REHABILITATION IN COMPLEX POLITICAL EMERGENCIES - IS REBUILDING CIVIL-SOCIETY THE ANSWER

The paper examines the challenge of rehabilitation from complex politi cal emergencies (CPEs) and identifies a strategy that is characterised as a civil society rebuilding approach. It focuses on Somalia and a c ase study of a CARE project that aims to build the capacity of local N GOs. The paper argues that civil society in CPEs is simultaneously bei ng undermined and contested by warring parties and emerging after stat e collapse. The scope of the paper is limited to one case study and th at case study examines only a single aspect of civil society: national and international NCOs. The paper therefore presents tentative and pr eliminary results based on limited research. However, in reviewing the literature and presenting a way of approaching the subject, it aims t o suggest a starting-point for developing a theoretical framework for such research. The paper finds that international agencies have tended to focus on civil society institutions simply as conduits for aid mon ey and that this has tended to create organisations which lack downwar d accountability, are dependent on donors and are not addressing the w ider roles for civil society envisaged in the approach. Rebuilding civ il society does hold out the promise of giving non-military interests a stronger voice and starting a process of changing the aid delivery c ulture. Achieving these objectives, however, will be a slow and largel y indigenous process and there is a need for lowered expectations abou t what outside assistance can achieve.