intervention &reconstruction

concepts & debates

on intervention

under which circumstances?

who? how?success?

on intervention “… war must eventually turn into its

opposite after exceeding its culminating point of maximum destruction, … wars should not be interrupted by outsiders, blocking their process of transformation.” Edward Luttwak, The Curse of Inconclusive Intervention

“… to make peace is to decide who rules… if… forces are going to intervene to make peace, … they should only do so after they have decided who will rule afterwards”Richard k. Betts, The Delusion of Impartial Intervention

on intervention “… any intervention must pass 3 basic

tests: (1) … (it) must have potential to succeed, … (2) the likely benefits of intervening should outweigh the likely costs, … (3) the likely ratio of benefits to costs should also compare favorably with that of other choices, … or doing nothing at all.”Richard K. Hass, Using Force: Lessons and Choices

on intervention “… interventions in CPE can involve three

scenarios: (1) conflict fuelling, where NGO activities, although unintended, contributed to the circumstances which reinforce violent conflict, (2) holding operation, where NGOs neither have a positive or negative impact but help maintain some civic structures which may re-emerge when the conflict de-escalates, and (3) building peace, where NGO programmes can challenge the structures and dynamics of conflict and create incentives for peace“ Jonathan Goodhand and David Hulme

on intervention “ (1) aid resources can be stolen and used to

support and finance war, (2) aid can distort markets by reinforcing the war economy and undermining peacetime production and productivity, (3) the distribution of aid can enhance intergroup tensions, (4) aid frees people to support conflict, as they need not to waste their time and energy to fulfill the basic needs substituted by transnational third-party NGOs, and (5) aid legitimises people and their actions or agendas, as its distribution requires permission from armed factions, is subject to – sometimes illegal – taxation or should hire the services of warring parties” Mary B. Anderson, Do No Harm

on postconflict reconstructionwhat is reconstruction?when does post conflict starts?

what characteristics do post conflict societies share?

reconciliation: peace vs justice?