Abstract
This chapter provides an assessment of the opportunities and limitations of the “responsibility to rebuild” in the case of the protracted conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). With the help of this case study the chapter argues that a lack of coherence between measures of “prevention”, “rebuilding” and “reacting” severely undermines the international community’s ability to effectively operationalize the “responsibility to protect” (RtoP), particularly in the context of long-term peace-building. Particular emphasis will be placed on the coherence between the three pillars of the RtoP approach. Compared to pillar three, the other two pillars are of an explicitly different nature as consent, and even cooperation, based on a sense of national ownership is required. UN member states and international organizations are unable to deliver capacity-building, or support the state to improve its capacity to protect their civilians from the “four crimes”, without the political consent of the state concerned. Hence, the characteristics of the activities and interventions that are linked to the different pillars vary in nature. It is the aim of this chapter to explore the coherence between these different pillars and to analyze how within a protracted conflict, such as in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the boundaries between the different pillars can get blurred. This, the chapter argues, can complicate the effectiveness of the RtoP principle.
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© 2015 Esther Marijnen
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Marijnen, E. (2015). Responsibility without Coherence? The Responsibility to Rebuild and Protect in the DRC. In: Fiott, D., Koops, J. (eds) The Responsibility to Protect and the Third Pillar. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137364401_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137364401_13
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
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