Past Research Projects

State-building in Conflict-Prone Countries

In the state-building process that succeeds violent conflict, a core requirement is to establish long-term security through disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) and through security sector reform (SSR). This is not an issue confined solely to the security sector, however; it involves a broader area of development effort encompassing enhancement of a community's capacity to accept former combatants. Institutions are needed that can provide the continuous physical care and meet the special needs of ex-combatants who may be disabled, female or children. It is also important to attend to psychological factors by offering mental health care to those wounded in the violence and by affirming the legitimacy of the new state, perhaps by pursuing the truth about war crimes and by identifying those responsible. This study analyzes and compares the state-building processes in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rwanda, Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Indonesia and Afghanistan to understand the timing, order and scale of various measures and what forms of involvement or coordination should be undertaken by donor countries and international organizations to support the rebuilding of a state that can expect long-term stability.