Integrating Local Actors And Civil Society Analysis
PGCR Assignment 7: Hybridity? Integrating Local Actors and Civil Society
Anne M.S. van de Donk s4162803 2 January 2016
The purpose of this essay is to address both the strengths and challenges of incorporating 'local civil society' into peace building. During the last couple of decades the focus on incorporating local civil society in international peace building processes has been greater than ever. The main reason for this is because there was a critique on the gap between the implemented liberal peace and the local reality on the ground. This essay argues that local actors are very instrumental in these international peace processes, however the challenges should not be neglected and there are still many lessons to be learned.
There …show more content…
First, the argument of Varshney (2001), she argues that there is a pre-existing set of localized values and structures that local people are enrolled in. She explains in her article why after the Ayodhya agitation in India, some towns stayed mostly peaceful and others did resort to violence. She argued that there is 'an integral link between the structure of civic life in a multiethnic society, on the one hand, and the presence or absence of ethnic violence, on the other' (ibid. p, 363). Second, when the international community intervenes in a country, it is important to consider the fact that it is not an empty one. Structures like traditional, religious and/or indigenous leadership already exist and are not to be neglected. When the international community has these leaders on their side during the intervention, the possible outcomes can be more locally rooted and sustainable. Mac Ginty …show more content…
Two of these challenges will be discussed in this essay. The first challenge is the dilemma of international legitimacy versus the local legitimacy (Verkoren & van Leeuwen, 2013; Belloni, 2001). The international community has set two criteria that discussed above which are often quite contradictory. When taking into account the existing local structures, strongman of that area will get legitimacy. These strongmen are often warlords whom do not reject the use of violence (Verkoren & van Leeuwen, 2013,p.164; Varshney, 2001,p.377; Belloni, 2001,p.174), which is at odds with the international community norms and values. However, when not working whit these strongmen, peace building could bring along more struggles and could even be ineffective. The second challenge is the dilemma concerning the top-down versus the bottom-up approaches of peacebuidling. Look at Bosnia for example, when there was an argument between the powerful local actors and the international community, the latter will always take the final decision (Belloni, 2001). Belloni argued that it was ‘essentially a top-down discourse embellished by rethoric of bottom-up participation’ (Belloni, 2001: p. 174). He argued that these situations could lead to unintended negative consequences, rather than stimulating the peace
Anne M.S. van de Donk s4162803 2 January 2016
The purpose of this essay is to address both the strengths and challenges of incorporating 'local civil society' into peace building. During the last couple of decades the focus on incorporating local civil society in international peace building processes has been greater than ever. The main reason for this is because there was a critique on the gap between the implemented liberal peace and the local reality on the ground. This essay argues that local actors are very instrumental in these international peace processes, however the challenges should not be neglected and there are still many lessons to be learned.
There …show more content…
First, the argument of Varshney (2001), she argues that there is a pre-existing set of localized values and structures that local people are enrolled in. She explains in her article why after the Ayodhya agitation in India, some towns stayed mostly peaceful and others did resort to violence. She argued that there is 'an integral link between the structure of civic life in a multiethnic society, on the one hand, and the presence or absence of ethnic violence, on the other' (ibid. p, 363). Second, when the international community intervenes in a country, it is important to consider the fact that it is not an empty one. Structures like traditional, religious and/or indigenous leadership already exist and are not to be neglected. When the international community has these leaders on their side during the intervention, the possible outcomes can be more locally rooted and sustainable. Mac Ginty …show more content…
Two of these challenges will be discussed in this essay. The first challenge is the dilemma of international legitimacy versus the local legitimacy (Verkoren & van Leeuwen, 2013; Belloni, 2001). The international community has set two criteria that discussed above which are often quite contradictory. When taking into account the existing local structures, strongman of that area will get legitimacy. These strongmen are often warlords whom do not reject the use of violence (Verkoren & van Leeuwen, 2013,p.164; Varshney, 2001,p.377; Belloni, 2001,p.174), which is at odds with the international community norms and values. However, when not working whit these strongmen, peace building could bring along more struggles and could even be ineffective. The second challenge is the dilemma concerning the top-down versus the bottom-up approaches of peacebuidling. Look at Bosnia for example, when there was an argument between the powerful local actors and the international community, the latter will always take the final decision (Belloni, 2001). Belloni argued that it was ‘essentially a top-down discourse embellished by rethoric of bottom-up participation’ (Belloni, 2001: p. 174). He argued that these situations could lead to unintended negative consequences, rather than stimulating the peace