Establishing Law and Order After Conflict

摘要

Providing security and reconstructing internal security institutions is a key component of nation-building operations. As the U.S. military's Field Manual 3-0731 Peace Ops notes, these tasks are vital to establish 'a secure environment' in order to 'create the conditions for other political, economic, and humanitarian peace building activities.' They are also vital to lay the foundations for a strong and legitimate state. Consequently, this study asks two major questions: How successful have U.S. and allied efforts been in reconstructing internal security institutions. What are the most important lessons for current and future operations. To help answer these questions, we examine data from efforts to reconstruct internal security in Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq. We then compare the results with data from six other cases in which the United States has helped reconstruct security institutions during nation-building missions: Panama, El Salvador, Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, and East Timor.