Newsletter 11

Democracy and Deep Rooted Conflict:
Options for Negotiators

Excerpt from Foreword to the handbook by Kofi A. Annan
Secretary-General of the United Nations
The United Nations exist, among other reasons, for the fundamental purpose of maintaining peace and security in the world. One of its main activities, therefore, is the resolution of conflicts – a task which has become more complex in recent times when many conflicts take the form of internal factional and civil strife, though often with very serious external repercussions.

This has obliged the international community to develop new instruments of conflict resolution, many of which relate to the electoral process and, more generally, to the entrenchment of a democratic culture in war-torn societies, with a view to making peace sustainable. This handbook lists an impressive range of such instruments, based on lessons learned from recent experience in the field.
The United Nations system as a whole is focusing on avoiding relapse into violence, especially in intra-state conflicts, by establishing the foundations of a lasting peace. That focus is admirably reflected in this handbook.
Happily, there is a growing trend throughout the world towards democratization and respect of human rights. Some 120 countries now hold generally free and fair elections, and a large number of internal conflicts end with a negotiated peace which includes an electoral process aimed at building political structures acceptable to all. The parties themselves agree to deliver a sustainable peaceful settlement through a democratic transition.

Democratic principles provide the essential starting point for implementation of such settlements, which usually involve not only democratizing the state but also giving more power to civil society. These are not abstract statement, but practical conclusions drawn from UN experiences of conflict resolution in the field. This handbook, which presents systematically the lessons learned by the UN and other organizations, constitutes an invaluable addition to the literature on conflict prevention, management and resolution.

How does one build democracy in the aftermath of a violent, deep-rooted conflict? What tools and lessons can policy-makers draw upon when attempting to establish a sustainable democracy? How can institutions be designed to maximize the prospects of democracy flourishing in post-conflict societies? Democracy and Deep-Rooted Conflict: Options for Negotiators, was created to answer some of these questions.

Aimed at those negotiating a peace settlement, the handbook shows how to structure negotiations and design democratic institutions which address the real needs and interests of conflicting parties. Written by specialists and practitioners, it contains key information on ways to create power-sharing formulas, truth commissions, transitional justice mechanisms, methods of preserving minority rights, constitutional safeguards and many other topics. It includes analyses of actual negotiated settlements from places like Bosnia, Fiji, Northern Ireland, Guatemala, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea and South Africa. Designed as a quick reference source, it is a valuable teaching aid and reference tool for policy analysts, scholars, students and journalists.

Democracy and Deep-Rooted Conflict: Options for Negotiators
414 pages, trade paperback, ISBN: 91-89098-22-6, price: $US 19.95 plus postage.

For more information or to order the book contact the Institute.
Address: International IDEA, Strömsborg, S–103 34 Stockholm, Sweden
Phone: +46-8-698 37 00, Fax: +46-8-20 24 22
E-mail: info@idea.int
Website: http://archive.idea.int
Editor responsible: Bengt Säve-Söderbergh
Editor: Lee Woodyear
Assistant editor: Jaklina Strand
AD&D: E. Cehovin; Pre-press: Studio Signum

Newsletter 11

| Previous  | Contents |