Violent internal conflicts inflict wounds
that take societies generations to heal.
Violent internal conflicts inflict wounds
that take societies generations to heal.
"Bloodshed unabated in Liberia"; "UN, aid agencies pull out as absolute anarchy engulfs capital"; "Children man front lines"
Such are the headlines from newspaper articles documenting the mounting chaos and carnage in the civil war underway in Liberia. Sadly, the tales of woe from this West African country are all too familiar, echoing reports from dozens of other nations where conflicts have raged or are raging out of control. Over the past decade, violent internal conflicts have killed or displaced millions of people around the world, laid waste the infrastructure, and caused profound social, political, and economic upheaval. In short, they have inflicted wounds that will take generations to heal.
According to panelists at a recent development forum in Ottawa on the reconstruction of war-torn societies, sponsored by IDRC and Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the international community deserves some of the blame for allowing conflicts to escalate to such levels. "[It] has proved totally unable to prevent these kinds of conflicts, to resolve them, and to manage the post-conflict crisis," said Matthias Stiefel, coordinator of the War-Torn Societies Project, which is partly supported by IDRC.
Stiefel and other speakers discussed the need for new strategies to deal with developing countries torn apart by war. Five decades ago, the Marshall Plan — which focused on rebuilding infrastructure — was instrumental in Europe's recovery from World War II. In the aftermath of today's conflicts, however, replacing bricks and mortar is not necessarily the best path toward development.
According to Lucie Edwards of Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs, the creation of peaceful societies encompasses a range of issues that must be addressed simultaneously. These include conflict prevention, mediation, cease-fire negotiations, the delivery of humanitarian aid, post-war reconstruction, and the establishment of strong civil societies. Such issues are difficult to address in any country, she said, particularly "in a society that is undergoing development passage and has suffered a substantial loss of infrastructure and human capital."
Current forms of relief and development assistance are generally inadequate to the task of post-war reconstruction. For example, they rarely include the removal of land mines. Nor do most assistance programs provide the level of financial flexibility needed by governments emerging from conflict. "The benchmarks used to measure progress must be qualitatively different and the performance targets less demanding," said Nicole Ball, a research associate at the Overseas Development Council in Washington DC.
By contrast, performance standards for the international donor community should be more demanding, said panelists. Stiefel noted that donors' response to conflict often comes too late, is motivated by political rather than humanitarian concerns, and shows a double standard. One example was the intervention in Bosnia, while Liberia descended into anarchy. Moreover, donors' efforts often lack coordination and are marked by turf battles: "[Reconstruction] has become the new game in town," said Ball. "People are fighting over the money."
Through a multi-country research project she led, Ball has identified some essential steps in the reconstruction of war-torn societies. Topping the list are the tasks of providing civilian security and ensuring access to the basic means of survival — food, health care, and shelter. Another priority is the creation of a strategic forum that brings together leaders from government, business, and other sectors of society to address the broad range of peace-building issues.
Ball argued that a lead agency should be appointed to shepherd reconstruction initiatives in countries recovering from conflict. This role could be filled by the World Bank, she said, because it has the necessary financial and human resources and increasingly supports peace-building activities, such as the reintegration of demobilized soldiers into society.
But the key to creating a lasting peace is the long-term task of strengthening the legal, social, and political institutions that define civil societies, to ensure that the descent into war is never repeated. "There is a need to establish a new political culture that values compromise over conflict," concluded Ball.
Jennifer Pepall is a writer based in Ottawa.
RESOURCE PERSON
Nicole Ball, Overseas Development Council, 1875 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1012, Washington, DC 20009; Tel: (202) 234-8701; Fax: (202) 745-0067