Post conflict reconstruction and the international community in Uganda, 1986-2000 : an African success story?

• Main Author: De Torrenté, Nicolas
• Published: London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London) 2001
• Subjects: 320; National Resistance Movement
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.250724

Post-conflict reconstruction refers to the complex process whereby societies strive to overcome internal armed conflict and (re-)establish peaceful and stable political arrangements. The central question addressed in this thesis is whether Uganda's transformation under Y. Museveni's National Resistance Movement (NRM) between 1986 and 2000 is a successful case of post-conflict reconstruction, as is widely held. As a corollary, it asks how the interaction between the NRM and the international community has affected this process. The thesis argues that, in spite of the NRM's remarkable achievements, Uganda's reconstruction is deeply flawed. Most importantly, a legitimate framework for the allocation, exercise and reproduction of political power has not been established. The reconstruction strategy, shaped by the NRM's character as a politicised guerrilla group and dominated by the imperative of regime survival, was inherently twin-faced. It restored political authority and security to most areas of the country, enabling, amongst other achievements, economic recovery. However, it also unleashed military interventionism, led to political closure, and created a fragile and politicised economic order. As such, the NRM's actions attracted increasing opposition, expressed through political and military means. The ancillary argument is that, notwithstanding the pre-eminence of domestic factors, Uganda's transformation has been highly dependent on the support of an interested international community. The NRM was willing and able to adapt to donors' priority concerns, in particular to introduce liberal economic reform, and strategically used donor support to build its power. For their part, donors found the NRM's authority and commitment to structural adjustment quite irresistible. Agendas thus converged, generating mutual dependence. As a result, donors overlooked how their support was diverted, and how the NRM's security policies and political reforms diverged from stated principles. The donors' approach promoted the consolidation of the NRM's power, yet at the expense of the legitimacy of Uganda's reconstruction.