The Role of International Law in Rebuilding Societies After Conflict : Great Expectations

International law can create great expectations in those seeking to rebuild societies that have been torn apart by conflict. For outsiders, international law can mandate or militate against intervention, bolstering or undermining the legitimacy of intervention. International legal principles promise equality, justice and human rights. Yet international law's promises are difficult to fulfil. This volume of essays, first published in 2009, investigates the phenomenon of post-conflict state-building and the engagement of international law in this enterprise. It draws together original essays by scholars and practitioners who consider the many roles international law can play in rehabilitating societies after conflict. The essays explore troubled zones across the world, from Afghanistan to Africa's Great Lakes region, and from Timor-Leste to the Balkans. They identify a range of possibilities for international law in tempering, regulating, legitimating or undermining efforts to rebuild post-conflict societies. Half-title......Page 3 Title......Page 5 Copyright......Page 6 Contents......Page 7 Contributors......Page 9 Preface......Page 15 Abbreviations......Page 17 Introduction......Page 19 Introduction......Page 33 I. A social contract?......Page 34 II. How wonderful is the artificiality of the state?12......Page 36 III. The artificial state......Page 37 IV. The state as a sum of its parts......Page 39 V. Nation states......Page 41 VI. Evaluation of state governance......Page 43 VII. Creation of warm monsters......Page 44 VIII. The performing state......Page 47 Case study: Independence of Finland......Page 49 Conclusion......Page 53 I. Politics as technology and imperial liberal reform......Page 56 II. Democracy as metonymy, good governance as techné......Page 62 III. From modernisation to transitology......Page 73 Conclusion......Page 77 Introduction......Page 82 I. The gift of formalism in international law......Page 84 A. Formalism and instrumentalism......Page 88 II. The law of occupatio bellica......Page 91 III. The law of international human rights......Page 96 Conclusion......Page 106 Introduction......Page 108 I. The concept of democracy in international institutions......Page 110 II. How adequate are the international definitions of democracy?......Page 118 III. Can we define democracy at the international level?......Page 125 Introduction......Page 129 I. Concepts of democracy......Page 131 II. State-building and legitimation......Page 135 III. The right to democratic governance......Page 139 IV. Limits of electoral processes......Page 142 V. Transition challenges in Afghanistan......Page 143 Conclusion......Page 150 Introduction......Page 152 I. The contested nature of the rule of law, its enduring appeal, and its attractiveness after conflict......Page 153 A. The contested nature of the rule of law......Page 154 B. The rule of law’s enduring appeal......Page 155 C. The attractiveness of the rule of law after conflict......Page 156 II. The rise of the rule of law in the UN Security Council and UN peacekeeping......Page 157 III. Transforming the rule of law from political ideal into concrete outcomes......Page 161 ii. Ending impunity for crimes......Page 162 v. Principled governance......Page 163 B. The UN Secretariat’s approach to the rule of law......Page 164 ii. DPKO’s conception of the rule of law......Page 165 i. The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti......Page 166 ii. The United Nations Mission in Liberia......Page 168 IV. Between ideal and reality......Page 171 Conclusion......Page 173 Introduction......Page 175 A. History and key problems......Page 177 B. The applicable law......Page 178 II. International law......Page 181 i. Pillar 1: International human-rights law......Page 182 ii. Pillar 2: International criminal law......Page 184 III. Customary law......Page 188 Conclusion......Page 194 Introduction......Page 195 I. Treaties......Page 197 II. Practical implementation......Page 198 III. Finding the ‘local’ within the ‘global’......Page 202 IV. Location of power......Page 205 V. Why states ratify......Page 206 VI. States that do not ratify......Page 209 VII. International community response......Page 210 Conclusion......Page 213 Introduction......Page 216 I. Identifying the problem......Page 217 II. Gaps in the existing legal framework......Page 221 A. Handling of sexual exploitation and abuse......Page 226 B. Kosovo......Page 228 ii. National oversight bodies......Page 229 IV. Moving towards greater accountability?......Page 233 Conclusion......Page 235 Introduction......Page 236 I. Women’s voices in post-conflict societies......Page 241 B. The constitutive force of law in post-conflict society......Page 242 C. Failures of implementation and the limits of law’s power......Page 243 D. Legal silences......Page 244 E. Violent laws......Page 245 A. The role of law in transitional-justice theory......Page 247 B. Theory of ‘law’s violence’......Page 249 A. International law, women’s rights, and women’s security......Page 251 i. Lebanon......Page 256 ii. Northern Ireland......Page 257 iii. South Africa......Page 258 Conclusion......Page 260 Introduction......Page 262 A. Rwanda......Page 264 B. The DRC......Page 267 C. Uganda......Page 269 II. From concurrence to complementarity: Shifting relations between international courts and states......Page 272 A. Defining institutional role......Page 274 B. Relations with domestic governments......Page 277 C. Co-ordination with domestic transitional-justice institutions......Page 281 D. Relations with affected populations......Page 283 Conclusion......Page 286 I. Imperial international law......Page 288 II. Humble international law......Page 292 III. What to expect of international law......Page 294 IV. Strands of legitimacy, strands of democracy......Page 297 V. The problematic Western historical model of state-building and democracy......Page 301 VI. Reconstruction, transformation and evidence......Page 303 Select Bibliography......Page 307 Index......Page 333 Introduction / Brett Bowden, Hilary Charlesworth And Jeremy Farrall -- The 'state-building Enterprise' : Legal Doctrine, Progress Narratives And Managerial Governance / Outi Korhonen -- Democratisation, State-building And Politics As Technology / Nehal Bhuta -- International Law, Human Rights And The Transformative Occupation Of Iraq / Peter G. Danchin -- Defining Democracy In International Institutions / Brett Bowden And Hilary Charlesworth -- Democracy And Legitimation: Challenges In The Reconstitution Of Political Processes In Afghanistan / William Maley -- Impossible Expectations? The Un Security Council's Promotion Of The Rule Of Law After Conflict / Jeremy Farrall -- Legal Pluralism And The Challenge Of Building The Rule Of Law In Post-conflict States : A Case Study Of Timor-leste / Laura Grenfell -- From Paper To Practice : The Role Of Treaty Ratification Post-conflict / Helen Durham -- Selective Universality? : Human Rights Accountability Of The Un In Post-conflict Operations / Annemarie Devereux -- 'security Starts With The Law' : The Role Of International Law In The Protection Of Women's Security Post-conflict / Amy Maguire -- Grappling In The Great Lakes: The Challenges Of International Justice In Rwanda, The Democratic Republic Of Congo And Uganda / Phil Clark -- Conclusion : Hope And Humility For Weavers With International Law / John Braithwaite. Edited By Brett Bowden, Hilary Charlesworth And Jeremy Farrall. The Genesis Of This Book Was A Workshop Entitled 'empire Or Empowerment? The Role Of International Law In Building Democracy And Justice After Conflict' Held At The Australian National University In Canberra On 9-10 August 2007--preface. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 289-314) And Index. Post-conflict 'state-building' is becoming increasingly prevalent, with recent examples including Timor-Leste, Afghanistan and Iraq. Is it more than a new form of colonialism? Can it achieve lasting social change? This volume of essays investigates the many roles international law can play in rehabilitating societies after conflict.