CIAO DATE: 08/2011
June 2011
The Geneva Centre for Security Policy
The peacebuilding debate has focused on policy prescriptions – what needs to be done to bind up the wounds of war and to prevent a relapse into conflict. Less attention has been given to the role of leaders in post-conflict peacebuilding, who have to act within a specific country and regional context that define the parameters of opportunity. Two types of leadership can be distinguished: national leadership and leadership within the international community. While successful leadership is much more than a single leader, post-conflict peacebuilding does require individual leaders able to inspire trust and hope, capable of both adapting and changing their countries’ post-conflict prospects. Personalities and personal leadership skills are an inescapable part of the equation of peacebuilding.
Resource link: After the Fall: Leaders, Leadership and the Challenges of Post-Conflict Peacebuilding [PDF] - 518K