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Plamen
Tonchev
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| Singapore I Phnom
Penh I Jakarta I Bangkok I Seoul I Tokyo |
Abstract
Through
four case studies - Cambodia, East Timor, Bosnia and Cyprus
- this lecture will attempt to highlight some of the intricacies
of democracy building in a post-conflict environment. The
main lessons learned from the comparative analysis are that,
while restoring democratic institutions is a prerequisite,
many more steps are needed on the road to full recovery. Exactly
what kind of financial and technical assistance to post-conflict
areas should be envisaged and to what degree the international
community should be engaged in the process is less clear.
It is sufficiently clear however, that ballots alone do not
necessarily lead away from bullets.
Beginning
with issues pertaining to the conduct of elections, the speaker
will then dwell on necessary steps to be taken in parallel
to democratisation and will present success indicators in
assessing the effectiveness of international assistance provided
to post-conflict areas. Furthermore, the lecture will identify
some lessons learned from the four case studies and will offer
some afterthoughts on the commitment of the international
community to the countries in question. In concluding, the
lecture will suggest possibilities for steps to be taken within
the Asia Europe Meeting process.
Within
this conceptual framework, international engagement in conflict-torn
areas, as determined within a broader political context, will
be touched upon. Next, questions arise regarding the degree
to which the establishment of democratic governance is sufficient
for recovery, and further to what extent the disbursement
of development aid to post-conflict area should be conditional
on elections and broader democratisation. This lecture will
argue that elections are a relatively low-cost 'investment'
in post-conflict countries, compared to the overall price
for long-term stabilisation and recovery. Along this line,
the financial resources committed by the international community
to the four case studies and eventually provided for their
sustainable recovery will be presented.
Another intriguing issue
relates to factors that drive donors in their decision-making
process. The lecture will outline the profile of the major
international watchdogs and donors contributing to democracy
building and reconstruction in the four case studies as well
as will attempt to analyse their motives. What is the donors'
perspective and why did they decide to 'invest' in the restoration
of democracy and reconstruction in the four countries? What
requirements are aid recipients expected to meet? What is
the 'return on investment' in the donors' view? For instance,
could it be a regional perspective - i.e. predominantly Asian
donors active in Southeast Asia and the EU in Southeast Europe,
with a view to regional stability? Is there a wider international
- or 'intercontinental' - perspective to be considered? These
will be some of the issues addressed at this point of the
discourse.
In
conclusion, the lecture will raise the question if some
models can be identified as to post-conflict democracy building
and recovery based on the four case studies in Southeast
Asia and Southeast Europe? Also discussed will be whether
the Asia Europe Meeting process can be 'enriched' on the
basis of lessons learned and models identified, possibly
by using its resources to promote further study and research
in this area.
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This
lecture will be delivered in the following cities:
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