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DDR and child soldiers
Ardigò, Caterina ; Garb, Maja (advisor) ; Kučera, Tomáš (referee)
The object of this Master's thesis is to investigate the role of Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration of former child soldiers in the conflict of Sierra Leone. Even though extensive research has been carried out in the direct aftermath of the conflict, thus in the immediate subsequent years, few researchers focused on the long-term effects and effectiveness of the implementation of such programs. The first chapter examines the concept of peacebuilding, starting from its first definitions until the latest evolutions, the main actors, and the practices tied to it. The literature review concerning the various issues stemming from the experience of child soldiering is found in Chapter 2 of the thesis. Chapter 3 outlines the methodology we used to investigate our research question while Chapter 4 illustrates the analysis we conducted. The findings led to the conclusion that DDR programs are effective in the short-term, but this notion cannot be transposed into the long run. Thus, programs should include a long-term strategy focusing more on the psychological sphere of former combatants. Keywords Peacebuilding, Post-Conflict Reconstruction, DDR, Child Soldiers, Sierra Leone, Reintegration Title DDR and Child Soldiers: Reintegration of Child Soldiers of the Sierra Leonian Conflict
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Rise of illiberal peace? Russian perspective on the sustainability of post-conflict arrangements
Žilka, Peter ; Karásek, Tomáš (advisor) ; Aslan, Emil (referee)
The central idea of this master thesis is based on the recent normative contestation of the rules-based international order by authoritarian great powers such as Russia or China, whose activities are becoming more and more alarming. As the Western community since the end of the Cold War decided to take a big share of responsibility for the worldwide prevention and resolution of conflicts, their promotion of liberal values within peacebuilding frameworks nevertheless did not meet the set goals. Hence, academic debates recently engaged in the inquiry of alternative peacebuilding frameworks, including those that involved practices of illiberal actors. Consequently, this thesis focus on a qualitative analysis of Russian peacebuilding practices throughout its involvement in Tajikistan, Chechnya, Nagorno- Karabakh, and Syria. While looking for some possible overlapping with liberal practices, the analysis will primarily focus on technical processes of peacebuilding such as institution building and governance; security sector reform; and economic recovery. The overall finding demonstrate a fragile post-conflict environment based on dependency, ineffective governance, occasional re-emergence of violence or economic stagnation.
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Seeking Reconciliation between Georgia and Abkhazia: The Bottom-Up Approach since 2008
Salát, Patrik ; Brisku, Adrian (advisor) ; Horák, Slavomír (referee)
The diploma thesis deals with the reconciliation process between Georgia and Abkhazia after 2008. It focuses on the bottom-up approach to reconciliation and its potential for the transformation of protracted and unresolved conflict. As bilateral negotiations at the political level between Georgia and Abkhazia have been stuck since 2006, this approach may be the only tool to disrupt the current status quo. Nevertheless, the research results show that this potential is quite limited in Georgia. The current discourse about the conflict that supports the status quo is related to ethnic identity and is also supported internationally. Middle-range leaders who are a significant part of the civil peace process between Georgia and Abkhazia have attempted to disrupt this discourse. Still, even their willingness to compromise is limited by a myth-symbol complex. Moreover, participants in peace projects are not homogeneous groups that aim to disrupt the current discourse. The research results show that reconciliation outside the state level has contributed at least to the preservation of negative peace because its participants mostly avoid stereotypes, do not feel negative emotions towards the other side, and reject violence as a tool for conflict resolution.
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Seeking Reconciliation between Georgia and Abkhazia: The Bottom-Up Approach since 2008
Salát, Patrik ; Brisku, Adrian (advisor) ; Horák, Slavomír (referee)
The diploma thesis deals with the reconciliation process between Georgia and Abkhazia after 2008. It focuses on the bottom-up approach to reconciliation and its potential for the transformation of protracted and unresolved conflict. As bilateral negotiations at the political level between Georgia and Abkhazia have been stuck since 2006, this approach may be the only tool to disrupt the current status quo. Nevertheless, the research results show that this potential is quite limited in Georgia. The current discourse about the conflict that supports the status quo is related to ethnic identity and is also supported internationally. Middle-range leaders who are a significant part of the civil peace process between Georgia and Abkhazia have attempted to disrupt this discourse. Still, even their willingness to compromise is limited by a myth-symbol complex. Moreover, participants in peace projects are not homogeneous groups that aim to disrupt the current discourse. The research results show that reconciliation outside the state level has contributed at least to the preservation of negative peace because its participants mostly avoid stereotypes, do not feel negative emotions towards the other side, and reject violence as a tool for conflict resolution.
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Blockages to peace in Libya: The role of post-conflict Security Sector Reform
Magouri, Shahd Omar A ; Visoka, Gëzim (advisor) ; Anceschi, Luca (referee)
This thesis focuses on the evolution of the Libyan security sector after the 2011 uprising. Building on the theoretical frameworks of statebuilding and post-conflict peacebuilding, this research examines the structure of the Libyan security sector under the Gaddafi regime, to assist in contextualising the unique nature of the institutions, and to understand the changes that occurred after the 2011 uprising. This background context assists with evaluating to what extent did the security sector evolve, and how did the lack of successful reform hinder the UN-led peace process. This research places its focus on the timeframe between 2011 to 2019, using a qualitative method of research. It aims at understanding the impact of the security sector on the Libyan peace process in terms of its contribution to insecurity, and the significance and relevance of having a successful implementation of SSR and DDR, due to the ongoing security fragmentation and state failure. This research finds that the security sector reform initiatives committed by international actors were unsuccessful due to several factors, including the evacuation of personnel due to deteriorating security conditions, and the exclusion of key actors from negotiations. Furthermore, initiatives at security sector reform by Libyan actors were...
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The environmental aspect of peacekeeping missions
Carlesi, Camilla ; Casaglia, Anna (advisor) ; Kilroy, Walt (referee)
Peacekeeping missions account for more than half of UN emissions and are among the top polluters on Earth. Thus, taking into consideration the environmental aspect of these operations is relevant to address local grievances and mitigate the impact of troops themselves. Responding to local environmental problems and targeting the behavior of peacekeepers is ultimately relevant to enhance the successfulness of the mission, preserve UN credibility and foster global environmental protection. After a careful review of the literature background connected to this field, this research outlines UN green efforts in general and later focuses on MONUSCO and UNMISS, as significant examples of ongoing operations which contribute to a large portion of UN emissions. Overall, this dissertation questions the existence of environmental plans in these two cases, their connection to the academic field and their possible improvements. To conduct this exploration, UN green plans in MONUSCO and UNMISS are analyzed in their pre, intra and post-deployment efforts with the aim of highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. In addition, the findings are assessed against the main scholarly arguments and used to advance recommendations and challenges. The results coming from this work shed light on the current gaps in the...
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Women's peacebuilding civil society organisations and empowerment: A case Study of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Novotná, Zuzana ; Bureš, Oldřich (advisor) ; Aslan, Emil (referee)
Women are underrepresented in politics and rarely included in official peace processes, therefore, they often mobilise in civil society. Moreover, the political empowerment of women continues to be understudied. The thesis looks into how women's peacebuilding civil society organisations engage in the political empowerment of women. To finds answers to the research question, five women's peacebuilding civil society organisations based in Bosnia and Herzegovina were analysed through a conceptual framework of political empowerment. The organisations share the ideas of pacifism and gender equality. The research concludes that they engage in all dimensions of the conceptual framework but most significantly aim at increasing women's agency. The organisations provide women with a safe space to use their voices, share experiences, and create momentum. All the studied organisations fight gender-based violence and provide legal assistance to women. Membership in different networks and initiatives was identified as an important asset. The activities aiming at political empowerment and not directly stating the objective of peacebuilding can be perceived as such due to the positive link between gender equality and sustainable peace.
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Inverting Peace: The Bottom-Up Role of the Mine Action Community in Postliberal Peace-Building
Emery, Rupert Nicholas Ruscombe ; Ditrych, Ondřej (advisor) ; Rosendorf, Ondřej (referee)
This thesis explores the role of the humanitarian mine action (HMA) sector in peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction. Mine action is widely believed to be an integral component of peacebuilding, and its conduct has evolved significantly through the 20th and 21st centuries. Through the lens of postliberal international relations theory, HMA - and its practices and practitioners - is examined as a contributor to peace. To accomplish this a Bourdiesian field analysis of the HMA sector was conducted; along with a more in-depth case study of mine action in Sri Lanka which draws upon data from in-depth interviews and policy analysis. The results shed light on certain power relations in the HMA field relating to knowledge, expertise, and legitimacy; and provides a preliminary exploration of the contributions of mine action to a postliberal conception of peace. These results highlight both the potential of the method, and the need for further ethnographic study.
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Normative power as a Source of EU Peacebuilding: Diffusion of Normative Power Europe in the Western Balkans
Petrlová, Eva ; Střítecký, Vít (advisor) ; Ditrych, Ondřej (referee)
This thesis aims to interconnect a theory of normative power Europe with the activities of the EU and its affect on the Western Balkans. The theoretical concept of normative power is based on the assumption of the EU as a normative actor who is able through its norms, values and principles to become a major civilian actor in international relations, especially in the area of conflict management. The theoretical part of the paper therefore focuses on the concept of normative power EU (NPE) as it is presented by Ian Manners, and how its normative character is reflected in the common security and defense policy. It is analysed how the NPE is diffused in selected countries of the Western Balkans through four chosen transfer mechanisms by Manners that comprise the operationalization of the thesis at the same time. Therefore the aim of this work is to contribute to the further broadening the debate over the EU's role in the international system, but also to find out how the norms and values are transmitted in selected countries of the near neighborhood - Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Kosovo. All of this with regard to democracy, human and minority rights, peaceful settlement of disputes, good governance etc., which encompass the basic values of the EU. The selected operationalization has allowed...
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