De la Kanun la Capacity Building
From kanun to capacity building

Summary/Abstract: In the opaque world of Balkan democracy assistance, one encounters an almost religious belief that civil society organisations will help create dialogue, reconciliation, and stable institutions. From the perspective of ‘Balkan security’, the building of civil society is supposed to generate more internal security in the region, to provide the proper ‘climate’ for the development of democratic culture, for the promotion of human rights, and for an effective, accountable government. In this sense, a healthy civil society is supposed to enhance individual and group security. It enables and pushes governments to respect human rights. Civil society development is seen as a win-win solution. This chapter argues that such efforts to build civil society also create new forms of tension: both internal tensions within Balkan societies and tensions between the various local and international actors.

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