Peacebuilding on the Ground: The European Approach

Abstract

The EU has demonstrated an ability to bring together antagonistic actors in conflict-affected regions as a way of dealing with the root causes of an armed conflict. The EU can work with legal actors in conflict-affected regions, understanding that they have a relationship with illegal and legal armed actors as well as civilian populations participating in the war. Working jointly in concrete programs in conflict zones opens the way to a kind of dialogue. Recovering the link between CSOs and government can be a first step in the research into the meeting points in the different understandings of security, development, and democracy, the three dimensions of peacebuilding.