Hobbes and the Congo: Frames,Local Violence, and International Intervention

Abstract

Why do international peacebuilders fail to address the local causes of peace process failures? In this article,I demonstrate that local agendas played a decisive role in sustaining local, national, and regional violence. However, a postcon?ict peacebuilding frame shaped the international understanding of violence and intervention in such a way that local con?ict resolution appeared irrelevant and illegitimate. This frame included four key elements: international actors labeled the Congo a “postcon?ict” situation; they believed that violence there was innate and therefore acceptable even in peacetime; they conceptualized international intervention as exclusively concerned with the national and international realms; and they saw holding elections, as opposed to local con?ict resolution, as a workable, appropriate, and effective tool for state- and peacebuilding. This frame authorized and justi?ed speci?c practices and policies while precluding others, notably local con?ict resolution, ultimately dooming the peacebuilding efforts. In conclusion, I contend that analyzing discursive frames is a fruitful approach to the puzzle of international peacebuilding failures beyond the Congo.