The Civilian Dimension- Research, Training and Policy-making Beyond and Away from the Box

The Africa Peace and Security Programme
INSTITUTE FOR PEACE AND SECURITY STUDIES
ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY
The Civilian Dimension:
Research, training and policy-making Beyond and
Simon A. Akindes
Education and Professional Development Lead
Institute for Peace and Security Studies
Addis Ababa University
Away from the Box

Missions are characterized by
… an increasing militarization of operations despite the increasing presence
of civilians;
… and an emphasis on force or the threat of force as a solution to peace and
security problems.

Missions are not bearing expected fruit for reasons such as..
… lack of adequate preparation, equipment and funds;
… issues of interoperability of equipment, particularly in communications;
… language issues, variety of standards, and cultural issues which can be
crucial, but…

They are not bearing fruit also because peacekeepers ...
… can be quickly outnumbered on the ground.
… cannot be everywhere. Some areas are very distant and cannot be easily
reached.

Worse, peacekeepers have to intervene in societies characterized by a
culture of ...
• predators preying over the
weak
• arrogance
• extortion
• impunity
• lawlessness

Our societies are characterized by a culture of ...
… abuse of authority and power that runs deep across all levels of many
communities;
…violence that, contrary to popular belief or what politicians like to think, does
not manifest itself exclusively through guns.

Other characteristics of our societies —urban and rural— today
Whether it is a perception of
reality, people, especially the weak
and those in the lower ranks of
society do not trust the police
and/or the army in everyday life.
The weak and the poor —especially
poor women and children— are
protected neither physically nor
professionally or mentally.

So what do we do?
Because our people’s security, especially
individual security, is not guaranteed,
because they live in fear and are not
protected whether in times of peace or war,
we cannot continue doing things the same
way. We need to change our ways of
thinking and doing things.

What is then to be done?
We should start or continue
thinking beyond and
away from the box
in three main areas

Do more research and
systematically use the findings
1
We do not do enough research, applied or fundamental, we do not finance
research and the little that is done is often dismissed are “intellectualism” or
sometimes stupidly as an imitation of “western” ways.

Rethink our existing policies and write
more audacious and creative ones
2
Our policies were created for specific purposes, and when the cadence
changes, the dance must also change. We must be bold and take risks,
which we do not do enough for many reasons: fear of failure, fear for
our jobs, fear of the new, fear of the unknown, etc.

No matter how original, adapted or creative our
policies are, they must be enforced.
Enforcement does not mean repression. It must be done within the framework
of human rights and human decency.

Rethink the way we prepare trainees for
missions
Preparation does not start just before
deployment. The military, the police and civilians
can protect civilians mostly if, in times of peace,
they have cultivated a culture of peace,
nonaggression, respect for others, protection of
the vulnerable and weak in our societies, but
that is not the case.
In addition to the technical, we need to take a
closer look at trainees’ attitudes and dispositions.
3

But more than all the above, “what is bred in the
bone will come out in the flesh.”
When the poor, especially the weak —women, children, the disabled, those with different sexual
orientation— are not protected through legislation and its enforcement and through the cultivation
of attitudes of tolerance, acceptance, compassion at all levels of our societies, we cannot expect the
products of those societies to behave differently.
Worse, because the societies in which peacekeepers have to intervene operate with the same
standards of lawlessness and total disregard for the law, the situation will not improve. The predation
will simply continue as second nature.

It is not only about thinking, the mandate and
training standards, it is definitely about attitude
and dispositions also.
We absolutely need to cultivate the right attitudes of compassion, love,
generosity with one’s time and knowledge within our societies. They must be
translated into policies and daily practices in our homes, families, schools, our
workplace.

How do we do it?
I know we have to be flexible and creative like this guy below.
It is definitely easier seen or said than done, but it must be done.
It requires, specific skill sets, vision, focus and determination.

As a way of ending
Instead of protection of civilians, I would rather say that the “protection of the weak,
poor and vulnerable” is of utmost importance. This requires holistic and innovative
approaches in terms of research, training and policy-making. However, there is an ethical
dimension to this protection effort that must permeate all levels of society. That habit of
mind —desire and to protect the defenseless— is a necessary condition for
peacekeepers, as individuals, to be ready and equipped to do their work, and for the
environments in which they work to make that work easy.

Simple End

The Civilian Dimension- Research, Training and Policy-making Beyond and Away from the Box

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