Thesis (MA (Political Science))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The climate of the Great Lakes Region fostered desperate sources of insecurity which fed
each other in a conflict-system which was also largely fuelled by the surrounding war
economy. Consequently, the focus of this study was narrowed to providing only a descriptive
analysis of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s peace processes of 1998-2002.
Subsequently, the surrounding climate served to aggravate the DRC’s ethnic cleavages and
the conflict grew so complex that the issues could no longer be clearly divided. The
motivation for conducting a study of this nature was that amidst the twenty-three failed
attempts for peace, the conflict persisted with no signs of abating, which suggests that a
historical and discourse analysis of the peace processes is justified.
This study found that during these peace processes, far greater prominence was given to
Track I diplomacy than to the unofficial Track II diplomacy. This was due to various
limitations that existed. This distinction is fundamental because even though unofficial
diplomacy has a different function to official diplomacy, their values are equal and more
effective in a peace process when there is a collaborative effort between the two. This is
called a Multi-Track approach (Diamond and McDonald, 1996). Thus this study proposes
that by giving Track II diplomacy a greater prominence in a peace process, the Multi-Track
approach would be fully utilized. It suggests that governmental, informal, and unofficial
contact in civil society is fundamental in trust-building between parties in negotiation.
Overall, there is value in providing a critical descriptive analysis of both Track I and Track II
diplomatic initiatives that were undertaken during the 1998-2002 peace process, in order to
expose the shortcomings. In doing so, this study presents the Multi-Track approach in order
to emphasize its potential efficacy in addressing similar future cases of intractable conflict. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die omstandighede in die Groot Merestreek het onsekerheid gekweek, wat mekaar versterk
het in die konteks van ’n konflik-sisteem wat ook deur die omliggende oorlog-ekonomie
aangevuur was. Gevolglik is hierdie studie se fokus beperk tot ‘n beskrywende analise van
die vredesprosesse wat tydens 1998-2002 op die tweede rebellie in die Demokratiese
Republiek van die Kongo gevolg het. Die omstandighede in die omliggende omgewing het
die DRK se etniese splitsings vererger, en die konflik het so kompleks geword dat daar nie
meer duidelik tussen die verskillende geskilpunte onderskei kon word nie. Die motivering vir
hierdie studie is dat daar te midde van die drie-en-twintig mislukte vredespogings geen teken
was dat die konflik aan die afneem was nie, wat suggereer dat ’n historiese diskoers analise
van die vredesproses geregverdig is.
Hierdie studie het gevind dat daar gedurende hierdie vredesprosesse ’n veel meer prominente
rol aan die amptelike Track I-diplomasie as aan die nie-amptelike Track II-diplomasie
toegeken was, as gevolg van verskeie beperkinge wat bestaan het. Hierdie onderskeid is van
kardinale belang; ten spyte van die feit dat nie-amptelike diplomasie ’n ander funksie as
amptelike diplomasie vervul, dra dit ewe veel waarde en behoort vredesprosesse waar daar
samewerking tussen die twee inisiatiewe plaasvind dus meer effektief te wees. Hierdie
redenasie word ’n Multi-Track benadering genoem. Hierdie studie stel voor dat die Multi-
Track benadering meer effektief geïmplementeer kan word deurdat daar aan Track IIdiplomasie
’n meer prominente rol in die vredesproses toegeken word; dit stel dus ook voor
dat regeringskontak, informele en nie-amptelike kontak tussen gewone burgers van kardinale
belang in die bou van vetroue tussen bemiddelingspartye is.
Daar lê dus waarde daarin om ’n krities-beskrywende analise van beide Track I- en Track II
inisiatiewe wat tydens die 1998-2002 vredesprosesse onderneem is weer te gee, ten einde die
tekortkominge daarvan uit te wys. Op hierdie manier hou hierdie studie die Multi-Track
benadering voor om uiteindelik die potensiële bruikbaarheid van hierdie benadering in
soortgelyke toekomstige gevalle van konflik te beklemtoon.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/4317 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | De Carvalho, Vanessa Roque |
| Contributors | Swart, Gerrie, University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Political Science. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | xiv, 96 p. : ill. |
| Rights | University of Stellenbosch |
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