By James Milner
From The Munk Centre for International Studies
Abstract: The establishment of the UN Peacebuilding Commission in 2005 is but one example of recent developments in the concept and practice of “peacebuilding.” While many of these developments have been encouraging, they share a common limitation: they are focused almost exclusively on activities within the country in question, with little or no attention paid to the regional nature of conflicts and the impact of these dynamics on peacebuilding. This paper considers the regional dynamics of peacebuilding by examining the relationship between protracted refugee situations and regional insecurity, especially in West and Central Africa.