Stabilization missions – lessons to be learned from resilience-based peacebuilding

Abstract

International stabilization missions are often unsuccessful, as demonstrated by the fact that a large number of countries that have hosted such missions have also relapsed into conflict within 20 years. The author suggests looking to experiences of resilience-based peacebuilding for more successful examples. These remain largely unknown or ignored and still do not enjoy the attention they deserve, whether because the ‘wrong’ NGO crowd dominates peacebuilding programming, the ‘wrong’ departments and ministries are considered the main peacebuilding partners or the resilience-based projects simply are not costly enough to at-tract attention. A framework for resilience and examples from Guatemala, Liberia, Timor-Leste, and Afghanistan are discussed and lessons to be learned identified.