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Challenge 8
We must find better ways to
PROMOTE CIVIL SOCIETY

The transition from tyranny requires effective security measures; workable peace agreements; the promotion of the rule of law; and the strengthening of culturally appropriate, democratic institutions.

The Challenge

Conflict is an inevitable part of a healthy society; it is how societies grow and change. But in order to make conflict constructive, and not destructive, there must be efficient, just, and nonviolent ways to resolve disputes. In countries emerging from war or tyranny, such nonviolent dispute resolution mechanisms may be absent. The challenge, therefore, is to figure out how to set up such structures as quickly as possible, but in a way that is seen as legitimate and effective. Thus, the people must have access to these mechanisms, trust them, and choose to use them (instead of violence) to resolve their differences. This is extremely difficult to do over a short period of time because it is a major change from the past, and building trust in a new system or process is almost always slow.

Meeting the Challenge: What We Now Know

We do know a considerable amount about democracy and the important role of civil society in theory, as is illustrated in the following articles. The challenge (also addressed in these articles) is how to put these ideas into practice in societies emerging from tyranny and/or war.

Essays on civil society, democracy and democtratization, including:

    Knowledge
    Availability
      Medium
    Utilization
      Medium
  • Civil Society refers to the public's active engagement in government and public affairs. A society with a thriving civil society can deal with conflict in a creative, non-violent manner. A society with a weak civil society tends to stifle conflict until it explodes into violent revolution.
  • Democracy and Conflict Management In many ways, democracy is a system of conflict management in which the outcomes are unknown but the fundamental rules of the game provide a safe arena in which to compete.
  • Democratization Winston Churchill once said, "Democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others." This essay examines the process of democratization in all its forms.
  • Civic EducationCivic education programs aim to develop citizens' knowledge of the political system and create an engaged, politically informed populace.
  • Peace EducationPeace education involves practical and philosophical training that uses empowerment and nonviolence to build a more democratic, harmonious community.
  • Elections are a cornerstone of democracy and, hence, figure prominently in democratization efforts around the world. This essay explores different electoral systems, elections in post-conflict situations, and the role of the international community in election monitoring.
  • Election Monitoring
    Elections are a key component of democratization. Timing and credibility are critical however. This essay examines both and explores the use of election monitors as an approach to ensuring the integrity of the elections.
  • Public Participation is a key aspect of democratic systems. This essay explains what it is, the ways it is implemented, and how it affects public decision making processes at all levels.
  • Nation Building The general public sees nation-building programs as those in which dysfunctional or "failed states" are given assistance. This essay looks at the history of nation building and how it has been interpreted differently over the years.

The other aspect of non-violent dispute resolution is what we call "dispute systems design." The following articles look at that topic and others related to it.

  • Designing New Dispute Resolution Systems Dispute system design refers to the process of creating an entire routinized system for repetitively handling similar types of disputes. Applied domestically to labor-management and workplace disputes, it also is applied at a national level to help societies develop new conflict management procedures and entire justice systems as part of the democratization process.
  • Grassroots Process Design Interventions are less likely to succeed if the parties feel that outsiders are imposingthe conflict resolution process on them.. This essay addresses strategies for involving the parties and building their sense of ownership in the process.
  • Peace Agreement Enforcement MechanismsPeace agreements are only good if they can be enforced. Part of that enforcement, as this article illustrates, is providing ways that violations can be addressed non-violently through the rule of law and established dispute-resolution mechanisms.
  • Rule of Law Particularly since the end of the Cold War, the rule of law has increasingly been recognized as an important aspect of international conflict resolution and post-conflict peace building. Similarly, the absence of the rule of law is often implicated as a source of violence, human rights violations, and intractability.

Book Summaries

  • At War's End : Building Peace After Civil Conflict
    Roland Paris
    Although liberal market-oriented democracies tend to be peaceful, the transition to such a system is often violent and destructive. The author argues that this is the result of a lack of institutionalized regulation of economic and political competition. He suggests that such regulation should precede democratization, in a process he calls "Institutionalization Before Liberalization."
  • Ending Civil Wars: The Implementation of Peace Agreements
    Stephen John Stedman, Donald Rothchild, and Elizabeth M. Cousens
    In order for a peace agreement to lead to a sustainable peace, it must be effectively implemented. One of the many aspects of implementation is providing non-violent dispute resolution mechanisms.
  • Getting Disputes Resolved
    Willian Ury, Jeanne Brett, and Stephen Goldberg
    This is the classic book that first described the process of dispute systems design. Though applied to labor conflicts in the U.S., the technique has been applied world-wide and is in increasing use as a method of post-conflict peacebuilding, where many new dispute resolution systems must be established, often largely from "scratch."
  • Problems of Democratic Transition and Consolidation: Southern Europe, South America, and Post-Communist Europe
    Juan J. Linz and Alfred C. Stepan
    Democratic transitions are not homogenous, but they do share some common themes. These themes are identified and the importance of the type of pre-democratic regime discussed.
  • From Voting to Violence: Democratization and Nationalist Conflict
    Jack Snyder
    In countries making the transition to democracy, electoral competition can lead to extremist appeals and ultimately violence. Snyder reviews two possible explanations for this phenomenon: "popular-rivalries" and "elite-persuasion".
  • Postconflict Development: Meeting New Challenges
    Gerd Junne and Willemijn Verkoren, eds.
    After a conflict ends, a crucial factor in minimizing a return to war is the extent to which economic and social development has succeeded and whether there is a fair distribution of resources. Challenges to successful development are discussed, and potential solutions to these challenges suggested.
  • Security Sector Reform and Post-Conflict Peacebuilding
    Ehrart, Hans-Georg and Albrecht Schnabel
    A secure environment is necessary for political, economic and cultural well-being. In post conflict societies a secure environment often requires the reformation of the security sector. This book discusses the proper role of local and external actors in pursuing such reform.

Other Resources of Interest:

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