Human rights in post-conflict societies

The protection of ethnic and religious minorities has been one of the declared aims of humanitarian interventions in the Balkans, Africa and elsewhere throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.

Systematic human rights violations - besides other factors - were argued to be one reason for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the ISAF mission in Afghanistan two years earlier. Irrespective of the question regarding the legitimacy of these interventions, one can see a similar pattern of post-conflict reconstruction and peace-building in these countries which primarily includes procedural forms of democratization - most notably with respect to holding early elections, implementing parliamentary reform and attempts to introduce the rule of law. But a sustainable and local human rights culture that manifests itself in an improved human rights situation and a vivid civil society that actively supports these changes has rarely emerged.

The persecution of Christians, Sunnis and Shi'a in Iraq, assaults on women in Afghanistan or the segregation of Serbs and Kosovar Albanians are just some examples of the failure of the respective states and the international community to safeguard fundamental human rights in post-conflict societies. The panel therefore seeks to highlight the strategic deficits of past and ongoing peace and state-building missions and intends to shed further light on alternative forms of human rights promotion and education in post-conflict societies.

Moderation:
David Bosold
Associate Fellow, Transatlantic Program, German Council on Foreign Relations.

Panelists:
Tesfay Asbeha
German Writer, Developmental Analyst, Political Consultant and Translator

Andreas Heinemann-Grüder
Head of the Academy for Conflict Transformation

Ivana Howard
Senior Program Officer for Europe at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED)

Kerstin Müller
Member of the German Bundestag, Deputy Chairwoman of the Subcommittee for Civilian Crisis Prevention