International Norms in Statebuilding: Finding a Pragmatic Approach (Global Insights) (Report‪)‬

STATEBUILDING IS WIDELY RECOGNIZED AS A CENTRAL CHALLENGE FOR THE international order today and the main response to a range of global problems from poverty to terrorism and international crime. However, there is no agreement about why and how international actors should engage in statebuilding processes. Donor governments and international agencies often justify and legitimize their statebuilding support by referring to international norms, such as human rights. Others, especially in the academic community but also some development professionals, question the relevance of these norms, in particular, in fragile states that are unable or unwilling to live up to them and have only limited means of exercising their sovereignty. They argue that statebuilding is essentially a local process that only works if it is based on local norms and values and led by national actors.