First Peace, then Democracy? Evaluating Strategies of International Support at Critical Junctures after Civil War

Abstract

Existing research suggests that democratization can run counter to building peace in post-conflict contexts. This article analyses the effect of two competing strategies that external actors use to address the conflict of objective between democracy and peace: prioritization and gradualism. The prioritization approach advises sequencing, which means postponing support for democratization and concentrating first on peace in terms of the absence of violent conflict. The gradualist approach promotes peace and democracy simultaneously. This article offers a systematic analysis of these two prominent donor strategies. To this end, it focuses on two critical junctures in two similar post-conflict settings (Burundi and Nepal). Drawing upon extensive field research, the analysis shows that a gradualist approach is not more risk-prone than a prioritization strategy. To the contrary, the analysis suggests that even in most fragile contexts, gradualism can help to foster peace. Prioritization, in turn, may also contribute to the instability it aimed to prevent. Two factors condition the effect of the selected strategy on peace: which dimensions of democracy are affected and to what degree, and whether the institutional context reinforces or counteracts this trend.

The Effectiveness of Peace Building Strategies Used in the Management of Electoral Conflict in Trans-Nzoia County, Kenya

“…The importance of public faith in political and electoral processes is highlighted, as is the fact that electoral integrity is closely related to it. These results are in line with those of Mross (2019), who contends that convincing the public that the improvements made are significant and deserving of their trust is more important than implementing merely institutional reforms. Inclusivity, transparency, and accountability are the key components that have been recognized as essential for promoting this trust.…”

“…In order to avoid violations of democratic norms and the use of unlawful or violent tactics to sway elections, it is crucial to enhance the capacity of all parties to cooperate amicably. It is crucial to promote democratic ideals and the rule of law, while also increasing institutional capacity, in order to build peace (Mross, 2019).…”

Democracy and Local Wisdom in Village Community Development: Crisis Transformation

“…Countries worldwide have been applying a range of democratic values while examining the urgency of democratic life in society. Any problems that arise are discussed to find a solution, and any crucial decision is made after A discussion, thus minimizing potential conflicts among the members of society [11], [12]. One of the reviewed papers reports that 134 countries between 2007 and 2016 show that democracy is not necessarily clean.…”

What works in democracy support? How to fill evidence and usability gaps through evaluation

“…Many evaluations and studies describe the difficulties concerning state fragility and post-conflict settlements in such contexts. Despite the focus on state fragility, there has been no systematisation of post-conflict settings and how they influence the impact of democracy promotion (Fiedler et al, 2020; Jarstad and Belloni, 2012; Mross, 2019). It is also important to note that democracy promotion as a peacebuilding tool makes the identification of causal mechanisms even more complex since the primary goal is peace, whereas democracy is only an intermediate step.…”