Intervening for Peace? Dilemma’s of Liberal Internationalism and Democratic Reconstruction in Afghanistan

Authors

  • Philip Martin Norman paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University

Abstract

Recent Western interventions into war-torn states have evolved into burdensome and impractical ventures which fail to produce the kind of cohesive, democratic states which are supposedly necessary for international security. This paper argues that the existing peacebuilding model can work against stabilization in conflict-torn states, and that top-down methods of state-building such as consociational power sharing and the rapid creation of complex national institutions can create new conflicts for control and entrench centrifugal structures of political power. The Western-led mission to stabilize Afghanistan after October 2001 illustrates these dilemmas. Intervening powers opted to lock in a model of development in which a new Afghan state would mirror the structure and functioning of developed Western states, irrespective of whether this would prove sustainable in the Afghan context.  Ultimately, policymakers must reconsider peacebuilding frameworks which prioritize democratic states in the short term, and opt instead for more limited, achievable results consistent with a realistic assessment of the capabilities and needs of the international community.

Author Biography

Philip Martin, Norman paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University

Phil Martin is currently completing a master’s degree at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University, specializing in conflict analysis and conflict resolution. He received an undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Guelph, with an emphasis in the international relations stream. His research interests include Afghanistan, African politics, conflict and peace studies, state building, and democratization. He is currently working on a major research paper investigating power-sharing and post-conflict stabilization through negotiated peace settlements. He enjoys the outdoors, and is currently preparing to run the Montreal Marathon in support of relief efforts in the Horn of Africa. His hometown is Elmira, Ontario.

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Issue

Vol. 13 No. 3 (2011): Spring 2011

Section

JMSS Awards of Excellence