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ABSTRACT
This article explores the appropriation dynamics of international statebuilding in Burundi, with a focus on the period from 2010 to 2015. If international statebuilding is most commonly presented (and debated) as practices leaning towards the achievement of a liberal democracy, this article argues that it can also be used towards undemocratic ends. The central claim is the following: the (most) recent authoritarian trend observed in Burundi’s main political force in government, the National Council for the Defence of Democracy – Forces for the Defence of Democracy (CNDD-FDD), did not only occur against international statebuilding but also through its appropriation and, more specifically, through self-reinforcing subversion tactics of appropriation. The article conceptualizes these tactics, examines the factors of emergence and conditions of existence, and presents the main expressions along three major editorial lines of international statebuilding: pluralist democracy, vibrant civil society and respect of the rule of law.
Acknowledgements
I thank Isaline Bergamaschi, Sara Dezalay, Christian Olsson, Valérie Rosoux, Christophe Wasinski, Catherine Xhardez and two anonymous Journal reviewers for their valuable feedback and comments. I also extend my gratitude to all my interlocutors in Burundi who made this research possible. This article is dedicated to the memory of Barbara Delcourt, PhD director, colleague and friend.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
1. Author’s translation from the original French. This statement was Burundi’s response to a European Parliament resolution calling for the immediate liberation of human rights advocate Mbonimpa.
2. The 2005 Constitution of Burundi provides that the president be elected by direct suffrage, except for the first election.
3. Author’s field notes, Bujumbura, January 2011.
4. Interview with the director of a local NGO, Bujumbura, 2 February 2011.
5. Interview with a staff member of a major donor in Burundi, 30 October 2014. This phrase was used in response to a question about why CNDD-FDD actors resort to techniques of subversion.
6. As a critique and reaction to this depoliticization and decontextualization of interventions, many scholars and practitioners have recently engaged in advocating new approaches, such as thinking and working politically in order to ‘bring politics back’ into the equation (see for instance Rocha Menocal Citation2013; Booth, Harris, and Wild Citation2016; OECD Citation2016).
7. Author’s field notes, Bujumbura, November 2014.
8. Author’s field notes, Bujumbura, 2012–2014.
9. Article 96 of the Cotonou agreement requires partner countries to respect the principles of human rights, democracy, rule of law and good governance. Invoking the article launches consultations and ultimately results in sanctions if a country is found to have failed to adhere to the agreement, potentially leading to the partial or complete suspension of aid (Leclercq and Donse Citation2015).
10. Author’s field notes, Bujumbura, June 2012, November 2014.
11. Author’s field notes, 2012–2016.
12. Author’s field notes, Bujumbura, 2010–2014.
13. Author’s translation from the original French.
14. This association with the political opposition has been further reinforced by the partnering of some of these organizations within the coalition of opposition forces, the National Council for the Respect of the Arusha Accord and the Restoration of the Rule of Law.
15. It is worth noting that the spokesperson of this organization is also the coordinator of the SOCIC.
16. Author’s translation from the original French.
17. A ‘coalition of civil society organizations being discriminated against’ was formed to denounce the ‘biased’ support of international donors.
18. Author’s field notes, Bujumbura, November 2014.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Sidney Leclercq
Sidney Leclercq is a post-doctoral fellow at the Université libre de Bruxelles (REPI – Recherche et Etudes en Politique Internationale) and the Université Catholique de Louvain (CECRI – Centre d’Etude des Crises et des Conflits Internationaux). He holds a Ph.D. in Political and Social Sciences from the Université libre de Bruxelles. His research focuses on statebuilding, international cooperation, aid conditionality, comprehensive approaches and transitional justice.