Democratic Insecurities: Violence, Trauma, and Intervention in Haiti Précis Interviews Diane Davis Much Ado About Decline
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FALL 2010 précis Interviews Diane Davis IN THIS ISSUE iane Davis, a member of CIS, is profes- précis Interview: Diane Davis 2 sor of political sociology in the Department D Democratic Insecurities 6 of Urban Studies and Planning. Her current re- Erica Caple James search is focused on cities in conflict and, within that area, police corruption and police violence. Joint Research on Regulatory Science 10 Much Ado About Decline 11 Through a USAID grant, Davis and John Tirman Joshua Itzkowitz Shifrinson (the Center’s executive director and a principal re- Events 16 search scientist) will explore how cities from Brazil to Pakistan cope with violence, and inform policy- End Notes 18 makers of promising practices. continued on page 2 OF NOTE Study on Women’s Security A year-long study in six countries has found Democratic Insecurities: that the goals of UN Security Council Violence, Trauma, and Intervention in Haiti Resolution 1325, enacted 10 years ago, have by Erica Caple James not been fulfilled and that implementation is generally poor. upported by a rich cultural heritage, the Hai- continued on page 5 Stian people retain a capacity for hope, faith, and resilience that remains a tremendous resource for any efforts to rehabilitate the nation and its people. Meet the Neuffer Fellow Rabia Mehmood, a journalist in the Lahore continued on page 6 bureau of Express 24/7 Television in Paki- stan, has received the 2010-11 Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship. Much Ado About Decline continued on page 15 by Joshua Itzkowitz Shifrinson or at least the third time in the post-war era, the Miliband Joins CIS Fdecline of American power is at the forefront David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary for of American foreign policy discourse. Underlying the United Kingdom from 2007 to 2010, the decline debate is a consensus that decline, if and will join the Center as a Robert E. Wil- when it occurs, will be disastrous for American in- helm Fellow in residence from April 11 terests. through 15, 2011. continued on page 12 continued on back cover précis MIT CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FALL 2010 • 1 Diane Davis Professor of Political Sociology préciINTERV IEWs MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning précis: You recently stepped down as political party development, I am very the head of the International Develop- interested in the role that the city and ment Group (IDG) in the Department urban populations play in both local of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP). and national political trajectories. As a How would you characterize the work sociologist, I am engaged with questions of the IDG and what would you say that complement much of the work in were its major accomplishments under political science, to be sure; but I use a your leadership? slightly different approach. For example, many political scientists take the national DD: The IDG, which is a program state as point of departure, whereas I am group within DUSP, exists in order to interested in how states get formed in the Diane Davis, a member of CIS, is provide a sub-community within DUSP first place, and my focus is as likely to be professor of political sociology in the De- for students and faculty that work on sub-national and transnational gover- partment of Urban Studies and Plan- developing countries. We work as a group nance structures and processes, and how ning. Her current research is focused on to ensure that our students are offered they may impact national-states. cities in conflict and, within that area, the research and internship opportunities police corruption and police violence. that will make them good international précis: In a prize-winning article pub- development planners. I saw myself as an lished in Contemporary Security Policy USAID is providing $385,000 for enabler of these activities, a task consis- in 2009, you argue that our traditional 8 case studies of urban resilience in tent with my strong commitment to the categories for understanding non-state situations of chronic violence. Through interdisciplinary opportunities at CIS. armed actors are not sufficient for this grant, Davis and John Tirman For instance, I try to link our students analyzing emerging forms of violence (the Center’s executive director and a in DUSP to the international discussion in the developing world. What kind of principal research scientist) will explore and debate on the developing world that non-state behaviors should scholars be how cities from Brazil to Pakistan cope occurs at CIS. paying more attention to and why are with violence, and inform policymakers they important? of promising practices. précis: CIS is a truly interdisciplinary research institute, as demonstrated DD: Political scientists have studied in your self-description as a “politi- non-state armed actors for years, al- cal sociologist.” What is the research though their focus tends to be groups orientation of political sociology as a whose main objective is to challenge the field, as distinct from either political state, like guerilla movements and rebel science or sociology more generally? movements. What I have tried to do in précis is published twice each academic my own research is widen our analyti- year in order to familiarize readers with the work of the Center for International DD: One general distinction is that so- cal understanding of what constitutes a studies at MIT. For further information ciologists do not work exclusively within non-state armed actor. I am particularly about CIS or précis, please contact: the domain of the state, understanding interested in those armed forces that are Center for International Studies instead that politics can occur in society not working in or for the state, and are Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1 Amherst St, E40-400 as well. In my own writings, I look at a threat to the state, but are not neces- Cambridge, MA 02139-4307 both the state and society, focusing on sarily trying to undermine or seize state T: 617-253-8093 the relationship between the ruler and the power. I originally started to study this [email protected] ruled, or between citizens and states—I category of armed actors by examin- have written about social movements and Richard J. Samuels, Director ing mafias, drug traffickers, and other Stephen Van Evera, Associate Director political parties from this perspective. I organized criminals who are destabiliz- John Tirman, Executive Director also am an urbanist, and I look at move- ing politics and society in countries of Michelle Nhuch, précis Senior Editor Tara Maller, précis Editor ments and politics within the context Latin America. These actors have become Laurie Scheffler, précis Coordinator of cities. So when I examine sociologi- increasingly relevant for those of us Rebecca Ochoa, précis Assistant cal phenomena like state formation and interested in political systems, because précisprécis MITMIT CENTER CENTER FORFOR ININTERNTERNAATTIIONALONAL S TSTUDIEUDIES S FALLFALL 2007 2010 • • 32 their actions can reduce social stability link the rulers and the ruled. While Tilly ico has been able to put a dent in the flow without directly challenging government approached this subject by identifying of drug-trafficking activities that move authority. What also is interesting is how how connections forged by such activi- across their common border, not only be- these more “economically motivated” ties as war-making, taxation, and social cause of the fluidity of the border but also non-state actors work with or join hands policy drove processes of state-formation, because of the limited powers available to with other more politically-motivated Anderson’s approach built on the idea of nation-states in an increasingly global- non-state actors, such as terrorists, to de- an “imagined community” of sentiments ized world. The United States has had stabilize, de-legitimize, and undermine that tied people together in a common to be very careful with what it can do for state sovereignty. political imaginary. Both scholars were fear of violating Mexican sovereignty, and concerned with the shared sentiments vice-versa, while the problems necessarily Organized criminals, mafias, and other that bind citizens to each other and to need some coordination. It is hard for a non-state armed groups need more the nation-state. In my article, I was in- single nation-state to solve problems that attention because they are growing in terested in exploring the extent to which are transnational in nature. number and influence, and are increas- non-state armed actors also cultivated ingly successful at destabilizing political similar forms of loyalty. In particular, I précis: Some of your current research systems and international relations, in hypothesized that reciprocities among focuses on “Urban Resilience in no small part because they often oper- them and within the communities in Situations of Chronic Violence.” What ate on a transnational scale. As someone which they operated helped create an exactly is “urban resilience,” and how who studies politics and society in Latin alternative “imagined community” of do you hope to advance your research America, I can attest to the ubiquity political reciprocities. I also sought to on the concept? and importance of transnational orga- understand the conditions under which nized crime in this region, even in the these new imagined communities DD: John Tirman and I are connected to economically successful countries. In emerged and strengthened. This led me a larger group of scholars who have been Mexico, a country I have studied for to examine the extent to which the exis- debating how to define and develop the several decades, these actors are delegiti- tent government is not doing a good job concept of “resiliency.” Usually people mizing the government and calling into of providing public services, employment, think of resilience as a very positive question the democratic ideals of the or other conditions that contribute to concept, a very hopeful concept, which is nation.