CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF LIBERAL PEACEBUILDING AS A COUNTERINSURGENCY STRATEGY IN POST-CONFLICT PLACES: AFGHANISTAN

Year 2017, , 23 - 51, 15.11.2017

Emrah Özdemir

https://doi.org/10.28956/gbd.354114

Abstract

Since the military analysts, as well as peacebuilders,
started to view democratization, rule of law, and economic reconstruction as
the panacea to enable security and peace in post-conflict places such as Iraq
and Afghanistan, it has been possible to assert that there is a structural
symbiosis between the principles and goals of peacebuilding and
counterinsurgency. The basic criticism of this symbiotic relationship is the
use of peacebuilding as a justification to maintain political support for
military sides of campaigns. However, these normative efforts of interveners
mostly neglect local perceptions and structures of post-conflict states due to
expectations for easy and early success, which lead them to pragmatic
solutions. These pragmatic solutions cause deterioration in the social and
economic situation of host nations. In this regard, the research herein tries
to reveal how normative peacebuilding efforts as counterinsurgency could
aggravate existing flawed social and political structures causing an inequality
between ruling elites and ordinary citizens of post-conflict environments,
using Afghanistan as a case study.

Keywords

Peacebuilding, Statebuilding, Afghanistan, Counterinsurgency, Inequality

BİR KARŞI AYAKLANMA YÖNTEMİ OLARAK LİBERAL BARIŞ İNŞASININ ELEŞTİREL ANALİZİ: AFGANİSTAN

Abstract

Barış inşası için çalışan uzmanlar kadar askerî
analistlerin de demokratikleşme, hukukun üstünlüğü, ve ekonomik yapının yeniden
inşasını barış ve güvenliğin tesisi için her derde deva bir çare olarak görmeye
başladıklarından beri, esasları ve amaçları bakımından barış inşası ve karşı
ayaklanma arasında simbiyotik bir ilişki olduğunu iddia etmek mümkündür. Bu
simbiyotik ilişkiye yöneltilen en önemli ilişki barış inşasının yürütülen askerî
faaliyetler için siyasi destek sağlamak adına kullanılmasıdır. Ancak,
müdahalede bulunan ülkelerin izledikleri normatif çabalar büyük ölçüde yerel
algıları ve çatışma sonrası ülkelerin yapılarını pragmatik bir bakış açısı ile
kolay ve erken başarı elde etmek adına görmezden gelmektedirler.  Bu pragmatik yaklaşımlar, ev sahibi ülkenin
sosyal ve ekonomik yapılarına zarar vermektedir. Bu bağlamda; bu çalışma, karşı
ayaklanmanın bir parçası olarak normatif barış inşası çabalarının, Afganistan
örneği üzerinden, yönetici elitler ile normal vatandaşlar arasında eşitsizliğe
neden olarak zaten sorunlu olan sosyal ve politik yapıyı daha da kötüleştirebileceğini
ortaya koymayı amaçlamaktadır.

Keywords

Barış İnşası, Devlet İnşası, Afganistan, Karşı Ayaklanma, Eşitsizlik

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