Convincing rebel fighters to disarm : UN information operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo / Jacob Udo-Udo Jacob.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Jacob, Jacob Udo-Udo, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Mission de l'Organisation des Nations Unies en R.D. Congo.

United Nations--Peacekeeping forces--Congo (Democratic Republic).

United Nations.

Peacekeeping forces.

Disarmament.

Congo (Democratic Republic).

Disarmament--Congo (Democratic Republic).

Peacekeeping forces--Congo (Democratic Republic).

Congo (Democratic Republic)--Politics and government--1997-.

Politics and government.

Armed Forces.

Conflict management.

Humanitarian intervention.

Physical Description:

xvi, 231 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Berlin ; Boston : De Gruyter Oldenbourg, [2017]

Summary:

One of the key mission objectives of the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MOUC) was to disarm and repatriate foreign combatants in the eastern region of the country. To achieve this, MONUC adopted a "push and pull" strategy. This involved applying military pressure while at the same time offering opportunities for voluntary disarmament and repatriation for armed combatant of the elusive but deadly Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) - a predominantly Rwandan Hutu armed group in eastern DRC. As part of its "pull" strategy, MONUC embarked on one of the most sophisticated Information Operations (IO) campaigns in UN history with the core objective of convincing thousands of individual combatants and commanders of the FDLR to voluntarily disarm and join the UN's Demobilization, Disarmament, Repatriation, Resettlement and Reintegration programme (DDRRR). This book is derived from studies of the narratives, coordination and effectiveness of the UN's IO in support of DDRRR and how the UN has integrated IO as part of its Mission peace support operations. This book advances contemporary understanding of the relative importance of communication models and their interactions within conflict settings. It provides instruments with which conflict and communication analysts can compare predictions and rationalize Information impacts for future conflicts. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 From Peace Propaganda to Information Intervention 1

1.1 Information Intervention in History 2

1.2 Metzl's Concept of Information Intervention: Clearing Conceptual Landscapes 3

1.3 Reactionary and Developmental Information Intervention 6

1.4 "Phase II" Information Intervention in the DRC 9

2 A Foucauldian View of UN Information Intervention 11

3 The Liberal Institutionalist Foundations of Post-Cold War UN Information Operations 15

4 Between Propaganda and UN's Public Information Operations 22

4.1 The UN "Propaganda" Doctrine 23

4.2 Outsourcing "Peace Propaganda": UN Partnership with NGOs 24

5 A Brief History of Ethnicity, Conflicts and Crisis of Citizenship in the DRC 25

5.1 The Roots, Tactics and Ethnic Motivations of the "First DRC War" 25

5.2 Rwandan Roots of the Congolese Conflict 26

5.3 The FDLR 29

5.4 South Kivu: Autochtonie and the Crises of Citizenship 30

5.5 Brief Notes on Key Flash Points in the DRC 32

6 From Authenticity to Governmentality: A Brief History of the Media in the DRC 35

6.1 Era of the "Authentic" Media 35

6.2 Era of Débrouillez-vous (1990-1997) 44

6.3 Era of Official Silence, Repression and Coupage (1997-2001) 49

6.4 Era of Intervention and Governmentality (2001-) 59

7 Radio Okapi: The Making of a "Congolese Voice" 67

7.1 Creation of Radio Okapi: The IGO/NGO Mix 67

7.2 Mandate and Funding 70

7.3 Challenges 70

7.4 Sustainability 71

7.5 News and Information Programmes 72

8 Information Operations: Contents and Metrics of Effectiveness 74

8.1 Between Dialogue and Gutahuka: Streamlining the Debates 75

8.2 Ethical Foundations of Hirondelle Foundation's Approach 77

8.3 Conceptualizing Hirondelle Foundation's "Informative Approach" in Conflict Zones 78

8.4 MONUC's Approach to DDRRR 84

8.5 Gutahuka Soft Follow-up Actions 91

8.6 Research Impacts of Communication Interventions 94

8.7 Ontological Foundations of Public Information Research Design 96

8.8 Sampling Design 97

8.9 Sampling Groups 99

8.10 Summary of Procedure 100

8.11 Ethical Considerations 106

8.12 Networks and Contexts of Research: Defining the Mixes 107

8.13 Order of Focus Group Discussion and Moderator Guide 112

8.14 Specific Topics for Discussion 114

9 Local Meanings and Perceptions of UN Information Interventions Programmes 116

9.1 Radio Listening in South Kivu 116

9.2 Re-Stating Purpose of Research 117

9.3 Purpose as per Ethnic and Listening Groups 118

9.4 Focus Group Participants 120

9.5 Focus Group Design 120

9.6 Focus Group Plan and Organization 121

9.7 Question Design 122

9.8 Framework for Data Analysis 124

9.9 Analysis of Focus Group Discussions 126

10 No Intention to Return to Rwanda 160

10.1 Defining Determinants of Planned Behaviour 162

10.2 Hutu Participants' Attitude towards Repatriation to Rwanda 163

10.3 Emerging Issues 173

11 Impacts of Dialogue Entre Congolais 176

11.1 Topical Issues Treated in Dialogue 176

11.2 Discussion of Dialogue Listeners' Perceptions of Descriptive Transformations 178

11.3 Process of Perception Change in Dialogue Groups 185

12 "Hutus are the ones that have kept us where we are today": When Psyops Backfire 189

12.1 Contending Realities in Narrative Frameworks of Dialogue and Gutahuka 192

13 Revisiting Unfinished Debates on Information Intervention 194

13.1 Final Word 198

13.2 End Note: Reflections of an Outsider Researcher 202.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 210-231).

ISBN:

9783110471892

3110471892

3110469294

9783110469295

OCLC:

974211275

Publisher Number:

9783110469295