Statebuilding and peacebuilding discussions increasingly emphasise inclusion as a key ingredient for peaceful states and societies, and marginalisation as a key cause of conflict. However, the persistence of conflict and violence in many borderland regions can defy and challenge these peacebuilding blueprints.
EU Crisis Management in Transition
Since the adoption of its Global Strategy in 2016, European foreign and security policy has been in transition. The missions of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) have also been affected.
Women’s rights in Afghanistan: one step forward, two steps back?
Much progress has been made since the fall of the Taliban but it is vital that adding the voice of women is not merely a symbolic gesture in the peace process.
Inclusive peacebuilding and statebuilding in emerging and multicultural states
A large proportion of currently conflict-affected settings is comprised of post-colonial states which, in view of their recent formation and the diversity of the populations within their borders, are also characterised as emerging and multicultural states. In these settings, marginalisation based on ethnic and/or regional identity in the political and socio-economic processes figure prominently among the causes of violent conflict.
Challenges of (academic) fieldwork in post-conflict societies
Conducting fieldwork in post-conflict societies has certain characteristics and unwritten rules: it will often touch upon sensitive issues and will thus automatically be challenging. This is amplified when one conducts academic research, which is ambitious by definition, as it strives for theory-building.
How effective is UN peacekeeping?
Peacekeeping is at the centre of the UN’s efforts to maintain international peace and security. Today, more than 100,000 soldiers and police from 125 countries are serving as blue-helmeted UN peacekeepers around the world.
EU-CIVCAP 