Can Africa Trade Its Way to Peace? A Critical Reassessment of the International Community’s Solution to Conflicts in the Great Lakes Countries

The Great-Lakes countries have been in conflict for more than two decades. One solution often proposed by international community actors is the strengthening of international trade as an instrument of peace. This is what emerges from Western Chancelleries’ rhetoric, as expressed by Hermann Cohen in an issue of the International Herald Tribune 2008; as well as Louis Michel, Nicolas Sarkozy, etc. Behind the so-called ‘trade’ argument lies the idea of ‘sharing’ the Congolese’s natural resources and geographical space between the Great-Lakes countries, as ‘the’ way toward peace in the region. We challenge these ideas, demonstrating that they rely on weak theoretical and empirical backgrounds, and suggest more holistic solutions taking into account the complexity of the conflict dynamic in the region. This contribution resorts to a critical analysis of the relationship between international trade and conflict reduction as addressed in the literature. After highlighting the weaknesses of the “one way solution”, we suggest more pragmatic pathways toward long-lasting solutions, including the strengthening of political and socioeconomic institutions in the different countries; addressing identity, governance and security issues; tackling resource distribution to fight poverty; considering the key role of media and the power of youth exchanges; etc.