Post-Conflict Peacebuilding comes at a critical time
for post-conflict peacebuilding. Its rapid move towards
the top of the international political agenda has been
accompanied by added scrutiny, as the international
community seeks to meet the multi-dimensional challenges
of building a just and sustainable peace in societies
ravaged by war. Beyond the strictly operational
dimension, there is considerable ambiguity in the
concepts and terminology used to discuss post-conflict
peacebuilding. This ambiguity undermines efforts to
agree on common understandings of how peace can be most
effectively 'built', thereby impeding swift, coherent
action. Accordingly, this lexicon aims to clarify and
illuminate the multiple facets of post-conflict
peacebuilding, by presenting its major themes and trends
from an analytical perspective. To this end, the book
opens with a general introduction on the concept of
post-conflict peacebuilding, followed by twenty-six
essays on its key elements (including capacity-building,
conflict transformation, reconciliation, recovery, rule
of law, security sector reform, and transitional
justice).Written by international experts from a range
of disciplines, including political science and
international relations, international law, economics,
and sociology, these essays cover the whole spectrum of
post-conflict peacebuilding.In reflecting a diversity of
perspectives the lexicon sheds light on many different
challenges associated with post-conflict peacebuilding.
For each key concept a generic definition is proposed,
which is then expanded through discussion of three main
areas: the meaning and origin of the concept; its
content and essential components; and its means of
implementation, including lessons learned from past
practice. |
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