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The Role Of Local Agency In Peacebuilding: The Case Of The Bawku Inter-Ethnic Peace Committee, Gamel M. A. Aganah Phd

Peace and Conflict Studies

This article explores the failure of top-level interventions in the resolution of local conflicts and the role of local agency in peacebuilding. The article relied primarily on qualitative techniques and instruments to collect data to examine why top-level interventions by successive governments have failed to resolve the Bawku chieftaincy conflict. The article finds that top-level interventions have failed to resolve the conflict because they are introduced with little to no participation by local communities. These interventions are, therefore, unable to garner grassroot support and commitment. In contrast, the BIEPC led peace process has been more successful in the management of …

Fusion Energy For Peacebuilding: A Trinity Test-Level Critical Juncture, Elias Carayannis, John Draper, Balwant Bhaneja

Peace and Conflict Studies

Peacebuilding used to power humanity’s quest for fusion; it still could. This article analyses the enormous implications of a burning plasma fusion breakthrough, for both worsening conflicts and peacebuilding, by applying the nonkilling global political science peacebuilding framework; the quintuple helix technology innovation ecosystem model; and recent path dependence theory. The first burning plasma will be an unprecedented historical event, with the closest parallel being the Trinity Test; we analyze the Test in path dependence terms to compare it with fusion. As with fission, fusion will be weaponized due to its intrinsic benefits. However, the innovations leading to fusion are …

An Artistic Response To Social Unrest In Hong Kong: Utilizing The Arts To Build Up And Sustain An Understanding And Respectful Community, Shue-Kei Joanna Mok

Peace and Conflict Studies

The 2019–20 Hong Kong protests, commenced in March 2019, were triggered by the introduction of The Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation Bill 2019 by the Hong Kong government. In June 2019, peaceful civil disobedience escalated into violence, signalling the emergence of polarization and antagonism in the city. As of December 2019, an estimated 300,000 excess probable depressive cases and 810,000 suspected PTSD cases were associated with the 2019–20 social unrest. Furthermore with the pandemic, the hopelessness manifested in the city and citizen’s mental wellbeing are of extreme concern. Given the holistic and therapeutic nature of …

Whose Peace? Grappling With Local Ownership In Sierra Leone, Oscar Mateos, Andreu Solà-Martín

Peace and Conflict Studies

Local ownership has become a basic tenet of post-conflict peacebuilding strategies sponsored by the International Community. However, research on peacebuilding underlines a gap between policy discourse and actual practice. This paper illustrates the challenges and opportunities posed by the promotion of local ownership by assessing the case of Sierra Leone. This West African country is often labelled as one of the most successful peacebuilding interventions thus far. However, by analysing the interaction between insiders and outsiders during the initial post-conflict phase (1996-2007), this paper concludes that stakeholders perceived differently the meaning and policies associated with the concept of local ownership. …

The Sound Of The Sun: Religious Understandings Of Peace And The Role Of Religious Leaders In Peacebuilding―A Qualitative Study In Bosnia And Herzegovina, Stipe Odak

Peace and Conflict Studies

This article discusses the different roles of religious leaders in peacebuilding processes, and their specific understanding of peace. It is based on analysis of 75 in-depth interviews with Catholic, Orthodox, and Muslim religious leaders from Bosnia and Herzegovina, conducted in the period from 2015 to 2017. In the first part, peace is analyzed as a concept that contains elements of giftness, spirituality, and praxis. Arguing for the relevance of all three elements, the article warns against possible misunderstandings that can come when peace is assessed only through directly measurable indicators. In the second part, peacebuilding activities of religious leaders are …

Transition From Civil War To Peace: The Role Of The United Nations And International Community In Mozambique, Ayokunu Adedokun

Peace and Conflict Studies

With the heavy involvement of the United Nations (UN) and the international community, the Rome General Peace Agreement of 1992 ended more than 16 years of civil war in Mozambique. The peace agreement and post-conflict initiatives by the international community was successful in transforming the Mozambique National Resistance
(Renamo) from a rebel group into a viable political party. Key components of the United Nations and the broader international community success in negotiating peace and creating conditions for political stability and democracy in Mozambique were (a) the provision of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) before democratisation, (b) decentralization of humanitarian and …

“If You Want Peace, Work For Justice:” Assessing Pope Paul Vi As A Peacebuilder On The Levels Of Insight And Action, Christopher W. Hrynkow

Peace and Conflict Studies

Paul VI was the first reigning pope to travel via airplane. On one such trip, he addressed the UN General Assembly, emphatically declaring “War never again! Never again war!” During the same period, Paul VI also saw the Second Vatican Council through to its completion. Vatican II produced an articulation of substantive peace in one of its final documents, Gaudium et Spes. This article employs an analytical yardstick through reading Gaudium et Spes in conversation with a Peace and Conflict Studies perspective, as a means to assess Paul VI’s peacemaking efforts on the levels of insight and action. Specifically, …

Examining Peacebuilding Through A Trauma Lens: Practitioner Reflections On Programs For Youth Exposed To Traumatic Stressors In Intergroup Conflict, Liza Hester

Peace and Conflict Studies

The international community recognizes that young people are increasingly vulnerable to psychosocial trauma within in intergroup conflict. Exposure to traumatic stressors within these conflicts poses unique risks not only to the neurological and social development of youth, but also to their capacities to fully engage in peacebuilding interventions. With a growing focus on youth programming in peacebuilding strategies, there is greater imperative to explore the intersections of trauma and peacebuilding, which are naturally linked in their focus on intra- and inter-personal transformation. This intersection has largely been overlooked in the literature, though it deserves far greater attention based on the …

Toward A Buddhist Theory Of Structural Peace: Lessons From Myanmar In Transition, Tatsushi Arai

Peace and Conflict Studies

This essay analyzes the result of in-depth interviews that the author conducted with Burmese Buddhist leaders, with a view toward building Buddhist theories of social conflict, reconciliation, and structural peace. Findings include their shared understanding of the deeply spiritual, inner-directed nature of conflict and reconciliation, and their highly divergent, contested understandings of the structural roots of human suffering in today’s globalized and interconnected world. To meet these structural challenges, this essay introduces the concept of structural awareness, which it defines as educated, enlightened consciousness to appreciate and act responsibly on the complex chains of causal relations in which well-intended action …

The Role Of Youth In Post Accord Transformation In Northern Ireland, Christine Smith Ellison

Peace and Conflict Studies

Despite increased international interest in the contribution of education to peacebuilding, there has been a neglect of the role that non-formal youth programming can play in this process. This article examines three such youth programmes in post-accord Northern Ireland through the theoretical lens of their contribution to social, economic and political transformations. Given the sustained context of segregation and limitations of the formal education sector as a mechanism for transformation, the paper argues that the non-formal sector has played an important role in ensuring inclusion of multiple youth perspectives in a divided society. It also raises a number of critical …

Bereavement, Storytelling, And Reconciliation: Peacebuilding Between Israelis And Palestinians, Frida Kerner Furman

Peace and Conflict Studies

Despite the ongoing conflict and the general neglect by the media, power brokers, and the public, grassroots organizations in the Middle East persist in their dedication to “people to people” diplomacy between Israelis and Palestinians. The Parents Circle-Families Forum is a bi-national NGO committed to peacebuilding and reconciliation between Jewish Israelis and Palestinians from East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Its most distinctive features are its membership, composed of 300 families from each side who have lost a close relative to the conflict, and its use of storytelling to connect the two sides. Bereaved individuals develop the capacity for empathy …

Volume 20, Number 2 (Fall 2013), Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.

Nigeria’S Niger Delta: Militia Violence, Amnesty, And Energy Security, Ibaba Samuel Ibaba

Peace and Conflict Studies

This paper discusses the interface between violence in the Niger Delta, global energy security and amnesty granted to armed groups by the Nigerian government. The author notes the impact of the violence on energy infrastructure and brings to the fore how the violence endangers energy security. Thus far, a major concern is that the amnesty program will fail because it was not preceded by negotiations between the government and combatants. The author questions this view and points outs that before the amnesty proclamation, several negotiations through committees and commissions involving stakeholders had been done. The paper thus argues that it …

Peacebuilding In Northern Ireland: The Past, Present And Future, Stephen Ryan

Peace and Conflict Studies

This article explores the reasons for the slow progress being made in the Northern Ireland peace process. It examines complications that exist in dealing with the past, present, and future of the conflict between the two main communities whilst also arguing that it is hard to separate these time frames in practice. In terms of the present, some well known difficulties with the consociational approach are identified. Recent studies have also demonstrated a failure to address sectarianism at the grass-roots level and there has been a resurgence in activity by spoilers and rejectionists. When thinking about the future the two …

The Role Of The European Union As A Peace Builder: Northern Ireland As A Case Study, Paul Arthur

Peace and Conflict Studies

The United Kingdom and Ireland joined the European Economic Community in 1973 at a time when bitter communal conflict engulfed Northern Ireland. It appeared to be a deviant case in a modernising Europe anxious to unleash the shackles of the first half of the twentieth century. In fact the unusual conjunction of conflict within a disputed region of the British/Irish archipelago and joint membership of the European Community offered an opportunity to move beyond the excessive intimacy of an ancient quarrel through different temporal and spatial lenses. This article addresses the issue of dealing with minority grievances in an inter- …

Volume 17, Number 1 (Spring 2010), Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.

Introduction: Peacebuilding, Reconciliation, And Transformation, Jessica Senehi, Stephen Ryan, Sean Byrne

Peace and Conflict Studies

This introductory article in the special issue on Peacebuilding, Reconciliation, and Transformation highlights some of the central themes within the emergent field of Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS). The article discusses how this transdisciplinary field contributes to our understanding of some of the key issues that confront the PACS field in terms of analysis, theory building, and praxis. The contributors to this special issue provide a broad array of perspectives that explores conflicts and its transformation from a multidimensional perspective.

The Ifi And Eu Peace Ii Fund: Respondents’ Perceptions Of Funded Project Success In Promoting Peacebuilding And Community Development In Northern Ireland, Sean Byrne, Chuck Thiessen, Eyob Fissuh, Cynthia Irvin

Peace and Conflict Studies

This article examines the views of ninety-eight study participants on community development and peacebuilding supported by the European Union (EU) Peace II Fund and the International Fund for Ireland (IFI). We elaborate the perceptions of community group leaders, funding agency civil servants and development officers regarding the role of both funds in Northern Ireland. Their experiences of the EU Peace II Fund and the IFI are discussed in the wider context of peacebuilding and reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the Border Counties. Furthermore, this article explores the importance of community development and cross-community contact through joint economic and social development …

Volume 16, Number 1 (Summer 2009), Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.

Community Relations Work With Young People In Vukovar, Croatia: An Exploratory Study In Coexistence Building, Ankica Kosic, Sean Byrne

Peace and Conflict Studies

This article discusses the role of non-governmental organizations in promoting peace education, coexistence, reconciliation and dialogue among young people in Vukovar, Croatia. We argue that reconciliation cannot be imposed from above, but must be built, nurtured and sustained from the bottom-up. Much of this work of dialogue building is carried out at the community level by grassroots organizations. We describe the types of civic organizations, the peacebuilding approaches used, as well as the sustainability, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and barriers for youth participation in these organizations. A number of in-depth interviews were conducted with representatives of civic organizations in Vukovar. Moreover, …

Dup Discourses On Violence And Their Impact On The Northern Ireland Peace Process, Amber Rankin, Gladys Ganiel

Peace and Conflict Studies

This paper analyses the Democratic Unionist Party‟s (DUP) discourses about paramilitary violence in Northern Ireland. Drawing on narrative analysis of DUP discourses reported in Northern Ireland‟s largest unionist newspaper, the News Letter (1998–2006), it explores the relationship between the party‟s identity, its discourses about republican and loyalist paramilitaries, and the impact of these words on the DUP‟s electoral success and on the peace process. The paper argues that these discourses may haunt the progress of peace-building, not least because the DUP will find it hard to disentangle itself from a history of scepticism and nay-saying even as it takes a …

The Maintenance Of Republican Ideology And Tactics In The Discourses Of Ira Former Prisoners, Peter Shirlow, Jonathan Tonge, James W. Mcauley

Peace and Conflict Studies

The debate concerning ideology and ideological shifts during peace-building in Northern Ireland has generally failed to account for the attitudes and opinions of former combatants concerning the nature and meaning of discursively constructed identities and political strategies. This invisibility is peculiar in that debates concerning ideological shifts have been driven by academic analysis or by those former combatants who maintain that the Irish peace process is paralleled by core ideological abandonment. The material presented within this article indicates that former Provisional Irish Republican prisoners do not view the peace process as involving ideological ditching but instead that their commitment to …

Commentary: Basque Avenues Toward Peace: Building The New Road To A New Dawn, A New Beginning, J. P. Linstroth

Peace and Conflict Studies

Excerpt

With the declaration of a permanent ceasefire by "Basque Homeland and Freedom" (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna, ETA) on the 22nd of March to begin on the 24th of March of this year, a new dawn breaks in Basque history and Basque politics. There may be those who doubt this peace but I remain hopeful that the Basques will be able to reconcile their internal differences and begin this journey anew. The Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has agreed to begin talks on the Basque ceasefire beginning this summer 2006 and many in the Basque region are expectant of …

Volume 12, Number 2 (Fall 2005), Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.

Volume 10, Number 2 (Fall 2003), Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Relevance And Contribution Of Mediation To Peace-Building, Jacob Bercovitch, Ayse Kadayifci

Peace and Conflict Studies

The paper considers the nature and characteristics of peace-building as an approach to conflict. It suggests that mediation should be seen as a particularly important aspect of peace-building efforts, and one that may be used at different phases of a conflict. The paper develops a framework for analyzing the circumstances under which mediation may contribute to peace-building. The framework lays emphasis on contextual and perceptual dimensions. The paper argues that mediation, properly utilized, can achieve not just a settlement of a conflict, but facilitate, in the longer run, a full transformation of relations. Any successful program of peace-building requires some …

Volume 9, Number 2 (December 2002), Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.

Introduction, Elise Boulding

Peace and Conflict Studies

Excerpt

The papers brought together here represent a part of the work of the IPRA (International Peace Research Association) Commission on Conflict Resolution and Peace Building that met during the 1994 Conference of the International Peace Research Association at Malta to address the issues of peace building in crisis areas. The focus here is particularly on new approaches to peace building, including United Nations reform and civil society innovation. After fifty years of UN peace building efforts, it is clear that the UN cannot function effectively without the involvement of civil society in each conflict region. How the UN, member …

The Two Faces Of Peace Building, Michael Harbottle, Eirwen Harbottle

Peace and Conflict Studies

Excerpt

Terminology, if not precisely defined, can lead to misinterpretation and misunderstanding. This has been the case in the way in which the United Nations has been using peacemaking, peacekeeping and, more recently, peacebuilding. Agenda for Peace, produced by the UN Secretary General in 1992 suffers from some ambiguity in this respect. For example, it refers to the military performing a peacemaking role. The military cannot make peace, that is the role of the diplomat or politician. All that the military can do is to allay, defuse and help to end the manifest violence so that the peacemaking process can …

Peace Building And Conflict Transformation, Kevin Clements

Peace and Conflict Studies

Excerpt

The world clearly needs some new ways of thinking about old problems and new ways of acting if we are going to survive into the 21st century. It is vital, therefore, that students of peace and conflict work out ways of harnessing the creative imagination of everyone so that all peoples can envisage a positive future and ways of realizing that future. This imagining cannot be narrow. It has to be broad, inclusive, interdisciplinary and systemic but it has to begin if we are to have a viable future.