How can sustainable peace be built in fragile states? This study from the Overseas Development Institute shows that while donors have largely focused on statebuilding, stability requires a deeper process of nationbuilding. External actors are restricted to using statebuilding as a means of enabling nationbuilding. They can assist in the establishment of rule of law, create a fertile investment climate for economic regeneration and agree an exit strategy. However, only the partner country can take the lead role in nationbuilding.
Nationbuilding is the indigenous and domestic creation and reinforcement of the complex social and cultural identities that relate to and define citizenship within the territory of the state. It is a political process that relies for its legitimacy on leadership from within the country. The scope for external engagement is very limited and any external engagement carries the risk of undermining the sovereignty and the integrity of the emerging nation state.
Statebuilding is the restoration and rebuilding of the institutions and apparatus of the state, particularly through building capacity and providing the essential infrastructure for the state to function. It is technical process that can be accelerated or made more effective through external technical assistance and the scope for engagement by external actors is much greater.
- In order to achieve development, political, and security objectives together, a strong state needs to be embedded within a strong nation.
- A strong state within a weak nation will be vulnerable to fragmentation as groups within the country that challenge the legitimacy of the nation may provoke repressive responses from the strong state that could lead to internal conflict, with the risk of it spilling over into neighbouring countries.
- A strong nation that contains a weak state will be vulnerable to the institutions of the state being subverted to illegitimate purposes that can threaten wider peace and security.
- The overall goal of building a strong nation with an embedded strong state has the potential to provide a common focus for the intermediate development, political and security objectives.
- It can help bridge the short-term objectives of restoring security and delivering a political settlement that will ensure longer-term stability, and the longer-term objective of developing the capacity of the state to deliver sustainable development.
Efforts by donors to coordinate their efforts in rebuilding fragile states have often been devoid of the substantive policy dialogue around nationbuilding.
- External actors need to address the root causes of instability at the societal level, using statebuilding as a means of enabling nationbuilding. To achieve home-grown political inclusion, the role of donors is best limited to statebuilding.
- Democratic elections may not equate to political inclusion and they can exacerbate existing divisions and cleavages in society.
- A genuinely multilateral intervention, in which the partner country is an equal player along with the interested donors, is most likely to combine legitimacy with effectiveness.
- If the aim of nationbuilding is political inclusion, democracy will only be realised through indigenous self-determination.
- Donors should be willing to subordinate to local processes for justice, reconciliation and political representation.
