rebuilding war-torn states the challenge of post-conflict economic reconstruction nov 2008

[...]... all of which must play a critical role in ensuring the success of these transitions In many ways, the challenges of post-Cold War economic reconstruction are no different from those faced by world leaders at the Versailles Conference of 1919 or the Paris Conference in 1947, when the economic reconstruction of Europe following World Wars I and II was being planned In other respects, however, the challenges... INTRODUCTION 5 Thus, the purpose of this book is also to stimulate a policy debate about postconflict economic reconstruction within the UN, the IFIs, other development and regional organizations, bilateral development agencies, other donors, NGOs, and the academic community The debate should involve the national authorities of countries in the process of economic reconstruction Their participation is... reintegrate into the productive activities of the business sector an array of former combatants, returnees, displaced persons, and other groups dislocated by the conflict The economic, financial, and operational challenges of carrying out those activities are particularly difficult amid the democratization and the institution of the rule of law that must take place simultaneously and that impose a variety of constraints... to the Director-General’s office, where I was fortunate to work with him and the Director-General Antoine Blanca in interesting issues including Iraq in the aftermath of the Gulf War and the Commonwealth of Independent States after the fall of the Berlin Wall Although I was always aware of the political constraints on economic policymaking, my years at the Secretary-General’s office and previously at the. .. grateful to Jacob Frenkel, a former chief economist of the IMF and President of the Central Bank of Israel and now Vice-Chairman of AIG, and Onno Wijnholds, formerly at the Board of the IMF and now the Representative of the European Bank in Washington, for frequent discussions on economic and financial issues and for their encouragement and support throughout the writing process I have also greatly benefited... because of different levels of development, which imply differences in human capital and absorptive capacities In this respect, the situation of Kosovo was quite distinct from that of Afghanistan and Timor-Leste, two of the poorest and most undeveloped countries at the time of the transition Looking forward, one would expect that reconstruction of the Palestinian territories (the West Bank and the Gaza... enforce peace agreements, the character of the transition will partly depend on whether the UN or a group of countries was behind the negotiations Thus, the war-to-peace transition in El Salvador was quite different from that in Angola, where the US, Russia, and Portugal brokered the 1991 Bicesse agreement, and the demise of Jonas Savimbi led to the collapse of UNITA (National Union for the Total Independence),... Ministers of Finance, and Presidents or Governors of Central Banks With the Secretary-General, I also had the opportunity to meet with his Special Representatives in many countries coming out of war I am grateful to all of them for meetings in which their frankness and the thoroughness with which they discussed their views allowed me to better understand and think of solutions to the many problems and challenges... development—were clearly ill-suited to the prevailing political and security conditions in the country At the same time, the UN was marginalized from post-conflict reconstruction in favor of programs designed and administered by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the US Treasury Furthermore, the implementation of many of these programs was given to US contractors rather than to organizations... discussed with two of the most talented people I know: Mario Blejer and Alvaro de Soto As a former President of the Central Bank of Argentina and Director of the Centre for Central Banking Studies of the Bank of England, and with broad experience at the IMF and in academia, Mario’s views on economic matters are always important to me As a main political adviser to three secretary-generals at the UN, more . that impose a variety of constraints on reconstruction. The book recognizes that one of the challenges of reconstruction is the difficulty of reactivating investment in the presence of uncertainty about. dynamism that helps to realize these qualities: these ought to be the quest of the war-torn countries, del Castillo implies, just as they ought to be the quest of the economically advanced countries. A. class="bi x0 y0 w0 h1" alt="" Rebuilding War-Torn States This page intentionally left blank Rebuilding War-Torn States The Challenge of Post-Conflict Economic Reconstruction Graciana del Castillo Columbia