The Trouble with the Congo

Local Violence and the Failure of International Peacebuilding

AvSéverine Autesserre

Häftad, Engelska, 2010

Del i serien Cambridge Studies in International Relations

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Beskrivning

The Trouble with the Congo suggests a new explanation for international peacebuilding failures in civil wars. Drawing from more than 330 interviews and a year and a half of field research, it develops a case study of the international intervention during the Democratic Republic of the Congo's unsuccessful transition from war to peace and democracy (2003-6). Grassroots rivalries over land, resources, and political power motivated widespread violence. However, a dominant peacebuilding culture shaped the intervention strategy in a way that precluded action on local conflicts, ultimately dooming the international efforts to end the deadliest conflict since World War II. Most international actors interpreted continued fighting as the consequence of national and regional tensions alone. UN staff and diplomats viewed intervention at the macro levels as their only legitimate responsibility. The dominant culture constructed local peacebuilding as such an unimportant, unfamiliar, and unmanageable task that neither shocking events nor resistance from select individuals could convince international actors to reevaluate their understanding of violence and intervention.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2010-06-14
Mått:150 x 226 x 28 mm
Vikt:480 g
Format:Häftad
Språk:Engelska
Serie:Cambridge Studies in International Relations
Antal sidor:344
Förlag:Cambridge University Press
ISBN:9780521156011
Utmärkelser:Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order 2012

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Mer om författaren

Séverine Autesserre is an Assistant Professor of Political Science, specializing in international relations and African studies, at Barnard College, Columbia University. Her research focuses on civil wars, peacebuilding and peacekeeping, humanitarian aid, and African politics, and her findings have appeared in scholarly and policy journals including Foreign Affairs, International Organization, the African Studies Review, the Review of African Political Economy, the Journal of Humanitarian Affairs, and Birikim. Over the past twelve years, Professor Autesserre has worked periodically for humanitarian and development agencies in Afghanistan, India, Kosovo, Nicaragua, and the Congo.

Recensioner i media

'The Trouble with the Congo is a magnificent accomplishment and is must-reading for anyone interested in whether, why, and how the international community might be able to reduce the cases of violence around the world. Scholars will admire how Autesserre uses a combination of theoretical analysis and ethnography to show us how two different worlds collide, and how peacebuilders do not see the collision even on impact. My hope is that practitioners will take to heart the book's call for critical self-reflection and use its insights for more effective policy prescriptions. Wonderfully written, the book delivers a cool but passionate analysis, born from Autesserre's courage, commitment to Congolese, and sincere desire not to simply identify criticisms of peacebuilding but to suggest ways in which it can improve its craft to help the people on the ground.' Michael Barnett, University of Minnesota

Innehållsförteckning

1. The peacebuilding world; 2. A top-down problem; 3. A top-down solution; 4. A bottom-up story; 5. The defeat of bottom-up solutions; 6. Beyond the Congo; Appendix. Chronology.