The power of friends

Abstract

This article analyzes the power and legitimacy of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI), explaining why local actors chose to comply and cooperate with the operation in its crucial first year. It argues that, to be effective, peace operations require the compliance of local populations, and finds that RAMSI's ability to shape the attitudes, incentives and interests of local actors was determined by the relationship between its three currencies of power: coercion, inducement and legitimacy. Focused on the exercise of power by RAMSI, this article enables much-needed analysis of the local dimensions of peace operations and affords serious consideration to processes of local legitimation. Within the local realm, the case of Solomon Islands provides three important insights on the power and legitimacy of peace operations. First, the design and implementation of RAMSI's communications strategies were central to its ability to exercise coercive and inducive power and, crucially, to legitimize its power relationship with local populations. Second, the manner in which RAMSI exercised authority affected local perceptions about its legitimacy, independent of the operation's outcomes. Third, the quality of treatment people received from RAMSI was influential in their decisions to comply and cooperate with the operation. This suggests that carefully examining the way that peace operations and local people interact can help to identify the determinants of an operation's effectiveness.

Conflict transition, emplaced identity and the gendered politics of scale in Solomon Islands

“…The initial international intervention was known as the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) spearheaded by the Australian government but with cooperation from a range of partner countries across the Pacific region (Kabutaulaka, 2005). It was a heavily security-focused operation that paid little heed to indigenous processes of conflict mediation and instead relied on security agencies and a show of force to achieve its mandate (Whalan, 2010). In later years, an extensive process of democratic state building followed, which was focused on strengthening the state bureaucracy, consolidating mechanisms of democratic governance and establishing a judicial and policing sector that ensured rule of law was accountable and impartial.…”

Aid‐supported governance reforms in Solomon Islands: Piecemeal progress or persistent stalemate?

“…And, if they tried to do so even in situations where they enjoy a high degree of legitimacy, they could still be perceived as violating the sovereignty of the recipient state. In SI, for instance, the legitimacy that RAMSI derived from its deployment upon invitation by the national government and its proven effectiveness in law enforcement was seriously contested following its involvement in politically sensitive areas of governance reform (Whalan, ; Fraenkel, Madraiwiwi, & Okole, ).…”

Aid for education in post-conflict Solomon Islands

“…After 2004, RAMSI aimed to consolidate this early success through ongoing capacity-building programmes targeting the police force, the judiciary and prisons, public accountability institutions, and key government departments, particularly the Ministry of Finance (Whalan 2010). A defining feature of RAMSI is its ''whole of government'' approach, in which security, economic, and development issues are addressed through a comprehensive, integrated package (OECD 2006;Patrick and Brown 2007).…”