Peace Process

Conflict Management and Resolution

Atika Ameer (BS/PCS-3/F-007)

Date: 20th October, 2024

What is peace process? Explain it with the help of a case study and how it is
related to the course of conflict management and resolution?

Peace process is defined as the series of actions and negotiations that aim to resolve conflicts
and establish a peaceful agreement, both politically and socially. It involves implementing the
agreement, and understanding the potential vulnerability of such processes. It often involves
the parties directly, as well as, the facilitators or mediators.
This can include negotiations which are the formal talks between the parties to reach a
common ground, ceasefire agreements which involves temporarily constricting the fight to
build a beneficial environment. Confidence building measures are the part of the process
which involves the steps to build trust between the parties by exchanging students, prisoners,
humanitarian assistance. It reduces the military tensions, constructs the mutual trust between
the parties. These measures are important to initiate the relationships. It includes
communication which involves, creating military hotlines, political cooperation, constraints
which includes controlling the use of power, decreasing the deployment of forces,
transparency m, verification which includes written documents, independent observations and
signing treaties.
Peace processes can be protracted and complex , often needs goodwill, compromises, and
support of external powers to succeed. These processes are commonly seen taking place in
civil wars, ethnic or racial conflicts, or international conflicts. Implementation mechanisms
are the key for ensuring that agreements are put into effective practice. They include
monitoring bodies, verification procedures, involvement of international actors. Legal
frameworks which ensures that the lawsin the agreements are embedded in the legal system
of the parties involved.
The steps taken for the peace process may be different depending upon the level of the
conflict. It includes the preliminary negotiations which means addressing the root cause of
the conflict, identifying the key issues and the stakeholders. It is the formal talk which must
be taken as the first step in the process of peace in which the root cause of the dispute is
analysed. Some of the cases, involves the immediate ceasefires which is one of the steps of
the peace process. It is necessary to build a healthy environment for the discussions. Formal
negotiations involves discussing the specific issues, grievances and the interests of the parties
involved often with the third party involvement if needed. In most of the cases for the peace
process treaties are signed which requires developing institutions which supports the
conditions of the agreements. The process of reconciliation, requires a condition where the
parties are dependent on each other one way or another. Parties being economically
interdependent, for example: China and USA, avoid being directly involved into tensions
because they are dependent on one another. The dependency may also involve military
cooperation. Each of these steps are important to move from conflict to durable peace.
The approaches of peace process involves peace making, peace building, peace enforcement
and peace keeping.

Case Study: Peace process illustrated through UN peace keeping in Timor

Leste
Australia in 1999, led a transnational cause for the restoration of peace in East Timor Leste.
This mission led by Australia is the crucial example of peacekeeping and participation in the
United Nations.
The peace process which took place in Timor Leste basically revolves around the fight for
independence from the Indonesian occupation which from 1975 till 1999.

Conflict and Violence in Timor Leste

Timor Leste is a small nation in South East Asia. The democratic republic of Timor Leste
shares a border with Indonesia to its west. It is one of the Australia’s closest neighbours as it
is, located 700Km North of Darwin. Timor Leste gained its formal and complete
independence on May 20th, 2002, by the successful peace keeping mission led by Australia
and United Nations. Before gaining the independent status, people of Timor Leste faced
many challenges including violence and oppression.

Colonisation History
The territory of Timor Leste was colonised by Portuguese in 1600s. They named it as
portuguese Timor and used it as a land to send political prisoners and criminals. For 400
years this land was completely neglected with no education and healthcare. On November 28,
1975, Timor Leste declared independence from the Portugal. After 9 days, it was invaded by
Indonesia, who launched a massive sea and land invasion. Timor was formally annexed by
Indonesia on July 17, 1976 and started considering it’s 27th province. The Indonesian
occupation of Timor Leste marked a significant period of forced migrations, human rights
abuses, violent conflicts and famine. The nation of Timor Leste continued to fight back
against the hostilities. Guerrilla warfare was used by some of the people of Timor Leste while
some of them risked persecution for peaceful campaign and independence.

Massacre of Santa Cruz

The massacre of Santa Cruz marks a critical moment for the struggle of people of Timor
Leste. People gathered at the Santa Cruz to protest and flower the grave of one of the recently
slaughtered campaigner of independence on November 12, 1991. The indonesian started
firing at the protestors. The massacre of Santa Cruz was captures by an English journalised
who managed to smuggle the film outside Timor to Australia. The broadcast of the film
served as an eye opener for the international community about the human rights abuses taking
place in Timor Leste.

Intervention in Timor Leste

Australian Prime Minister John Howard wrote a latter to the president of Indonesia B.J.
Habibie in late 1998. Indonesian president opposite of his predecessors showed a willingness
to loose Timor for resolving the conflict. Howard suggested him that Timor as a province of
Indonesia should be given special autonomy to resolve the ongoing dispute and to give them
the chance to govern themselves. At first, Habibie refused to do so. On a very good day of
1999, he surprised the international community by offering Timorese to choose between full
independence or special autonomy. United Nations in 1999, under the mission UNAMET
passed a resolution to send personal in Timor Leste to hold a peaceful referendum with a free
and fair voting process.
On August 30, 1999, 78 percent people of Timor voted for their independence. As soon as the
results were announced by the UNAMET, Indonesian backed militia led a violent campaign.
A significant number of people were forced to migrate and 80 percent of the Timor Leste’s
infrastructure was burned down. The mission of UNAMET was abandoned temporarily
because of uncontrollable violence. Australian government ordered the Australian personal to
immediately evacuate from Timor Leste.
On September 15, 1999, Indonesian government under the pressure of United nations
consented for the deployment of peace keeping forces on the land of Timor Leste. Kofi
Annan, the UN Secretary-General and Prime minister of Australia agreed that the
transnational peace keeping force would be led by Australia. This mission was taken in
control by Australia itself rather than the UN as the UNAMET could not [Link]
INTERFET ( international for East Timor) was comprised of Australian troops as well as the
troops from 22 other states.
The United Nations Security Council mandated INTERFET whose basic aim was to restore
peace, protect personnels and facilitate humanitarian assistance. Under the leadership of,
Major General Peter Cosgrove, INTERFET succeeded in fulfilling the mandate of. UN
without any major loss of life. Peace was restored in Timor Leste by February 2000, and the
command was handed over to UNTAET ( United Nations Transitional Administration in East
Timor).
UNTAET was a peace keeping force by UN aimed at temporarily administrating Timor Leste
to make laws, and govern itself as a separate independent democratic nation. It established
institutions and conditions essential for Timor Leste’s self governance. New nations state of
the 21st century beacme the Timor Leste by achieving formal independence on May 20, 2002.
At this time, Timor Leste is a separate, independent democratic nation but it continues to face
social and economic challenges as it emerged from a long and complex history of violent
conflicts. Australia has been it’s biggest development partner as it provides assistance for the
development, education, and health care processes to make it’s government and institutions
strong.

What is peace keeping?

Peace keeping is the process which takes place by the deployment of international forces at
the regions of conflict for the main purpose of restoring peace in the affected area. Though,
peace keepers are military personnel, their basic aim is to restore peace and lead the parties
out of the conflict by staying neutral.

Role of United nations

International peace keeping has been led by United nations over the past 70 years. These
operations missions are financially aided by General assembly and overviewed by United
nations Security council. The peace keeping missions and forces are only deployed by the
consent of the parties involved. The intervention of peace keepers are overseen by security
council which grants them with a mandate ( a set of instructions) which can be different for
different cases and conflicts depending upon the nature of the conflict. The mandate basically
involves preventing the violence, help parties to reach common grounds and make peaceful
settlements by entering into lasting peace agreements, to foster an environment which
promotes processes for the economic, political and social recovery, help restore the state’s
authority. Military personnels are provides bu the member states of United nations for these
sort of operations. According to a survey, 30,000 Australian personnels have been involved in
50 Un peace keeping missions.

Peace process is a complex bundle of steps taken to restore peace in the regions of conflict. It
takes place through various steps and can attain any form depending upon the nature of the
conflicts. The process of peace is crucial in the course of Conflict management and
resolution. The management and resolution of a conflict mainly aims at maintaining the
peace. These processes involves addressing the root and underlying causes of the conflict to
finally manage and resolve a conflict. The last resort of the peace process is basically the
resolution of the conflict. Peace process is automatically connected to conflict management
and resolution because it offers systematic efforts to manage and end the conflict to attain
lasting and durable peace.
Conflict management leads to controlling and decreasing the potency of conflict without
necessarily addressing the underlying cause. It fosters the management by offering processes
like ceasefire agreements, negotiations and peace keeping missions that prevents the outbreak
of violence.
However, conflict resolution basically aims at addressing the underlying cause or seeds of the
conflict to attain lasting peace and making sure that parties do not engage into the conflict
again. The peace process serves as a bridge towards the resolution of conflict as it has a
structured approach with certain steps to resolve the conflict. It involves addressing
grievances, making compromises that suits the situation to address and then bury the root
cause.
Therefore, the peace process is the main and one and only pathway towards the resolution of
the conflict.

Reference
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