More specifically, it sought to examine the validity of the women-as-victims-only narrative and how it limits the representation of women in peacebuilding. By using qualitative methodology and radical feminist theoretical framework, this paper argued that women are much more than victims of war as they often participate in peace processes. The study found that women in Sierra Leone were an integral part of the peace processes, which lends credence to the notion that women are both victims of war and agents of peace.

Membangun Perdamaian Pasca Konflik


 After the peace agreement, Indonesia is now in the post-conflict era and many conflicts in various regions of Indonesia have decreased. Democratization and decentralization bring about improvements in social, economic and security conditions in society. This paper discusses post-conflict challenges in various regions of Indonesia. The main focus of this paper is approaches and strategies for post-conflict peacebuilding in order to build a foundation for peace to achieve consolidation of peace and sustainable development. economics, education and law. The third sector is the main focus of development in order to overcome the root of the conflict. As well as the establishment of institutions (FKUB), FKDM and FPK, as a responsive step by the government in detecting social conflicts in society. The success of all levels of post-conflict management is still dominated by the state, and this is the weakness of the post-conflict management being carried out, due to the dominance of state actors, with minimal involvement/involvement from civil society.
 Keywords: post conflict; peace building; sustainable development