The Civilian Dimension- Research, Training and Policy-making Beyond and Away from the Box

The Civilian Dimension:

Simon A. Akindes

Education and Professional Development Lead

The Africa Peace and Security Programme

Institute for Peace and Security Studies

Addis Ababa University

The Africa Peace and Security ProgrammeINSTITUTE FOR PEACE AND SECURITY STUDIES ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY

Research, training and policy-making Beyond and Away from the Box


Missions are characterized by

… an increasing militarization of operations despite the

increasing presence of civilians;

… and an emphasis on force or the threat of force as a solution

to peace and security problems.


Missions are not bearing expected fruit for reasons such as..

… lack of adequate preparation, equipment and funds;

… issues of interoperability of equipment, particularly in

communications;

… language issues, variety of standards, and cultural issues

which can be crucial, but…


They are not bearing fruit also because peacekeepers ...

… can be quickly outnumbered on the ground.

… cannot be everywhere. Some areas are very distant and

cannot be easily reached.


Worse, peacekeepers have to intervene in societies characterized by a culture of ...

• predators preying over the weak

• arrogance

• extortion

• impunity

• lawlessness


Our societies are characterized by a culture of ...

… abuse of authority and power that runs deep across all levels of

many communities;

…violence that, contrary to popular belief or what politicians like to

think, does not manifest itself exclusively through guns.


Other characteristics of our societies —urban and rural— today

Whether it is a perception of

reality, people, especially the

weak and those in the lower

ranks of society do not trust

the police and/or the army in

everyday life.

The weak and the poor —

especially poor women and

children— are protected

neither physically nor

professionally or mentally.


So what do we do?

Because our people’s security, especially individual security, is not guaranteed, because they live in fear and are not protected whether in times of peace or war, we cannot continue doing things the same way. We need to change our ways of thinking and doing things.



We should start or continue

thinking beyond and away from the box

in three main areas

What is then to be done?


We do not do enough research, applied or fundamental, we do not

finance research and the little that is done is often dismissed are

“intellectualism” or sometimes stupidly as an imitation of “western”

ways.

Do more research and systematically use the

findings

1


Rethink our existing policies and write more audacious and

creative ones

Our policies were created for specific purposes, and when

the cadence changes, the dance must also change.

We must be bold and take risks, which we do not do enough

for many reasons: fear of failure, fear for our jobs, fear of the

new, fear of the unknown, etc.

2


No matter how original, adapted or creative our policies are, they must be

enforced.Enforcement does not mean repression. It must be done within the

framework of human rights and human decency.


Rethink the way we prepare trainees for missions

Preparation does not start just before

deployment. The military, the police

and civilians can protect civilians

mostly if, in times of peace, they

have cultivated a culture of peace,

nonaggression, respect for others,

protection of the vulnerable and

weak in our societies, but that is not

the case.

In addition to the technical, we need to

take a closer look at trainees’ attitudes

and dispositions.

3


But more than all the above, “what is bred in the bone will come out in the flesh.”

When the poor, especially the weak —women, children, the disabled, those with

different sexual orientation— are not protected through legislation and its

enforcement and through the cultivation of attitudes of tolerance,

acceptance, compassion at all levels of our societies, we cannot expect the

products of those societies to behave differently.

Worse, because the societies in which peacekeepers have to intervene operate with

the same standards of lawlessness and total disregard for the law, the situation will

not improve. The predation will simply continue as second nature.


It is not only about thinking, the mandate and training standards, it is definitely about attitude and dispositions also.

We absolutely need to cultivate the right attitudes of compassion, love, generosity with one’s time and knowledge within our societies. They must be translated into policies and daily practices in our homes, families, schools, our workplace.


How do we do it?I know we have to be flexible and creative like this guy

below.

It is definitely easier seen or said than done, but it must be done.

It requires, specific skill sets, vision, focus and determination.


As a way of ending

Instead of protection of civilians, I would rather say that the “protection of the weak, poor and vulnerable” is of utmost importance. This requires holistic and innovative approaches in terms of research, training and policy-making. However, there is an ethical dimension to this protection effort that must permeate all levels of society. That habit of mind —desire and to protect the defenseless— is a necessary condition for peacekeepers, as individuals, to be ready and equipped to do their work, and for the environments in which they work to make that work easy.


Simple End