Rural development thinking can no longer claim that conflict falls outside its mandate, according to this edition of the IDS Bulletin. The nature of warfare in Africa is changing dramatically. War is being used as an instrument of policy, and becoming a way of life in the worst affected areas, with civilians, not combatants, the most vulnerable.
This IDS Bulletin explores new thinking on some of the critical issues that need to be addressed by development policy makers in order to adjust to these new realities. It argues that planners and researchers need to understand the causes and conduct of war, learn new skills, and develop new alliances – including, in some circumstances, with the military.
