Preventing conflict through building peaceful societies

Briefing for House of Commons debate on the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan, 16 May 2011

The countries of the Middle East and North Africa each face different sets of political, economic and social challenges which vary both within and between societies. While there have been common threads running through the popular uprisings commonly referred to as the ‘Arab Spring’, no two countries are the same. Likewise, Afghanistan and Pakistan, while sharing some common challenges, each have their own histories, cultures and political nuances. There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution for bringing peace and stability to these diverse regions.This briefing looks at what these events mean for the UK Government as it develops its Building Stability Overseas Strategy, setting out a vision for what it means to take seriously the idea of conflict prevention.

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