Abstract

Moving beyond the binary argument between those who buy into the aims of creating liberal democratic states grounded in free markets and rule of law, and those who critique and oppose them, this timely and much-needed critical volume takes a fresh look at the liberal peace debate. In doing so, it examines the validity of this critique in contemporary peacebuilding and statebuilding practice through a multitude of case studies - from Afghanistan to Somalia, Sri Lanka to Kosovo. Going further, it investigates the underlying theoretical assumptions of liberal peacebuilding and statebuilding, as well as providing new theoretical propositions for understanding current interventions. Written by some of the most prominent scholars in the field, alongside several new scholars making cutting edge contributions, this is an essential contribution to a rapidly growing interdisciplinary area of study.
'This book provides a much-needed reflection on the debate on 'liberal peace'. Rather than close the debate, it seeks to chart ways forward.' - Mahmood Mamdani, author of 'Saviors and Survivors: Darfur, Politics and the War on Terror' 'This excellent collection makes an important contribution to debates about international peacebuilding, and in particular the role of liberal democracy, free market economics, and externally-driven models of the state and society. It reflects the latest 'critical' perspectives, and yet it is constructive and balanced. It also goes beyond the standard 'liberal peacebuilding' debates in order to provide genuinely new thinking. It will be essential reading for anyone interested in these topics.' - Edward Newman, Department of Political Science and International Studies, University of Birmingham 'Finally a book where the contributors enter into a genuine dialogue about the 'liberal peace', its conceptualizations, its practical applications, and the very assumptions underlying the debate itself. This book offers a state of the art collection of different positions on the liberal peace problematic and is an essential instrument for scholars and students of international intervention.' - Laura Zanotti, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Virginia Tech
Susanna Campbell is a Research Fellow at the Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding at The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies. She has fourteen years of experience researching peacebuilding interventions, and has written numerous publications on the subject, including those published by the Council on Foreign Relations, International Alert, International Crisis Group, International Peacekeeping, and the Journal of Peacebuilding and Development, and has contributed to several United Nations publications. David Chandler is Professor of International Relations, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Westminster, London, UK. He is the founding editor of the Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding. His recent books include International Statebuilding: The Rise of Post-Liberal Governance (Routledge, 2010) and Hollow Hegemony: Rethinking Global Politics, Power and Resistance (Pluto, 2009). Meera Sabaratnam is a PhD candidate in the Department of International Relations at the London School of Economics, with previous degrees from Balliol College, Oxford and the LSE. Her current research applies postcolonial theoretical approaches to a critical appraisal of the liberal peace in Mozambique. She has formerly edited Millennium: Journal of International Studies and currently teaches a Masters' course on Conflict and Peace Studies. She is co-editor of the collection Interrogating Democracy in World Politics (Routledge, 2011).