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Nation-building refers to the process of constructing or structuring a nation using the power of the state, especially a foreign one. This process aims at the unification of the people or peoples within the state so that it remains politically stable and viable in the long run. Nation-building can involve the use of propaganda or major infrastructure development to foster social harmony and economic growth.
Originally nation-building referred to the efforts of newly-independent nations, notably the nations of Africa, to mould what had been colonial territories, carved up by colonial powers without regard to ethnic or other boundaries, into viable and coherent national entities. Nation-building included the creation of superficial national paraphernalia such as flags, anthems, national days, national stadiums, national airlines, national languages, and national myths. At a deeper level, national identity needed to be deliberately constructed by moulding different groups into a nation, especially since colonialism had used divide and rule tactics to maintain its domination.
One of the most successful nation-building efforts has been in Singapore, with a mixture of Chinese, south Indian, Malay, Eurasian and other races.
However, many new states were plagued by what Westerners describe as "tribalism", rivalry between ethnic groups within the nation. This sometimes resulted in their near-disintegration, such as the attempt by Biafra to secede from Nigeria in 1970. In Asia, the disintegration of Pakistan into Pakistan and Bangladesh is another example where ethnic differences, aided by geographic distance, tore apart a post-colonial state. The Rwandan genocide and recurrent problems experienced by the Sudan can also be related to a lack of ethnic, religious, or racial cohesion within the nation. It has often proved difficult to unite states with similar ethnic but different colonial backgrounds. Whereas successful examples like Cameroon do exist, failures like Senegambia Confederation demonstrate the problems of uniting Francophone and Anglophone territories.
More recently, nation-building has come to be used in a completely different context, with reference to what has been succinctly described as "the use of armed force in the aftermath of a conflict to underpin an enduring transition to democracy." *. The remainder of this article deals with nation-building in this newer sense. The prime example of this kind of nation-building is the current occupation of Iraq by the United States and United Kingdom. An earlier example (speaking retrospectively) is the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe after the Second World War.
Nation-building requires a devotion of money and military efforts, but most importantly it requires time. In the nation-building efforts of Germany and Japan following WWII and more recent efforts in Kosovo, Haiti and Somalia in the 1990s it is evident that a successful nation-building project requires years, the average time close to seven years.
James F. Dobbins served as U.S. special envoy for Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan, which he cites as the most important instances in which American military power has been used in the aftermath of a conflict to underpin democratization in the post World War II era -- along with Germany and Japan.
According to Dobbins, the greatest factor influencing successful nation building is "the level of effort, as measured in troops, money, and time." He also asserts that multilateral nation-building takes more time than a unilateral approach. He says it can produce "more thorough transformations and greater regional reconciliation", but only "when the major participants share a common vision".
Dobbins says that the bigger the occupying force, the fewer the postwar casualties. If this holds true for Iraq, then the announced force reductions by Spain and Poland will increase the violence there, thus impeding postwar reconstruction. Many critics consider nation building to be a euphemism for colonialism. A wave of genocidal warfare against Guatemalan natives in the 1980s was advanced under the guise of nation building.
Other points he makes are:
- It is nearly impossible to put together a fragmented nation if its neighbors try to tear it apart. Every effort should be made to secure their support.
- Accountability for past injustices can be a powerful component of democratization, but should be attempted only if there is a deep and long-term commitment to the overall operation.
- It can not be done quickly: "None of our cases was successfully completed in less than seven years."
Opposition to the nation-building efforts of the Clinton administration was one of the planks of George W. Bush's US presidential campaign in 2000.* In the aftermath of 9/11, Bush now supports even broader nation-building efforts.
See also
External links
"Nation-building"