You, The People: The United Nations, Transitional Administration, and State-Building

Abstract

Transitional administrations represent the most complex operations attempted by the United Nations. The missions in Kosovo (1999—) and East Timor (1999–2002) are commonly seen as unique in the history of the United Nations. But they may also be seen as the latest in a series of operations that have involved the United Nations in ‘state‐building’ activities, in which it has attempted to develop the institutions of government by assuming some or all of those sovereign powers on a temporary basis. Viewed in light of earlier UN operations, such as those in Namibia (1989–1990), Cambodia (1992–1993), and Eastern Slavonia (1996–1998), the idea that these exceptional circumstances may not recur is somewhat disingenuous. The need for policy research in this area was brought into sharp focus by the weighty but vague responsibilities assigned to the United Nations in Afghanistan (2002—) and its contested role in Iraq (2003—). This book seeks to fill that gap. Aimed at policy‐makers, diplomats, and a wide academic audience (including international relations, political science, international law, war studies, and development studies), the book provides a concise history of transitional administration and a treatment of the five key issues confronting such operations: peace and security, the role of the United Nations as government, establishing the rule of law, economic reconstruction, and exit strategies. Research for the book has been conducted through extensive field research and interviews with key UN staff and local representatives in almost all of the territories under consideration. The unifying theme is that, while the ends of transitional administration may be idealistic, the means cannot be.

Rethinking the Peacebuilding Puzzle

“…1;also Chesterman 2004: 87-92. 85 Chesterman 2004. for Afghanistan, was extremely influential in determining the mechanics and substance of the Afghan political transition. Indeed, the design of UNAMA was based on the recommendations of a review of UN peacekeeping operations that came to be known as "the Brahimi report" after its chair.…”

Liberal State-Building and Environmental Security: The International Community between Trade-Off and Carelessness

“…Liberal state-building is the dominant Western-centric approach to the resolution of contemporary intra-state confl icts and focuses particularly on the re-creation of the state's capacity to govern, the democratization of societies and the generation of macro-economic growth in post-confl ict societies (Chandler 2006;Chesterman 2005;Kaldor 2006;Kostić 2007;MacGinty 2006;Paris 2004;Richmond 2007). As many authors argue, it was the post-Cold War confi dence in the Western liberal model as the ultimate form of human government that has led to its adoption as the optimal way of reconstructing societies that have fallen victim to the perils of internal strife and intolerance (Atwood 1994;MacGinty 2006;Mandelbaum 2002).…”

“…Since the early 1990s the international community has been increasingly adopting liberal state-building as part of a wider liberal peacebuilding strategy for addressing the plethora of problems facing post-confl ict societies (Chandler 2006;Chesterman 2005;Kostić 2007;MacGinty 2006;Paris 2004). In that sense, liberal state-building is viewed as a peacebuilding measure with the aim to construct or reconstruct the institutions of governance capable of providing citizens with physical and economic security (cf.…”

War and Democratization: Legality, Legitimacy and Effectiveness

“…If external interveners become occupiers, they often use their presence on the ground in international interim administrations or in temporary unilateral occupation to introduce democratic ideas and institutions to the evolving political system. 19 However, it is open to debate whether in these cases of post-intervention democratization external commitment is legal according to international law, legitimate according to moral principles, or effective as measured by progress in peace-and democracy-building. Legality, legitimacy, and effectiveness are the normative and empirical criteria by which to evaluate external democratization efforts at stabilizing war-torn countries.…”