Abstract
Nation and state building in Iraq remains a fragile and fraught enterprise, but mechanisms for strengthening community resilience and conflict prevention exist. This chapter argues for a “middle-ground” approach to peacebuilding that integrates structural with relational approaches, in order to address social reconciliation through institutional restructuring. Ultimately, enhancing resilience means looking for sources of adaptive capacity and finding ways to support locally driven initiatives whose outcomes support strengthening of the institutional context giving rise to them.
If you look beyond the short term violence and instability, you do see significant activities on the part of the Iraqi people that indicate they understand the commitment necessary to govern themselves. It’s not clear how they will do it, but it never is.
Bob Kerrey
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Notes
- 1.
This is my personal opinion, however the ‘depth of trauma’ can be assessed by looking at various indicators: to name only a few, the duration of traumatic incidents (bombings, assassinations, military incursions); the number of people killed and injured; effects on families of the killed and injured; and the effects of violence on overall economic and human development.
- 2.
Ibid.
- 3.
- 4.
Carver [13]: 256.
- 5.
Experts at a 2011 conference on conflict prevention reached this conclusion, among othersc. Ganson and Wennman.
- 6.
- 7.
Miller and Rasco [18]: 43.
- 8.
Ryan, J. 2012. Infrastructures for peace as a path to resilience societies: a institutional perspective. Journal of Peacebuilding and Development 7(2):23.
- 9.
Calhoun and Tedeschi [22], Saakvitne et al. (1998);
- 10.
Saakvitne et al. 282.
- 11.
Bloom, Sandra [23]: 208.
- 12.
ibid.
- 13.
Ganson and Wennman.
- 14.
Carpenter [27].
- 15.
Ganson and Wennman.
- 16.
Ibid.
- 17.
Ganson and Wennmann p. 4.
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Carpenter, A.C. (2014). Looking Ahead. In: Community Resilience to Sectarian Violence in Baghdad. Peace Psychology Book Series. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8812-5_10
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