Conflict Transformation
... to transfom conflict
In some cases, decentralisation is seen as a means to transform conflicts. Most armed conflicts today are fought within states and not any longer between states, though the role of neighbouring countries and cross-border aspects must not be under-estimated. In many conflict situations, a lack of power-sharing is among the root-causes of the conflict, in particular in conflicts with an ethno-political component. Often, parties to the conflict are only willing to put down arms when a new vision of power-sharing can be established. Similarly, also in cases in which the state as such is not put into question, the development of states can be seriously hampered by smaller internal disputes and confrontations between groups or regions that disrupt or continuously delay ordinary political processes. Power-sharing might be needed to overcome the confrontations.
From the conflict transformation perspective, decentralisation shall provide new political ways to address challenges and help to avoid new conflicts. Decentralisation and other forms of non-centralised governance as power-sharing mechanisms are used as a way to provide self-rule to regions and territorially defined groups. These forms of internal self-determination are expected to ease or avoid quests for external-self-determination. Concretely, the expectation is that local communities might be better able to find pragmatic compromises on sensitive issues. Sensitive decisions, for instance those that are important for regional or local identity can be left to the decision-making of lower levels of government so that they will not divide at the centre. On these issues, the centre can limit its role to the role of mediator and protector of individual and collective rights. When communities experience that they can take important decisions on their own without major interference by the centre this can also strengthen their loyalty to and integration into the state that provides this degree of self-rule.
Decentralisation is not only attractive for groups that demand internal self-determination, but can also be an acceptable option to dominant groups. Decentralisation provides powers to territorial units and not directly to groups thus it is in a way a neutral or general way of addressing specific demands. By strengthening local units of government it can be possible to contain the demands of regional groups. Small autonomous areas will provoke less fears of secession that huge regional units that have state like character.
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