An Agenda for Peace

Un operations and third world security: Expanding the agenda

“…Second, they rely on electoral democracy to help establish a legitimate government as the basis of national cohesion, the assumption being, as Boutros-Ghali argues, that 'The social stability needed for productive growth is nurtured by conditions in which people can readily express their will. For this, strong domestic institutions of participation are essential' 17 Last, the pledges of economic assistance are consistent with the process of 'post-conflict peace-building' -efforts directed toward 'rebuilding the institutions and infrastructures of nations torn by civil war.' 18 Some or all of these components appear to be present in other recent UN missions, including Namibia, Angola and Yugoslavia.…”

“…17 This evasion takes a number of forms, but refers broadly to groups that undertake action to address issues of local or global concern but which are both non-governmental and non-state. Some of the largest of these are religious or cultural.…”

The ‘responsibility to protect’ in natural disasters: another excuse for interventionism? Nargis Cyclone, Myanmar

“…has passed'. 31 In other words, there has been a growing debate and pressure on the Westphalian conceptualisation of sovereignty over the last two decades, signalling a move toward a new contemporary understanding, one where there is an ever increasing balance to be struck between the rights of sovereign states and the rights of the people who make up their populations. 32 The human rights agenda and its universality have helped bring state sovereignty and international law into greater conflict.…”

Reconciliation and Architectures of Commitment: Sequencing peace in Bougainville

“…Rather it is conceived here to incorporate all of these things, not wanting to separate peacebuilding after one conflict from preventive diplomacy to prevent a future one. Peacebuilding is therefore conceived here as tapping into a broad interpretation of peacebuilding as 'creation of a new environment' conducive to peace, in the words of former UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali (1995). The animating question for the project is what changes to an environment contribute most to enduring peace?…”