The trouble with the Congo : local violence and the failure of international peacebuilding / Séverine Autesserre.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Autesserre, Séverine, 1976-

Series:

Cambridge studies in international relations ; 115.

Cambridge studies in international relations ; 115

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Community development.

Congo (Democratic Republic)--History--1997-.

Congo (Democratic Republic).

History.

Peace-building--Congo (Democratic Republic).

Peace-building.

Community development--Congo (Democratic Republic).

Conflict management--Congo (Democratic Republic).

Conflict management.

Internal security--Congo (Democratic Republic).

Internal security.

Violence--Congo (Democratic Republic).

Violence.

Ethnic conflict--Congo (Democratic Republic).

Ethnic conflict.

Physical Description:

xxi, 311 pages : maps ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2010.

Summary:

"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 (2003-2006). 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"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

The peacebuilding world

A top-down problem

A top-down solution

A bottom-up story

The defeat of bottom-up solutions

Beyond the Congo.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780521191005

0521191009

9780521156011

0521156017

OCLC:

503072889

Online:

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