"External State-Building": Conditioned for Success and Lessons for the Future (State-building interventions)

Abstract

The direct involvement of external actors in state-building efforts in non-OECD countries has become a common feature of international politics during the last twenty years. From UNTAC in Cambodia to the current transition of authority in Afghanistan, the character of these endeavours changed constantly. With the growing relevance of this form of intervention, scholars of political science and sociology have started to seriously deal with the concept of external statebuilding. Still, the discipline is a long way from thoroughly understanding the implications of these complex processes. The panel will deal with questions such as: Under which conditions is success in state-building interventions likely? How can success be defined? How does the interaction between internal and external actors work? What role does the interaction between internal actors on different levels play? What is the impact of state-building interventions on society? How do different institutional choices affect the prospects for stabilisation and democratisation? Are state-building interventions normatively desirable to empower citizens of weak states, or do they represent a dangerous de-politicisation of institution building? What is the state of the state-building debate? Which progresses have been made during the last decade?

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