Introduction

The Olympics have never been the guarantors of peace envisioned by Pierre de Coubertin. Nevertheless it was shocking for many viewers to see open violence between Georgia and Russia in South Ossetia on their televisions the day before the opening of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. Although the irony was almost too much for many commentators to bear, the two events remind us both of our dreams for a more peaceful world and the reality within which we pursue those dreams. This book makes the argument that one path toward making our dreams of peace into reality is to rely, at least in part, on the contributions that can be made by both international and local businesses through business-based peacebuilding. Over the past thirty years, globalization has had many effects, including the expansion of multinational businesses farther than ever before. At the same time, we have seen some of the world’s bloodiest civil wars. New approaches must be considered to assist an ailing international conflict resolution regime weakened by indecision in the international community, ideological differences between participants and, to some extent, outdated ideas about high-level diplomacy and mediation. To say that business in this context can be part of the solution is not to ignore the fact that businesses can contribute to the creation and perpetuation of conflict. While some of these are the so-called “merchants of death” profiting through the production of weapons and even of violence, many more contribute through ignorance of their company’s effects on the countries in which they operate or a misguided notion of firm interest. This is a very pregnant topic familiar to anyone with a passing acquaintance with the concept of blood diamonds (or the movie of the same name), but it is one that will largely be set aside in this discussion. There are excellent researchers and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that analyze and publicize the links between business and conflict. Here, instead, the intent is to answer the question: How can businesses – both local and international – be utilized within peacebuilding to help create more peaceful societies and resolve violent conflicts? This book is somewhat unorthodox in structure and intent. It is comprised of two deeply related, but functionally independent parts and is also intended

for a variety of readers. The concept of business-based peacebuilding is of particular importance to conflict resolution practitioners and other peaceworkers, since potential contributions from businesses have primarily been either ignored or even discouraged. Understanding, however, that interest in business-based peacebuilding extends beyond the practitioner community to representatives from NGOs, governments, inter-governmental organizations (IGOs), and businesses themselves (both in the boardroom and the compliance office), the intent here has been to produce a text that while still rigorous, is also not so specific or jargon-laden that it cannot be understood by anyone with an interest in the peaceful resolution of conflict. The book itself is a two-part examination of the actions currently being taken by businesses in areas of violent conflict around the world, as well as how they can make a significant contribution to the practice of the resolution of violent conflicts through business-based peacebuilding. The first part is an exploratory study of current and past efforts of business-based peacebuilding while the second focuses on extending these efforts, though the contributions of conflict resolution theory, into tangible plans for action for the future. In Part I, special consideration is given to the instigating actor for peacebuilding efforts, whether a single business, a business association, or a non-profit conflict resolution group. One of the primary insights of the study is that business-based peacebuilding efforts vary consistently in relation to these instigating actors, limiting peacebuilding possibilities. This study is by necessity exploratory. To a large extent we are still gathering information about what is being done or has been done by businesses attempting to influence conflict outcomes. The research that fuels Part I was largely completed in 2006 while I was a student at the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. If Part I is an exploratory study, then Part II may be best thought of as an exploratory handbook. Usually, when seeking out a handbook or how-to manual a reader will look for something created out of endless hours of expert experience where the authors can address all, or almost all, problems and conditions that could arise from a topic. However, the practice of business-based peacebuilding is new enough that even viewed collectively those in the field do not have enough experience or research to simply convert their knowledge into a how-to guide. Instead, information is being pieced together from many different projects and experiments around the world. It is my sincere hope that this volume is rapidly overtaken by more rigorous works based upon larger samples of practice, the contribution of growing proportions of the practitioner and business communities, and plenty of academic research and assessment projects. However, we cannot simply stand by and wait for such material to arise. The conflict-resolution perspective that suffuses this work requires that we engage the situation we currently face as best we can with the tools at our disposal. This book is an attempt to begin to fill in the knowledge we will need to refine our use of a new tool, but this tool will always be just one of many. Business-based peacebuilding is no

more a panacea than any of the other peacebuilding or conflict resolution approaches developed to address violent conflict. Violent conflict, especially on the intra-or international scale, is far too complex for singular solutions. Frankly, if such solutions existed we likely would have found them already. What is needed is a well-rounded portfolio of options for the use of either third-party intervenors or indigenous groups seeking to mitigate the harms of violent conflict, resolve the conflicts they are facing, and build a more just and peaceful world.