Security, Reconstruction, and Reconciliation: When the Wars End

by Ndulo; Muna B.

• ISBN13: 9781844721177
• ISBN10: 1844721175
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2006-06-01
• Publisher: UCL Press

Summary

Wars weaken the authority of the state, breed insecurity, and erode institutions of civil society. Post-conflict societies are characterized by lack of respect for the rule of law, gross human rights violations, impunity, and economic devastation and decay. The end of the conflict does not automatically bring peace, security and an end to violence. Countries emerging from conflict will almost always need to depend upon the international community to varying degrees for resources (financial, technical, and human), in order to conduct effective reconciliation, institution building and reconstruction. The book brings together an interdisciplinary group of experts in comparative constitutionalism, conflict resolution, governance, development and security. An attempt is made to derive common lessons learnt; identify pitfalls to be avoided and to articulate issues and guidelines to be considered in the design of post conflict processes. The objective of the book is to make a contribution to conflict resolution by identifying variables that underline success in approaches adopted to achieve reconciliation and reconstruction in post conflict societies.

Table of Contents

List of illustrations	ix
List of contributors	x
Foreword	xv
Acknowledgments	xxvii
List of acronyms	xxviii
Introduction	1
MUNA NDULO
PART I The social, political, and economic dimensions of conflict	11
1 Arms trafficking and the local political economy of conflict	13
WILLIAM RENO
2 HIV/AIDS, conflicts, and security in Africa	26
OBIJIOFOR AGINAM
3 Transparency and accountability in the use of petroleum revenues: a fundamental ingredient for security, reconstruction, and reconciliation in Africa's booming petro-states	38
IAN GARY
4 Protecting and reintegrating displaced women and children postconflict	58
ERIN MOONEY
PART II Impact of conflict on women and children	83
5 The impact of civil war on women and children in Africa	85
MEREDITH TURSHEN
6 Security and reconstruction in Africa: role of Security Council Resolution 1325, Women, Peace and Security	97
SHERRILL WHITTINGTON
7 Progress and hurdles on the road to prevent the use of children as soldiers and to ensure their rehabilitation and reintegration	108
ILENE COHN
8 Enhancing the role of women in electoral processes in postconflict countries: constitutional and legislative measures	117
MUNA NDULO
PART III Reconstruction and past human rights violations: healing the nations	131
9 Truth commissions versus prosecutions: an African perspective	133
MARK S. KENDE
10 Justice for whom? Assessing hybrid approaches to accountability in Sierra Leone	145
CHANDRA LEKHA SRIRAM
11 Victims' responses to truth commissions: evidence from South Africa	165
DAVID BACKER
PART IV Disarmament, demobilization, reintegration, post-war reconstruction, and the building of a capable state and the role of the international community in the peace process	197
12 Reconstruct governance to rouse Liberia, long forlorn	199
BYRON TARR
13 The postconflict security gap and the United Nations peace operations system	247
FER H. GANTZ
14 Africa's security dilemma: national stability versus world security	276
MARCEL KITISSOU
15 US security assistance and Africa: challenges of weapon sales and military aid	284
MATTHEW SCHROEDER
16 Concluding thoughts: after the fighting stops	307
MILTON J. ESMAN
Bibliography	310
Index	339