Liberal State-building and Environmental Security: The International Community Between Trade-Off and Carelessness

Liberal state- and nationbuilding fails to include into its framework of analysis environmental problems of post-conflict societies. Economic development projects such as large hydro projects or open cast mining for lignite, as an element of broader state-building exercise, lead to environmental stress for the communities, and can further exacerbate inter-communal incompatibilities. The case study of statebuilding in Kosovo is used to highlight the complexities of sustaining a peaceful post-conflict situation within the framework of existing peacebuilding model. Moreover, it emphasises that environmental and societal security requirements have to be addressed simultaneously to reduce the risk of reoccurring conflicts. The expectations is that by better understanding of the interaction between societal and environmental security, further valuable conclusion can be drawn about the capacity and limitations of prevailing models to build peace in the aftermath of civil wars.