Conflict Transformation: Three Lenses in One Frame
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volume 14 2/2009 A journal of peace research New Routes and action published by the life & peace institute Conflict transformation: Three lenses in one frame UNDERSTANDING PEACEBUILDING THEORY: Management, resolution and transformation CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION: A circular journey with a purpose TOGETHER IN CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION: Development co- operation, mission and diacony Conflict transformation by military involvement CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION: A challenging necessity in a war-ridden region Espoir de paix grâce à l’action de l’UPDI Contents excuse me, is this UNDERSTANDING PEACEBUILDING THEORY: the right way to peace? 3 Management, resolution and This issue of New Routes is largely about theory, or rather theories. A great transformation number of scholars have developed theories on peacebuilding, conflict Thania Paffenholz resolution, conflict management, conflict transformation, etc. But theory without practice in the context of peacebuilding is, if not dead, at least lifeless CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION: and of little use. Therefore, the descriptions and explanations of theory are 7 A circular journey with a purpose accompanied by practical examples in order to make them more John Paul Lederach/Michelle Maiese comprehensible and more based on real life experiences. Since the late 1980’s, the Life & Peace Institute (LPI) has been engaged in community-based peacebuilding and nonviolent conflict transformation in TOGETHER IN CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION: 11 Africa. Therefore, the aim of this issue is to reflect on different aspects of Development co-operation, conflict transformation, to explain its basic theory, to compare it with other mission and diacony approaches to peacebuilding and to describe its effects in reality. Paula Dijk Two of the most well-known researchers on conflict transformation, John Paul Lederach and Thania Paffenholz, have kindly contributed to this issue Conflict transformation by with their wealth of knowledge and experience. Paula Dijk from the Dutch 15 military involvement interchurch organisation ICCO expounds their efforts within conflict transformation to help people create sustainable peace. The activities of the Thomas Boehlke military within conflict transformation are described by Thomas Boehlke, with examples from the Philippines. CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION: 19 Other examples form the field are found in an article from LPI’s field office A challenging necessity in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo, and from one of its partner in a war-ridden region organisations, the farmers’ syndicate the UPDI, respectively. These texts depict the interaction between theory and practice, regional and local. Espoir de paix grâce We hope that this issue will be useful and instructive both to readers who 23 à l’action de l’UPDI are already familiar with the concepts of different peacebuilding theories, and to students and others who have recently become acquainted with them and Urbain Bisimwa want further knowledge and inspiration. For this purpose, please see the Resource pages with a number of websites and publications for further reading. Conflict Transformation: 30 Further reading Kristina Lundqvist [email protected] 32 LPI News 33 Reviews and Resources About the authors Thania Paffenholz holds a PhD Michelle Maiese is a graduate stu- in International Relations and is a dent of Philosophy at the University A journal of peace research lecturer for peace, conflict and deve- of Colorado, Boulder, and is a part of New Routes and action lopment at the Graduate Institute the research staff at the Conflict published by the life & peace institute of Inter national and Development Research Consortium. Studies, Geneva, Switzerland. She New Routes is a quarterly publication of the Life & Paula Dijk works as a Programme also advises the UN, the OECD, Peace Institute (LPI). Material may be reproduced Specialist on Democratisation and governmental and non-governmental freely if New Routes is mentioned as the source. Peace building for ICCO & Kerk in organisations on their peacebuilding Opinions expressed in New Routes do not necessarily Actie, the Netherlands. reflect LPI policy positions. work. She is a member of LPI’s Board Life & Peace Institute and Executive Committe. Thomas Boehlke is an instructor for Sysslomansgatan 7, SE-753 11 Uppsala, Sweden Joint Military Operations at the John Paul Lederach is Professor of Tel: (+46) 18-16 97 86, Fax: (+46) 18-69 30 59 German Armed Forces Command and International Peacebuilding with the E-mail: [email protected], Staff College in Hamburg. He is Web site: www.life-peace.org Joan B. Kroc Institute for Commander in the German Navy and International Peace Studies at the Editorial committee: Malin Brenk, Henrik Fröjmark, holds university degrees in adult edu- University of Notre Dame. He works Bernt Jonsson and Kristina Lundqvist cation and mediation. Editor: Kristina Lundqvist as a practitioner-scholar, providing Cover photo: Janerik Henriksson/Scanpix facilitation, mediation and training/ Urbain Bisimwa is the Secretary Layout: Georg Lulich Grafisk Form education, with extensive experience General of the farmers’ syndicat UPDI Printer: Temdahls Tryckeri AB, Östervåla, Sweden ISSN 1403-3755 at national and community levels. in the Democratic Republic of Congo. understanding peacebuilding theory New Routes 2/2009 3 Building peace is in itself one of the most intricate enterprises of human beings. Out of different theories, models and practical experiences a number of schools of thought have evolved, each with its own way of thinking and specific terminology. The dividing lines between the different approaches and their understanding are not always crystal clear. This article presents an overview of some of the most influential peacebuilding theories. UNDERSTANDING PEACEBUILDING THEORY: Management, resolution and transformation Thania Paffenholz Peacebuilding is essentially about the building therefore aims at achieving native discourse school) that could have process of achieving peace. Depending peace between nations on the basis of implications on practitioners’ work. on one’s underlying understanding of the establishment of norms and stand- peace, peacebuilding differs consider- ards and through a super entity like the The Conflict Management School ably in terms of approaches, scope of United Nations (UN), which can help in The approach of the Conflict Manage- activities and time frame. It is there- regulation and monitoring. ment School is to end wars through dif- fore not astonishing that the term and A Marxist-inspired structuralist IR ferent diplomatic initiatives. This is the concept of peacebuilding are nowadays analysis focuses on justice and equal- oldest school of thought, closely linked to used in research and practice with vary- ity, and critically analyses the power the institutionalisation of peacebuilding ing understandings and definitions. relations within the sys- This article1 gives an overview of the tem. Peacebuilding in this theoretical underpinnings of peace- context is a revolutionary What was at first a more building. A theoretical reflection allows approach to mobilise the elite-based civil society for a better understanding as to why masses in order to achieve “ approach became a general certain terms and approaches are used radical change in the inter- (and sometimes confused) in research national system. civil society and grassroots and practice. The article presents a sys- Post-structural IR read- tematic analysis of different schools of ing also looks into issues of approach. thought that explain why different actors justice, equality and power choose different ways to build peace, relations, but puts the main emphasis in international law. Peacebuilders, ac- and where they derive their underlying on marginalised actors and discourses. cording to the logic of this school, are ex- theories from (explicitly or implicitly). Here peacebuilding is not about a com- ternal diplomats from bilateral or multi- The article thereby also presents new mon meta-narrative, but about under- lateral organisations. This school aims to and critical research thinking in peace- standing differences and including the identify and bring to the negotiating table building that might impact on practi- discourses on the everyday peace of or- leaders of the conflict parties. Its main fo- tioners’ work in the future. dinary people into international debates cus is the short-term management of the in an emancipatory sense. armed conflict. Recent examples include Peacebuilding in international Peacebuilding within IR theory is of- the Sudan or Aceh peace accords (Miall relations theories ten not explicit. The framing of IR theo- et al. 1999, 158-168; Paffenholz 2001a, In a nutshell, the focus of all interna- ries has, however, inspired the middle 75-81; Richmond 2005, 89-96). tional relations (IR) theories is on regu- level theories that deal more explicitly The largest contribution of the Con- lating the international system of states, with peacebuilding (even if not all of flict Management School is its focus thus maintaining peace as security, or- them refer to the very term). on those in power who have the abil- der or justice.2 Realism focuses on the ity to bring large-scale violence to an balance of power among sovereign Different schools of thought end through a negotiated settlement. nation -states based on an understand- I identify five main approaches (schools The Conflict Management School has ing that the international system is an- of thought)