Attention to the ‘security-development nexus’ has become commonplace in national and global policy-making, and yet the exact nature of the term remains undefined. This study approaches the subjects of development and security from a variety of different perspectives, offering an array of interpretations of the nexus along with an analysis of its potentially related issues. Particular attention is paid to studies of conflict and peace, with a focus upon the linkage between these subjects and the topic of the nexus itself.

Specific areas of investigation include the role of diasporas in peace building, the relationship between the nexus and challenges to liberal state-building, and the part played by external parties in the peace processes of the Aceh and Sri Lankan conflicts. The inclusion of case studies from Africa, Asia and Europe provides the text with a strong geographical focus, and constructs a panoramic view of the nexus that encompasses the globe. Further country-based chapters – focusing on China, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa – underline this worldwide perspective.

The volume’s collected essays thus provide a detailed and comprehensive view of this fluid, contemporaneous topic, both theoretically and empirically. ‘The Security-Development Nexus’ is a vital appraisal of both the present issues and current thought concerning conflict, security and development.

Ramses Amer, Associate Professor of Peace and Conflict Research, is Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Oriental Languages at Stockholm University.

Ashok Swain is Professor of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University, Sweden, and is also Director of the Uppsala Centre for Sustainable Development.

Joakim Öjendal is Professor in Peace and Development Studies at the School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg.

Anthem Studies in Peace, Conflict and Development

List of Tables and Figures; List of Editors and Contributors; Acknowledgements; 1. Researching the Security-Development Nexus through a Multi-disciplinary Approach - Ramses Amer, Ashok Swain and Joakim Öjendal; 2. Exploring the Security-Development Nexus - Maria Stern and Joakim Öjendal; 3. Liberal State-Building and Environmental Security: The International Community between Trade-Off and Carelessness - Roland Kostić, Florian Krampe and Ashok Swain; 4. The Rising China and Maintaining the International Order: Some Reflections - Zou Keyuan; 5. Non-use of Force, Non-interference and Security: The Case of Pacific Asia - Ramses Amer; 6. International Dimensions of Peace Processes in Aceh and Sri Lanka: The Role of Intermediaries in the 2000s - Malin Åkebo; 7. The Challenges of Human Security and Development in Central Asia - Marlène Laruelle and Sébastien Peyrouse; 8. Diasporas’ Role in Peacebuilding: The Case of the Vietnamese-Swedish Diaspora - Ashok Swain and Nhi Phan; 9. Tracing Minerals, Creating Peace: The Security-Development Nexus in the DRC - Ruben de Koning; 10. Water Management and the Security-Development Nexus: The Governing of Life in eThekwini Municipality, South Africa - Sofie Hellberg