Governance and peacebuilding

No peace without democracy

Nov 2008

The Georgian public is divided in its assessment of the August 2008 war over South Ossetia. Some question the government’s position that military action was necessary to prevent a Russian invasion. The events are assessed in various ways by the people in South Ossetia, the Georgian heartland, and Abkhazia. In all three regions, civil society activists see their future – whether together or apart – in the establishment of stable democratic structures. Without these, it is impossible to create long-term stability and peace.

From youth dialogue to youth action: It's not an event, it's a process

What role can young people play in shaping political culture and addressing social problems? Twenty young politicians and civic activists from the South Caucasus recently travelled to Edinburgh and London with the aim of exploring answers to this question. Mira Sovakar reflects on how they're working to build engagement and mutual trust.

Building structures for peace

Where in the world does an armed revolutionary group and the standing government of the day join together to develop the leadership and management capacity of the armed group for its own future? In Mindanao, in the Republic of the Philippines, through the Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute.

Nagorny Karabakh and de facto elections

Listen to Laurence Broers from our Caucasus team in conversation with BBC Newshour (19 July 2012) on the topic of the de facto presidential elections in Nagorny Karabakh. Find out more by reading our discussion paper on status.

Conclusion: building peace and resilience for Lebanon

Positive peace for Lebanon: reconciliation, reform and resilience
Jul 2012
In their conclusion, Accord 24 co-editors Elizabeth Picard and Alexander Ramsbotham outline the progress needed to achieve durable peace in Lebanon. These include the need to tackle state-sponsored amnesia and sectarian narratives of the past; to meaningfully rebuild the social contract between state and society; to reinforce Lebanon's internal resilience in the face on external threats and intervention.

International peacebuilding in Lebanon: what role for the EU?

Positive peace for Lebanon: reconciliation, reform and resilience
Jul 2012
Duccio Bandini discusses EU support for Lebanon, and in particular the role of the Instrument for Stability (IfS). EU engagement is increasingly looking to prioritise conflict sensitivity, moving beyond a primarily post-conflict recovery approach to address structural drivers of conflict. This has led to a renewed focus on supporting conflict prevention and peacebuilding tools geared towards dialogue and reconciliation, promoting electoral reform and reconciliation, and emphasising participation and civil society as a means to promote inclusion.

Palestinians in Lebanon

Positive peace for Lebanon: reconciliation, reform and resilience
Jul 2012
The Palestinian question has weighed heavily in Lebanon, before, during and after the war. Sari Hanafi explores the contemporary status of Palestinians in Lebanon – legally and socio-economically. He focuses on governance within Palestinian camps and relations with broader Lebanese politics, arguing that a more constructive approach to governance and rights for Palestinians would in fact reinforce Lebanese sovereignty and security.

Negative external intervention and peace in Lebanon

Positive peace for Lebanon: reconciliation, reform and resilience
Jul 2012
Michael Kerr reviews the largely negative impact of external interventions in Lebanon with regard to consolidating peace. These are primarily driven by external (often conflicting) strategic interests, and interact with Lebanon’s sectarian political power sharing system to encourage and embed rivalry amongst Lebanese leaders seeking external patronage. The online version of Michael Kerr’s article includes a comparative analysis of power sharing and external relationships in Lebanon and Northern Ireland.

Internal choice or external fate?

Positive peace for Lebanon: reconciliation, reform and resilience
Jul 2012
Marie-Joëlle Zahar challenges prevailing perceptions of the Lebanese as powerless victims of their external environment. She suggests that the roots of Lebanon’s vulnerability are internal and emanate from state weakness, as suspicion among Lebanese communities and endemic distrust of Beirut to uphold citizens’ interests encourages Lebanese leaders to actively seek protection from abroad.

Box 5 - Priorities for peace in Lebanon: opposing outlooks from 8 & 14 March Alliances

Positive peace for Lebanon: reconciliation, reform and resilience
Jul 2012
Interviews with Ali Fayyad (8 March Alliance/Hezbollah MP) and Samir Frangieh (member of the General Secretariat of 14 March Alliance and a former MP) present ‘opposing outlooks’ from Lebanon’s two main political blocs. They discuss: internal and external sources of tension; implications of Taif for contemporary political stability; developing the social contract in Lebanon; and priorities for the future.

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