ABSTRACT
In this chapter, Hofmann argues that others have pointed out how conflict is the pursuit of contrary or seemingly incompatible interests (of individuals, groups, or countries), and how, when intervening in (post-)conflicts – be these interventions military or civilian peace operations or humanitarian action – national, international, regional, transnational, or nongovernmental actors face many constraints. First, actors’ military or civilian resources are often costly and/or scarce. Second, humanitarian, development, and security actors are often required to commit for much longer than anticipated. Third, some actors more than others are selective as to where and how to intervene in violent conflict situations and follow political agendas not necessarily related to the conflict, jeopardizing other actors on the ground. Fourth, some actors and scholars have criticized foreign interventions as inappropriate measures to take – often lacking enough knowledge about the conflict in question. This chapter concludes that policies that could be framed as political violence prevention have already existed in different cloths such as peacebuilding or development. Hence, actors who subscribe to the prevention of political violence should first take stock of current institutional infrastructures and assess whether new resources and capacities are needed to tackle the challenge.
