Efforts to restore stability in Iraq are backfiring, UN study warns

International efforts to restore stability to Iraq are having the opposite effect, the editors of a new United Nations book on the reform of the security sectors in post-conflict societies said today.

“Instead of stabilizing places like Iraq, international efforts to centralize power are creating a more fragile security environment than ever before,” said Albrecht Schnabel, who co-edited Security Sector Reform and Post-Conflict Peacebuilding, in a news release issued by the UN University, which is publishing the study.

The editors warn that the anti-terrorism agenda is centralizing power and fostering disruptive elements.

“There is a great fear that unstable States and post-war societies provide an ideal breeding ground for terrorist training and activity,” said Mr. Schnabel, a former researcher with the UN University. “Yet, almost three years after the toppling of Saddam Hussein, Iraq is characterized by chaos, violence and disintegration. The methods used to rebuild Iraq’s security sector are simply making matters worse.”

The editors note that international criminals and terrorists exploit States with poorly functioning security sectors. They warn that “increased focus on terrorism should not lead to the misguided support for further centralization and an empowerment of unaccountable and oppressive security structures, in the belief that strong security structures are required to fight terrorism.”

The book also draws on experiences in several African countries, as well as in Bosnia, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Georgia, Guatemala, Haiti, Macedonia, Northern Ireland and Russia.