CMI Research Group
Peace, Conflict and the State
Presentation | People | Projects | Publications
Ending violent conflict and building lasting peace are among the most important policy issues today. The main goal of this multi-disciplinary programme is to contribute to the theory and practice of this complex research field, with a specific focus on the role of the state. The programme will examine key theories and paradigms of peacebuilding, post-conflict violence and religion in politics.
Key questions:
- How do political, social, religious and economic conditions shape the organisation, scale and manifestation of violence?
- What role does the state and institutions play in building peace and preventing violent conflict?
- Under what circumstances does religious actors, movements and institutions cause or prolong conflict?
- How can the international community best assist "post-war countries" and what role can aid play?
- Under what conditions can fragile peace deals succeed in ending violent conflict?
Current focus:
Post-Conflict Violence
How violence is sustained or transformed at different levels is fundamental to understanding the transition from ‘war’ to ‘peace’. How do historical, social and economic conditions shape the organisation, scale and manifestation of violence? The program will investigate under what conditions ‘peace’ becomes more or less violent, as ‘post-conflict’ states are vulnerable to a range of old and new forms of violence. Despite the shortage of knowledge in this field, the dominant paradigm for reconstruction after civil wars is the “liberal peace”, which entails reliance on market forces, a minimal state and competitive politics. Yet in societies just emerging from civil wars war this reconstruction model can aggravate social tension while at the same time limit the capacity of the state to address old and new sources of violence.
Politics of Faith
The growing influence of religious movements and institutions in politics at the turn of the millennium calls for new research into the “politics of faith”. Taking a comparative look at different religious traditions, this multidisciplinary program investigates the entire span of contemporary religious politics, from moderate to militant movements. Our aim is to analyse how this religious resurgence impacts on political developments in the South. Conflict is inherent in the development process and religion has historically been an important element of conflict by providing justification for social and political change. At times religious actors and movements are active in promoting such change politically accepting violence as a necessary cost. The state is central in that the difference between peace and violent conflict in a given country may be related to the establishment of certain institutions such as democratic decision-making. Related to this are the question of whether political inclusion serves to moderate militant religious movements, and under what circumstances faith-based and religious institutions cause or prolong conflict. The program will also investigate how religious actors may be active in promoting peace and reconciliation.
Peacebuilding
The question of political inclusion and exclusion is highly relevant to the question of how to “build peace” in countries emerging from war. Since the early 1990s, peacebuilding has emerged as a distinct field of policymaking and research. Yet, many aspects of the peacebuilding agenda remain contested. This program seeks to explore the assumptions and theoretical underpinning of contemporary peacebuilding and to engage with the areas that have developed as points of intervention and inquiry (e.g., security sector reform, the rule of law, reconciliation and transitional justice, humanitarian assistance, economic reconstruction, and democratisation). More recently, the state itself has been put forward as central objective of such strategies; strengthening and reshaping the state is now seen as an integral part of the peacebuilding process. The program will examine the approaches adopted by key actors in the field and explore the potential trade-offs between peacebuilding and statebuilding.
