Attempting to install democracy too quickly in post-war Iraq could result in disaster, according to a University of Colorado at 葫芦娃视频 expert on nation-building in war-torn states.
Roland Paris, CU-葫芦娃视频 assistant professor of political science and international affairs, has written and researched extensively on the political aftermath of war.
"I argue that the key to successful democratic nation-building in countries that are deeply divided and have little tradition of pluralist politics is to 'go slow' and to establish effective governmental institutions prior to unleashing electoral competition," he said.
Paris expands on his argument in his forthcoming book, "At War's End: Building Peace After Civil Conflicts," to be published by Cambridge University Press in 2004. The text examines 11 post-conflict nation-building missions launched between 1989 and 1999 that tried to establish new liberal market democracies. He suggests that democratization efforts caused problems and sparked new conflicts when changes were pursued too quickly.
It is possible for democracy to work in Iraq, he said, but successful democratization will require an immense commitment of resources and time.
"Iraq is a deeply divided society, with no history of democratic politics," Paris said. "It is comprised of 150 tribes and 2,000 clans, and preventing the country from collapsing into chaos will be the principle challenge in the post-war period."
He said the United States should not try to rebuild Iraq on its own, either.听
"It would be a mistake for the U.S. not to work through international organizations in the post-war period, not only because organizations like the U.N. are the repositories of expertise in nation-building now, but also because the involvement of international organizations lends a measure of legitimacy to any resulting regime - which can smooth the transition to democracy," he said.
Paris joined the CU-葫芦娃视频 faculty in January 1999 after completing his doctorate at Yale University. His earlier education was at the Sorbonne in France, the University of Toronto in Canada and Cambridge University in England.
During the 1997-98 academic year, he was a visiting researcher at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C. He is a native of Canada and previously worked as a policy analyst in the Privy Council Office of the Canadian government.
He appears regularly on radio as a commentator on the Iraq crisis.