'Peace-building as state-building'? Rethinking liberal interventionism in contexts of emerging states. Issue 6 (2nd November 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Balthasar, Dominik
• Is Part Of: Conflict, security & development. Volume 17:Issue 6(2017)
• Page Start: 473
• Page End: 491
• Publication Date: 2017-11-02
• Subjects: Peace-building -- state-building -- liberal peace -- hybrid political orders -- rule standardisation; Security, International -- Periodicals; Pacific settlement of international disputes -- Periodicals; Economic development -- Periodicals; World politics -- 1989- -- Periodicals; 322.5
• DOI: 10.1080/14678802.2017.1406180
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1467-8802

Abstract

Abstract: Contemporary policy-making guided by the 'liberal peace' holds that peace is necessary for states to emerge, and that peace-building and state-building do not only go in tandem, but are mutually reinforcing. Yet, in view of both the historical record of state-making and empirical evidence provided by liberal interventionism, this proposition appears questionable. While scholars have shown that state-making has, historically, been as much associated with war than with peace, cases from Afghanistan to Somalia suggest that state-making is inherently conflictive, frequently upsetting nascent peace. In order to shed light on the reasons underpinning the relationship between prevailing peace-building practices and the fundamental exigencies of state-making, this article pursues a theoretical argument. It proposes that while peace-building is principally about creating a situation of non-violent co-existence despite prevailing differences and, thus, essentially geared at accepting and enshrining institutional and identity pluralism, state-making is vitally aimed at replacing institutional and identity multiplicity with greater degrees of rule hegemony and standardisation. Applying the prism of 'rule standardisation' to the nexus of peace-building and state-making, this paper seeks to advance existing debates on this delicate relationship.