The dynamics of security provision in the aftermath of war : How international efforts to contribute to security in post-settlement countries relate to national and local perceptions and practices of security

Abstract

This thesis is based on field research in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi and South Sudan and looks at the dynamics of security provisioning in post-settlement contexts. A particular focus is on international security interventions, which are constituted by Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) programmes, Security Sector Reform (SSR) and Armed Violence Reduction (AVR), including Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) control. The thesis is guided by the question how international efforts to build or contribute to security in the hybrid political context of post-settlement countries in sub-Sahara Africa relate to national and local perceptions and practices of security. The first part presents the theoretical background and framework. It finds that underlying assumptions of international actors implementing security interventions are: the state is the best way to organise violence and enable stability and peace; the ideal state has a monopoly on the legitimate use of violence; and the primary task of the state is the provision of security. Then the most prominent critiques on this dominant intervention model are discussed, which are categorized into the ‘context critique’ and the ‘intervention critique’. Among other things, they argue that there is an incomplete understanding of how violence is organised, of how and by whom what security is provided, and of how the state functions in a hybrid political context. Critiques also find that states do not necessarily develop towards an ideal model and that the implementation involves a multiplicity of actors with diverging agendas, which often results in unplanned outcomes. Based on the theories discussed throughout the first part an analytical model is developed that looks at multiple realities of security interventions. It focuses on three different arenas of interaction and looks at how international, national and local perceptions and practices of security relate to one another. The second part of the thesis presents the empirical analysis, with three chapters each focusing on one arena of interaction. The first looks at the interaction between international and state level actors and finds that struggles over authority between power holders continue after a settlement. Interventions aim to mitigate and influence these struggles, but at the same time become part of it themselves, as the programmes and benefits provided by interventions become stakes for state actors and other power holders. The second looks at the interaction between international and local actors and finds that also local actors are involved in complex local processes in which the programmes and benefits of the intervention are just one of the factors influencing this process. The third looks at the interaction between state and local actors involved in security provision. In a hybrid political context where there is no state monopoly on violence, when the actions of the state are considered to inadequately address the security needs, non-state security initiatives (re-)emerge. The interactions between different security actors create struggles in society about whose norms, interests and priorities regarding security are promoted, what actions to provide security are considered legitimate, and about who is considered legitimate security actor.