Setting Priorities
The prime objective of any nation-building operation is to make violent societies peaceful, not to make poor ones prosperous, or authoritarian ones democratic. Economic development and political reform are important instruments for effecting this transformation, but will not themselves ensure it. Rather, such efforts need to be pursued within a broader framework, the aim of which is to redirect the competition for wealth and power, which takes place within any society, from violent into peaceful channels.
The first-order priorities for any nation-building mission are public security and humanitarian assistance. If the most basic human needs for safety, food, and shelter are not being met, any money spent on political or economic development is likely to be wasted. Accordingly, this guidebook is organized around a proposed hierarchy of nationbuilding tasks, which may be prioritized as follows:
Security: peacekeeping, law enforcement, rule of law, and security sector reform
Humanitarian relief: return of refugees and response to potential epidemics, hunger, and lack of shelter
Governance: resuming public services and restoring public administration
Economic stabilization: establishing a stable currency and providing a legal and regulatory framework in which local and international commerce can resume
Democratization: building political parties, free press, civil society, and a legal and constitutional framework for elections
Development: fostering economic growth, poverty reduction, and infrastructure improvements.
This is not to suggest that the above activities should necessarily be initiated sequentially. If adequate funding is available, they can and should proceed in tandem. But if higher-order priorities are not adequately resourced, investment in lower-order ones is likely to be wasted.
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