A critical glance at peace consolidation Eric Kanalstein 2009 – UN Photo A critical glance at peace consolidationDevelopment and Security: Germany’s Policy in West Africa - Cooperation Doctoral Project Germany’s international engagement is aimed at the long term establishment of peace and security. Even if it is possible to end war, is post-conflict peace consolidation sustainable in the long term? German deployments in the DRC, Afghanistan and Mali serve as case studies as to whether political-military deployment actually meets the goal of long term peace and security and contribute towards a lasting peace in the country. To this end, diverse ethical criteria were applied to the case studies. The particular interests of the participating actors are explored and the role of the UN in coordinating the common good is questioned. In accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, not just the responsibility of the state is questioned but also whether international aid really considers itself subsidiary and, in terms of the principle of “ownership”, whether placing important decisions about the system of political participation in local hands is desirable. The “option for the weak and poor” is interpreted in this context as the responsibility of the international community for the civilian population who are striving for political and economic participation. The requirement of sustainability for any international intervention means that they must be planned in terms of not just years but decades. Germany´s interest in West Africa has significantly increased since 2013 and has led to political upgrading of the region. This is not only due to the Bundeswehr missions in Mali, which commenced in 2013 and are conducted within the EU and UN frameworks, but also due to the increase in migration flows from Africa towards Europe. Although the German government has intensified its developing policy, migration policy, and its foreign and security policy as well as its activities in the region and has underpinned them programmatically by means of several strategy papers, a number of conflicting goals can be identified. The aim of the workshops are to critically reflect on Germany’s policy towards the West African region based on a comprehensive approach. These were discussed as well as Germany’s position on cooperation within ECOWAS and the perceptions and expectations from the region. Attempts of liberal statebuilding by international actors since the 1990s have not met the required standards. The analysis usually points to prolonged violence, corruption, clientelism; nonfunctioning institutions and government mismanagement are usually analyzed. The background folio of this analysis being the highly developed functioning western liberal democratic state might be the methodologically false approach as it reduces the means and ways to achieve essential public goods to one (historical and cultural) model. With regard to regions of limited statehood in West Africa, where central government authorities do not reach out or is only in partial control, the project discusses functional equivalents such as alternative or traditional ways of achieving public goods like security, health, education, infrastructure. Three workshops have been organized: Berlin, 25 – 28 May 2018 Dakar/ Senegal: 11 – 13 February 2020 DSF Workshop Report_Germany’s West Africa policy Berlin, 17. Oktober 2020 Report International Workshop Berlin 2020 Project Researcher Sarah Delere, M.P.P. The following studies have arisen from this project: Intervention im Kongo. Eine kritische Analyse der Befriedungspolitik von UN und EU hg.v. H.G Justenhoven/H.G.Ehrhart (Beiträge zur Friedensethik 42) Stuttgart 2008 Das internationale Engagement in Afghanistan in der Sackgasse? Eine politisch-ethische Auseinandersetzung hg. von H.G.Justenhoven/ E.Afsah, (Beiträge zur Friedensethik 45) Baden-Baden 2011 Frankreich, Deutschland und die EU in Mali. Chancen, Risiken, Herausforderungen hg. von S.Brüne/H.G.Ehrhart/H.G.Justenhoven (Studien zur Friedensethik 52) Baden-Baden 2015 Project Supervisor Prof. Dr. Heinz-Gerhard Justenhoven
