Peace as Government: The Will to Normalize Timor-Leste

Peace as Government: The Will to Normalize Timor-Leste challenges traditional post-conflict reconstruction processes by arguing that peace operations aim to foster and maintain a (neo)liberal order in the international society. The author analyzes the United Nations (UN) engagement with Timor-Leste, highlighting the government's role in shaping the Timorese state and population through discipline and biopolitics.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 278 pages
Publication date: 15 May 2022
Publisher: Lexington Books

The Will to Normalize Timor-Leste: Challenging Post-Conflict Reconstruction Paradigms

This thought-provoking book delves into the complexities of post-conflict reconstruction processes by integrating two theoretical frameworks that are often seen as polar opposites – the analytical tools developed by Michel Foucault and the English School. The author argues that peace operations serve a distinct purpose in the global landscape, namely fostering and sustaining a (neo)liberal order within international society. Through meticulous analysis, the author demonstrates that this specific function of peace operations is intricately linked to the will to normalize post-conflict states and their populations.

To support his argument, the author examines the United Nations (UN) engagement with Timor-Leste, as no other country had a more extensive history of peace operations, a diverse range of areas of involvement, or a profound level of engagement like the UN in Timor-Leste. The author reveals that this unwavering desire to normalize Timor-Leste finds its operational expression through the mechanism of government, functioning at two distinct levels. At the international level, the government operates through discipline, rewarding and punishing the Timorese state to shape its behaviors as an individual member of the international community. At the national level, the government employs biopolitics, which involves shaping the vital life-supporting processes of the Timorese population.

This book offers a valuable contribution to the field of post-conflict reconstruction by challenging prevailing paradigms and shedding light on the intricate interplay between government, discipline, and biopolitics in the context of post-conflict societies. It provides a rich and nuanced understanding of the complex dynamics that shape post-conflict reconstruction efforts and underscores the critical role of the international community in fostering stability and promoting human rights.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781498581790