ABSTRACT
The democratization process in Iraq caused Al-Sadr to shift from war-making to coalition-building. The extensive presence of international actors in democratizing states and transnational democracy promotion networks introduces systemic dilemmas of ownership. International actors and organizations may have access to extensive resources and may try to utilize their own power to advance a democratization process. In the case of Nepal, for example, extensive democracy promotion, amplified through the efforts of United Nation organizations and domestic civil society organizations, increased local political mobilization and increased the demand for democracy. Regime change will continue to create varieties of conflict, and varieties of democracy will continue to create varieties of peace. Major changes in political behaviour are necessary for ensuring democracy helps sustain peace, rather than re-ignite conflict, in deeply divided, conflict-affected societies. Democracy may need to be engineered to include specific rules that break the link between the inherently conflictual democratization process and the risk of violent conflict.
