CRU

Breaking the wave: critical steps in the fight against crime in Guatemala

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:44:32 +0100

With a new president taking power in January 2012, the paper examines the huge challenges facing Guatemala as it seeks to fight new waves of criminal violence, reduce one of the world's highest murder rates and save its institutions from corruption. On the basis of a review of the history of Guatemalan and Central American security and justice reforms, the paper highlights the three outstanding issues that must be tackled if any long-lasting reduction in the crime rate is to be achieved: technical sophistication, internal institutional oversight and sustainability. It also explores the prospects and dangers of a more combative, military-led approach from the incoming government, whose head was a leading member of the counter-insurgent campaign of the 1980s. Read more

Seminar on the Sudans, 19 January 2012

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 09:18:37 +0100

For Sudan, the year 2011 marked a momentous chapter in the country's history. In a referendum on 9 January, the population of Southern Sudan voted for separation from the North, leading to the establishment of an independent Southern state in July. On Thursday 19 January 2012, the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Sub-Saharan Africa Department (DAF) and the Clingendael Conflict Research Unit (CRU) jointly organize a seminar that brings together a divergent group of researchers, policy makers, military officials and civil society practitioners to explore and discuss the main implications of Sudan's partition. Read more�

Consolidating Libya's New Dawn

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 13:20:30 +0100

The Importance of Supporting Early Security and Justice. Libya's interim National Transitional Council is tasked to initiate the complex and sensitive post-conflict transition that lies before Libya in support of democratization, economic development and the rule of law. The overall effort will be a daunting one in a country where such processes were prevented or oddly and brutally interpreted by the eccentric Muammar al-Qaddafi to the benefit of his family and supporters. This policy brief articulates some of the immediate post-conflict challenges affecting security and justice sector reform in an environment that will be particularly challenging. The policy brief stresses that the international community will have to take a particular mindset and approach to providing external security and justice sector assistance. National authorities should also work closely with non-state and other domestic actors to ensure that Libya's future security and justice sector is based upon a common vision and local community-level expectations. Read more�

CRU Policy Brief: Supporting the Syrian summer

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 16:07:44 +0100

Supporting the Syrian Summer: Dynamics of the Uprising and Considerations for International Engagement

Since the Syrian uprising started in March 2011, President Bashar al-Assad�s regime has reacted with increasing brutality against the opposition movement demanding regime change. International condemnation has steadily grown throughout the crisis, resulting in recent calls for Bashar al-Assad to step aside. Syrian protesters have shown great resilience , and continue to flock to the streets in their thousands. Outside the country Syrians have also come out to support the uprising. Syrian activists, traders and politicians in exile are preparing for a post-Assad polity.

This policy brief provides an introduction to the Syrian case, an overview of key players and an analysis of the dynamics of the uprising. Subsequently, a number of considerations are presented to the international community for engaging with the Syrian opposition both domestically and abroad, and for building a constructive response to the crisis. Read more

A Community Dilemma: DDR and the changing face of violence in Colombia

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 17:23:25 +0100

Colombia has stood at the forefront of debate across Latin America and the world on how chronic armed violence can be combated. Its programmes of Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) have aimed to put over 50,000 ex-combatants from paramilitary forces and guerrilla movements back into civilian life. But a rising tide of criminal violence has swept up former paramilitary fighters and is seizing control of Colombia�s many sources of illicit wealth, with cocaine production and trafficking at their heart. While thousands are still enrolled in reintegration courses, this paper asks what more the Colombian government, civil society and the international community can do to ensure that the demobilization process does not end in failure. The paper, based on extensive field research, argues that an essential first step is to ensure local communities are engaged, respected and protected. Read more �

The EU�s Support to Security System Reform in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Perceptions from the field in Spring 2010

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 13:30:50 +0100

This case study report � based on interviews and fieldwork conducted in Spring 2010 � describes the EU set-up for supporting SSR in the DRC, highlighting its advantages and disadvantages, and the successes and challenges of implementing EU SSR policy in practice. It seeks to analyse, from a theoretical and practical SSR perspective, to what extent the EU�s structural organisation, its approach and the ways it uses its tools allows it to effectively support the long-term and complex process that SSR is, particularly in conflict-affected or fragile states. The objective of the report is to contribute to the current debate on EU support to SSR whilst the changes brought about by the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty are worked out. This case study report is part of a broader project which seeks to analyse the effectiveness of the EU's support to SSR. Previous reports published as part of the project are:

The Early warning and Conflict prevention Capability of the Council of the European Union.

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:00:18 +0100

In the mid-1990s, the Rwandan genocide and the atrocities in former Yugoslavia enhanced international attention for the concept of early warning and underscored the importance of adequate systems to predict, prevent and respond to the eruption of violent conflict. Around that same time, the European Union (EU) gained an increasingly prominent role on the international stage and started to build up its capacity to forecast crisis situations and, where possible and appropriate, take action accordingly. In line with its fundamental values, the EU vowed to give the highest political priority to improving the effectiveness and coherence of its external action in the field of conflict prevention. As part of the first phase of a larger research project under the Initiative for Peacebuilding � Early Warning (IfP-EW), this working paper provides an overview of existing early warning and conflict prevention bodies and instruments within the Council of the EU, depicting the state of affairs before the enactment of the Lisbon Treaty. It also identifies a number of possible gaps in and limitations of the Council�s early warning and conflict prevention architecture so as to inform further research. Read more �

CRU Policy brief: Increasing Security in DR Congo: Gender-Responsive Strategies for Combating Sexual Violence

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 14:14:14 +0100

Sexual violence in the DRC is gendered. Not only is this violence gendered in how it is performed, but also in how it can be fought against. Prevailing over gender related violence means dismantling the ongoing tensions between men and women related to prescribed gender norms, roles, and identities. In providing this analysis, this brief aims to inform donors, as well as (international) non-governmental organizations (I-NGOs) how an intensified focus on the gender-dimensions of violence will improve programmatic effectiveness in the fight against sexual violence in the DRC context. Read more �

Kosovo�s new map of power: governance and crime in the wake of independence

Tue, 03 May 2011 16:10:19 +0100

The nationalist euphoria that greeted Kosovo�s declaration of independence in 2008 has given way to acute international concern over the character of this new Balkan state. Alleged corruption, abuses of power, murky ties between politicians and business, authoritarian reactions to the media and the continuing existence of inter-ethnic tensions in the flashpoint of north Mitrovica point to serious weaknesses in the country�s capacity for responsible and accountable governance. Recent reports of senior politicians� involvement in wartime atrocities have only served to deepen the gloom. But this portrait of the country obscures other crucial developments. This report highlights the fundamental obstacles in the way of reform as well as the signs of change in the attitudes of Kosovo�s citizenry towards malfunctioning institutions, exemplified in the elections of December 2010. It concludes by offering some recommendations for donors that would strengthen mechanisms for domestic accountability in Kosovo on the basis of a realistic assessment of the way power is handled and distributed. Read more �

Local Justice and Security Programming in Selected Neighborhoods in Colombia

Tue, 03 May 2011 13:30:42 +0100

The Clingendael Conflict Research Unit examines the role of non-state security and justice providers and the options for donors to support their services as part of broader SSR programming. This case study focuses on Colombia, where local actors such as Justices of the Peace and Community Development Boards often provide services of justice and security to local neighbourhoods. Effectively, the state has delegated the authority to do so to them and in a situation where large parts of the population do not trust the state and have no access to formal structures that provide justice and security, these local actors are an important ingredient for the day-to-day provision of justice and security. This report investigates the role of these types of actors in Colombia, and argues that while support to centralized institutions is important, programming aiming to improve justice and security needs to take into account the crucial role played by local actors. It discusses the set-up and activities of these actors, their linkages with the state, and the opportunities and risks as well as entry-points and programmatic alternatives for donors to support them. If you are interested in this topic please visit our website again by mid-2011 when two more case studies will follow focusing on Burundi and Eastern DR Congo. Read more �

The man who would be king: The challenges to Strengthening Governance in Uruzgan

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 15:47:33 +0100

After 10 years of international intervention, Afghanistan is still struggling to rebuild the state and its institutions. This state of affairs translates in the limited reach of the central government to the periphery and in the people�s lack of trust in its institutions which in turn results in the inability of the afghan state to prevent predatory behaviour by key actors and systems based on the logic of patronage networks. �The man who would be king� explores this phenomenon at work in the Uruzgan province and analyses the key actors at play in the province, their sources of power and the mechanisms that allow to reach leadership positions. What emerges is a highly monetised political marketplace in which the acquisition and control of resources seem to be crucial. The paper calls for more creative approaches to eradicate these practices than the current programmes based on western assumptions of merit-based appointments and performance rewards. Read paper �

Susanne Schmeidl is the co-founder and head of research/peacebuilding of The Liaison Office (TLO) in Afghanistan.

When the Centre Doesn�t Hold: Imagining a Different Somalia

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 10:26:07 +0100

The impending expiration of the mandate of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) offers donors an opportunity to critically assess the statebuilding policies they have been pursuing in Somalia. Building on contemporary notions of how Somali politics work, this brief aims to contribute to the �what next?� debate by examining the emerging trend towards a more decentralized approach. In the absence of a functioning central government, a variety of non-state actors have responded to the needs of the Somali people. Donors are right to try and build upon, rather than to work around, this reality. In order to be effective, however, such an approach would also require a fundamental reconsideration of how to engage with the TFG or a succeeding settlement at Somalia�s centre. Read more �

Expert workshop: Who should do what? Peace, security and development in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 11:41:22 +0100

This workshop brings experts together to discuss the obstacles various actors -NGOs, Government, Academia, Corporations - encounter on multiple cross bordering themes as gender, security, governance, legitimacy and economic development in DRC. The main objective is to generate insight in the interplay between state and non state actors and identify the opportunities and challenges for these actors to work more effectively together for a more coherent and effective policy. Throughout the day participants are requested to use their experience as a group, as a representative from a sector (policy, academic, private sector, practitioner) and as an individual. Read more »

Peace in idle hands: the prospects and pitfalls of economic recovery in Burundi

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 16:36:12 +0100

This report examines how the international community has contributed to the reintegration of former fighters and other high-risk groups into normal economic life in Burundi, and what the prospects are for shifting aid away from emergency relief towards long-term development in one of Africa�s poorest countries. Read more »

Living Apart Together? On the Difficult Linkage between DDR and SSR in Post-Conflict Environments

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 14:50:57 +0100

Linking DDR and SSR in post-conflict environments is desirable but often not feasible. A lack of long-term perspectives and trust between parties after a peace agreement, an absence of state capacity for reform, staffing issues and an absence of sustainable security sector funding make far-reaching linkage of DDR and SSR problematic. A result hereof is that post-conflict DDR processes will generally neither be driven by an analysis of security threats and needs, nor contribute to a security sector that performs better and in a more accountable manner. In fact, they may temporarily reduce performance and accountability.Read more »