UN Approach Research Articles

ADDRESSING FAILED STATES

This article revisits the complex issue of state failure, offering a new perspective on how systematic labeling can create contradictions among different states. The concept of state failure emerged as a significant topic in academic discussions toward the end of the 20th century and has remained a crucial item on the international agenda for decades. Various strategies have been employed to address state failure, sometimes with destructive outcomes. The United States’ initialefforts to intervene in failed states often had adverse effects. In contrast, the United Nations has continued to focus on state-building efforts, which have evolved into broader peacekeeping missions. While the U.S. interventions set some perilous precedents, the UN's approach underscores its role as a key post-war institution, striving to maintain fragile regions and prevent a complete breakdown of international stability. Although powerful sources suggest that the phenomenon of failed states is diminishing, the underlying issues of chaotic territories and weak governmental structures persist. The enduring challenge of managing these fragile states highlig hts the ongoing need for effective international strategies to prevent instability andpromote sustainable governance.We employed a range of methodologies , including case studies and qualitative analyses, to develop recommendations that align with the specified requirements.

War Economies and Post-Conflict Peacebuilding: Identifying a Weak Link

While the international community has in the last several years appreciated the close links between conflict and natural resource exploitation, current efforts to transform war economies in post-conflict peacebuilding fall short of the goal. This article charts the pervasive effects of war economies – and specifically lootable resources such as diamonds and timber – in post-conflict contexts, as well as the inclusion of natural resources in the language and implementation of United Nations mission mandates in countries where economic predation has played an important role. This preliminary mapping exercise of Cambodia, Angola, Sierra Leone and Liberia highlights certain innovations in the UN's approach, yet demonstrates that post-conflict war economies continue to jeopardise expensive and well-intentioned reconstruction activities like disarmament, demobilisation and reconstruction programmes, transitional justice and security sector reform.

The UN's Long-term Conflict Prevention Strategies and the Impact of Counter-terrorism

Long-term conflict prevention strategies are reviewed as approaches that seek to address the root causes of conflict. Between 1999 and 2001 particular organizational tracks sought to advance the topic in the UN. For example, in response to 'internal' conflicts during the 1990s, development programmes have been advised to include 'conflict prevention lenses'. However, the UN's approach has emphasized theoretical comprehensiveness without corresponding effective practical outcomes. Moreover, in the aftermath of the attacks in New York and Washington DC on 11 September 2001, the engagement in counter-terrorism might encroach unduly on conflict prevention strategies. Still, long-term conflict prevention strategies and counter-terrorism could be linked in addressing common root causes of armed conflicts and terrorist activities.