Peter Wallensteen discusses findings of an OECD research team

During the 1990s, the analysis of conflict was framed by the experiences of humanitarian NGOs, which highlighted the significant human suffering caused by political violence. This approach contrasted sharply with the strategic approach predominant during the Cold War, which emphasized the role of superpowers.

This shift has spawned several trends in the “development and war” discourse. In addition to concerns about the negative impact of war on development and how development may be feeding wars, a growing area of discussion focuses on how development aid can be used to prevent wars.

To address this issue, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) task force on Conflict, Peace, and Development Cooperation asked an international team of scholars and practitioners, to make an inventory of research on the causes of internal war, with a view of suggesting ideas for preventive measures.

The international team, led by Peter Wallensteen, Dag Hammarskjöld Professor of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University, worked independently. Thus its views were those of the team, not of the organization. Wallensteen was a Visiting Fellow at the Kroc Institute during spring 2001 through an award from the American-Scandinavian Foundation (ASF), which named him the first ASF Visiting Lecturer from Sweden. He reported on the results of the study in a lecture presented on February 6 entitled “Can Violent Conflict Be Prevented through Development Aid?”

“Before a new conflict emerges, development aid should be directed at undoing the effects of previous wars,” he said. “This will often involve addressing refugee issues and ensuring that refugee camps do not become military training grounds.”

Aid can also be used to support democratization. Transitions to democracy often need to be quick in order to avoid resistance from vested interests, and often occur when a country’s economy is failing, as the case of Indonesia illustrates. Efficient provision of development aid can thus play a critical role in this process. However, Wallensteen underlined the importance of building democratic institutions, rather than rushing to elections.

Wallensteen drew attention to the important role of universities in integration efforts. He noted how Indian universities have reached a high level of respectability and play an important role in democratic development in India, but the same cannot be said of African universities, which have received little financial support from the West.

After a war, development aid should be used to support reasonable peace agreements and to rebuild society, not just infrastructure. However, rebuilding efforts can easily be derailed by corrupt elements in society, which often control the construction industry. Accordingly, Wallensteen suggested that rebuilding aid should be directed primarily at health and education services, which are generally less corrupt.

In conclusion, Wallensteen recommended that aid be used in ways which encourage the equitable sharing of resources in society and which promote gender equity, both of which will promote peace in the long term.

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