From bullets to ballots and beyond: building post-conflict democracies in Asia and Europe

Abstract

The 20th century has left us with a heavy legacy of conflicts as a long colonial and Cold War post scriptum. Preventing armed conflicts in the 21st century would be ideal, but hardly feasible; Afghanistan and Iraq are sad reminders that armed conflicts will not vanish in the foreseeable future. Therefore, post-conflict reconstruction will most probably remain high on the agenda of the international community. The case studies examined here are four different conflicts, those in Cambodia, Cyprus, Bosnia and East Timor. The four specific cases have been chosen because they belong to Europe and East Asia, areas largely covered by the ASEM process. However, relevant examples can be found in many other parts of the world, such as the colossal reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan, Palestine and Iraq as well as in many countries of Africa and South America. Therefore, the list is by no means exhaustive, particularly given the peculiarities of each conflict. The cases in question are only meant to provide the starting point of what is suggested in this paper as a long-term ASEM debate on post-conflict democracy building and reconstruction. It would be an inestimable pool of collective experience and wisdom if the 38 nations, currently members of the ASEM process, joined forces in making the best of lessons learned so far in Asia and Europe and, in a broader perspective, worldwide.