International Peacebuilding and the ‘Mission Civilisatrice’
Paris, Roland. 2002. Review of International Studies 28, no. 4: 637-656.
This text applies a post-colonial lens to the dominance of internationally-sponsored liberal peacebuilding efforts in the Global South. Of particular note is the historical parallel drawn between the colonial-era “Mission Civilisatrice”, where European powers sought to “civilize” indigenous communities, and contemporary peace operations. Finally, the article also outlines the four transmission mechanisms through which the values of the liberal peace are disseminated at the local level to include externally-created peace agreements, the role of international “experts” and “advisors”, the imposition of conditionalities on post-conflict states, and the creation of transitional governments.