In this research I develop a working theory of environmental peacebuilding process. I examine four cross-border environmental projects in conflict-affected societies in order to identify peacebuilding products and the context factors and project factors that enable those products. I illustrate my working theory in my detailed Environmental Peacebuilding Process Model.
I studied four contrasting water projects implemented in two conflict-affectedlocations: Western Balkans (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Croatia) andIsrael/West Bank (Palestinian Territories). These projects varied in terms of scope, conflict intensity, environmental conditions, and types of third parties involved. The projects also had varying degrees of intent to manifest peacebuilding between adversaries. Contrasts between the four cases provide a basis for analyzing differences and commonalities in their environmental peacebuilding processes.
I describe the individual peacebuilding products and factors that I identified and analyzed in the data. Context factors include: security, environment, and public relations context factors. Project factors include: third party influence, first party empowerment, and operational approaches project factors. I define a rubric of peacebuilding products, which differentiates between categorizes products in three progressive orders: zero-order, first-order, and second-order.
I further define first-order and second-order products as institutional (e.g., changes in knowledge, norms, and values), and organizational (e.g., changes in administration, operations and policy). I explain patterns in the interaction between context and project factors and in the products they bring about. I discuss how peacebuilding explicitness can both enable and constrain peacebuilding. I also analyze the political constraints that hindered the environmental peacebuilding process in each of the cases.
The inclusive nature of my working theory, which considers projects with and without explicit peacebuilding objectives, advances the notion of environmental peacebuilding via a range of collaborative initiatives focusing on environmental problems in socially divided societies. There are future research opportunities associated with further developing my Environmental Peacebuilding Process Model. These include expanding upon it by testing its applicability in various development projects, refining it by testing combinations of factors and products, and developing peacebuilding indicators from my product typology to improve monitoring and evaluation of peacebuilding initiatives