Peace and Conflict: From Theory to Practice Exam Preparation Questions (Essay)
Video Assignment Question
1. What (type of) actors, both local and international, can you discern in Srebrenica and
Potočari? Do you believe that the international community, and in specific the United
Nations, could have done more to prevent the genocide? Explain your answer well and use
examples from the film to support your answer.
2. The first half of the 90s has seen several peacebuilding failures, of which the Srebrenica
genocide was just one. As a result, significant changes took place within the peacebuilding
paradigm, explaining these changes. In your answer, try to clarify the impact of this change in
theory and practice.
,Sample Exam Questions
1. Discuss the roles of local and international actors in peacebuilding. Based on what you have
learned, how can the international community, including organisations like the United
Nations, improve its approach to prevent violent conflict and genocide in contemporary
settings? Support your answer with theoretical frameworks and practical examples.
Peacebuilding is a complex process involving multiple actors, each playing critical roles at various
levels. While international actors like the UN bring resources, expertise, and global influence, local
actors contribute contextual knowledge, cultural sensitivity, and grassroots legitimacy. However,
the failures of peacebuilding efforts underscore the need for the international community to enhance
its strategies for preventing violent conflict and genocide.
Local Actor Roles International Actor Roles
1. Grassroots engagement and legitimacy 1. Resource mobilisation and capacity
due to intimate understanding of the building: capability to provide funding,
conflict's root causes and cultural expertise, and logistical support for
dynamics → ensures relevance and peacebuilding initiatives
acceptance of initiatives 2. Facilitate diplomatic
2. Local actors are essential for sustaining negotiations/interventions, leveraging
peace once external actors exit their global influence to bring
3. Promote grassroots engagement: local conflicting parties to the table
actors are better positioned to engage 3. Promoting norms and standards:
marginalised groups (eg women and emphasise adherence to global norms
youth) in peacebuilding processes such as human rights, rule of law, and
democratic governance
→ evident in the liberal peacebuilding
paradigm, which seeks to establish
democratic institutions and
market-oriented economies in
post-conflict societies
4. Accountability: international justice
mechanisms (eg ICC) holds
perpetrators accountable, deterring
potential violence
Challenges
1. Limited resources: lack the financial 1. Top-Down Approach: often criticised
and technical capacity to address for imposing external solutions that
large-scale issues effectively may lack local legitimacy
2. Fragmentation: conflicting interests 2. Dependency: heavy reliance on
among local groups can complicate international aid and intervention can
efforts to build consensus undermine local capacities and create
3. Marginalisation by international long-term dependencies
actors: local voices are sometimes 3. Limited understanding of local contexts:
sidelined in favour of external priorities, failure to consider cultural nuances
undermining local ownership of peace or local dynamics can lead to
processes ineffective or counterproductive
interventions
, The failures of peacebuilding efforts, such as those seen in the 1994 Rwandan Genocide and the
Srebrenica massacre, underscore the need for the international community to enhance its strategies for
preventing violent conflict and genocide.
To improve, organisations like the UN must adopt proactive, inclusive, and context-sensitive
strategies that address both the root causes and immediate risks of conflict.
Address root causes of conflict
● Focus on addressing economic disparities, political exclusion, and social injustices that
fuel conflict
● Support initiatives promoting equitable development, access to education, and human
rights to reduce grievances that can lead to violence
Strengthen early warning mechanisms
● Invest in early warning systems that monitor political, social, and economic indicators of
instability
● Use tools like the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) to analyse conflict trends and
predict risks
● Empower regional organisations and local actors to share intelligence and respond
quickly
Enhance local ownership and participation
● Empower local actors, including civil society organisations, women, and youth, to lead
peacebuilding initiatives
● Adopt hybrid peacebuilding approaches that blend local knowledge with international
expertise, as advocated by Richmond’s critical peacebuilding framework
● Involve local stakeholders in planning and decision-making processes to ensure
relevance and sustainability
● Support capacity-building programmes to enhance local actors’ ability to manage
conflicts independently
Shift from state-centric to human-centric approaches
● Prioritise the protection of civilians and address threats like poverty, health crises, and
displacement
● Ensure that peacebuilding efforts consider the needs of marginalised and vulnerable
populations
Strengthen multilateral coordination
● Foster better collaboration between member states, regional organisations, and NGOs to
streamline efforts
● Establish clear mandates and responsibilities to avoid overlaps and inefficiencies
Integrate gender perspectives
● Promote the participation of women in peace negotiations, recognising their role as agents
of change
● Address gender-based violence and ensure that peacebuilding strategies are inclusive of
gender perspectives
Improve accountability and mandates → failure to act decisively, often due to political constraints,
undermines the credibility of international organisations
● Reform the UN Security Council to limit veto power in cases of mass atrocities
● Hold perpetrators accountable through international justice mechanisms like the
International Criminal Court (ICC)
Video Assignment Question
1. What (type of) actors, both local and international, can you discern in Srebrenica and
Potočari? Do you believe that the international community, and in specific the United
Nations, could have done more to prevent the genocide? Explain your answer well and use
examples from the film to support your answer.
2. The first half of the 90s has seen several peacebuilding failures, of which the Srebrenica
genocide was just one. As a result, significant changes took place within the peacebuilding
paradigm, explaining these changes. In your answer, try to clarify the impact of this change in
theory and practice.
,Sample Exam Questions
1. Discuss the roles of local and international actors in peacebuilding. Based on what you have
learned, how can the international community, including organisations like the United
Nations, improve its approach to prevent violent conflict and genocide in contemporary
settings? Support your answer with theoretical frameworks and practical examples.
Peacebuilding is a complex process involving multiple actors, each playing critical roles at various
levels. While international actors like the UN bring resources, expertise, and global influence, local
actors contribute contextual knowledge, cultural sensitivity, and grassroots legitimacy. However,
the failures of peacebuilding efforts underscore the need for the international community to enhance
its strategies for preventing violent conflict and genocide.
Local Actor Roles International Actor Roles
1. Grassroots engagement and legitimacy 1. Resource mobilisation and capacity
due to intimate understanding of the building: capability to provide funding,
conflict's root causes and cultural expertise, and logistical support for
dynamics → ensures relevance and peacebuilding initiatives
acceptance of initiatives 2. Facilitate diplomatic
2. Local actors are essential for sustaining negotiations/interventions, leveraging
peace once external actors exit their global influence to bring
3. Promote grassroots engagement: local conflicting parties to the table
actors are better positioned to engage 3. Promoting norms and standards:
marginalised groups (eg women and emphasise adherence to global norms
youth) in peacebuilding processes such as human rights, rule of law, and
democratic governance
→ evident in the liberal peacebuilding
paradigm, which seeks to establish
democratic institutions and
market-oriented economies in
post-conflict societies
4. Accountability: international justice
mechanisms (eg ICC) holds
perpetrators accountable, deterring
potential violence
Challenges
1. Limited resources: lack the financial 1. Top-Down Approach: often criticised
and technical capacity to address for imposing external solutions that
large-scale issues effectively may lack local legitimacy
2. Fragmentation: conflicting interests 2. Dependency: heavy reliance on
among local groups can complicate international aid and intervention can
efforts to build consensus undermine local capacities and create
3. Marginalisation by international long-term dependencies
actors: local voices are sometimes 3. Limited understanding of local contexts:
sidelined in favour of external priorities, failure to consider cultural nuances
undermining local ownership of peace or local dynamics can lead to
processes ineffective or counterproductive
interventions
, The failures of peacebuilding efforts, such as those seen in the 1994 Rwandan Genocide and the
Srebrenica massacre, underscore the need for the international community to enhance its strategies for
preventing violent conflict and genocide.
To improve, organisations like the UN must adopt proactive, inclusive, and context-sensitive
strategies that address both the root causes and immediate risks of conflict.
Address root causes of conflict
● Focus on addressing economic disparities, political exclusion, and social injustices that
fuel conflict
● Support initiatives promoting equitable development, access to education, and human
rights to reduce grievances that can lead to violence
Strengthen early warning mechanisms
● Invest in early warning systems that monitor political, social, and economic indicators of
instability
● Use tools like the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) to analyse conflict trends and
predict risks
● Empower regional organisations and local actors to share intelligence and respond
quickly
Enhance local ownership and participation
● Empower local actors, including civil society organisations, women, and youth, to lead
peacebuilding initiatives
● Adopt hybrid peacebuilding approaches that blend local knowledge with international
expertise, as advocated by Richmond’s critical peacebuilding framework
● Involve local stakeholders in planning and decision-making processes to ensure
relevance and sustainability
● Support capacity-building programmes to enhance local actors’ ability to manage
conflicts independently
Shift from state-centric to human-centric approaches
● Prioritise the protection of civilians and address threats like poverty, health crises, and
displacement
● Ensure that peacebuilding efforts consider the needs of marginalised and vulnerable
populations
Strengthen multilateral coordination
● Foster better collaboration between member states, regional organisations, and NGOs to
streamline efforts
● Establish clear mandates and responsibilities to avoid overlaps and inefficiencies
Integrate gender perspectives
● Promote the participation of women in peace negotiations, recognising their role as agents
of change
● Address gender-based violence and ensure that peacebuilding strategies are inclusive of
gender perspectives
Improve accountability and mandates → failure to act decisively, often due to political constraints,
undermines the credibility of international organisations
● Reform the UN Security Council to limit veto power in cases of mass atrocities
● Hold perpetrators accountable through international justice mechanisms like the
International Criminal Court (ICC)
