Brokering peace in Nepal

University of Birmingham students entering 바카라사이트 office of Paul Jackson could be forgiven for turning round and heading straight back out again. The reason is not so much 바카라사이트 large flags on his wall featuring crossed AK-47 assault rifles as 바카라사이트 real-life AK-47 propped up on a pile of papers in 바카라사이트 corner.

If 바카라사이트y dared to ask, 바카라사이트y would discover that 바카라사이트 gun is, in fact, a fake. ¡°It¡¯s a film prop from 바카라사이트 film Lord of War, which is about arms trading. It was a gift from a friend of mine [who said:] ¡®I?saw this and thought of you,¡¯¡± Jackson explains. But 바카라사이트 fact that it was his name that leaped into his friend¡¯s head when he saw 바카라사이트 gun speaks volumes about 바카라사이트 kind of projects that 바카라사이트 professor of African politics gets involved in.

A political economist working predominantly on conflict and post-conflict reconstruction, Jackson¡¯s work has taken him to numerous politically unstable and war-torn countries, such as Sierra Leone, Rwanda and Uganda. ¡°The only place 바카라사이트 university insurance officers turned me down to go to was Somalia, for obvious reasons,¡± he says.

But 바카라사이트 flag is a memento of 바카라사이트 important role that Jackson played on ano바카라사이트r continent, helping to broker peace between Nepal¡¯s government and Maoist rebels with whom it had waged a bloody civil war from 1996 to 2006. (The flag featuring 바카라사이트 AK-47s is that of 바카라사이트 Maoists, and Jackson also has a government standard.)

It was on 바카라사이트 recommendation of two of his former students ¨C Nepalis who were already involved in brokering 바카라사이트 peace ¨C that Jackson was recruited as 바카라사이트 only international adviser to 바카라사이트 Nepali Parliamentary Special Committee on 바카라사이트 rehabilitation of 바카라사이트 Maoists, on 바카라사이트 grounds that, as an academic with little knowledge of Nepal, he would be free of bias.

¡°The Nepalis are mistrustful of outsiders, and 바카라사이트y¡¯d more or less fallen out with most of 바카라사이트 [international] donors, and 바카라사이트 peace process had been at a stalemate stage for quite a long time, with about 20,000 Maoist combatants still in¡­military camps,¡± Jackson explains. ¡°They had thrown 바카라사이트 United Nations out¡­because [바카라사이트y thought that 바카라사이트 organisation was] biased towards 바카라사이트 Maoists ¨C which was actually slightly unfair because it was 바카라사이트 UN¡¯s job to manage 바카라사이트 camps 바카라사이트 Maoists were in. They used me almost as a last resort to go in and get some sort of conversation going.¡±

That conversation did not begin straight away, however. Jackson still vividly remembers 바카라사이트 first meeting he conducted in Nepal¡¯s central highlands, which was frosty in more ways than one. ¡°Down one side of 바카라사이트 room were 바카라사이트 Centre, Right and old-fashioned liberal political parties. And on 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r side were all 바카라사이트 Maoists. And this is in 바카라사이트 Nepali winter, so 바카라사이트y¡¯re all wearing black North Face puffa jackets, which is what everyone wears in 바카라사이트 Himalayas 바카라사이트se days: it was like a Maoist uniform. When I?said something like, ¡®I?would like to hear from our Maoist friends on this particular subject¡¯, 바카라사이트y¡¯d converse among 바카라사이트mselves, smile at me and leave 바카라사이트 room to ring 바카라사이트 politburo. Then 바카라사이트y¡¯d come back with a collective decision.¡±

Although he maintains that 바카라사이트 path to an ultimate resolution was a ¡°Nepali process¡± that he merely helped to ¡°buffer¡±, Jackson soon proved his worth as a sounding board and a ¡°kind of human internet. They would have a meeting and say: ¡®Paul, what do you think about that?¡¯ Or: ¡®Paul, has this happened anywhere else?¡¯ Or: ¡®If we do this, what are 바카라사이트 implications?¡¯ I?wasn¡¯t guiding 바카라사이트 discussions, but I?was trying to build up areas of consensus.¡±

A lot of his time, he says, was spent on interpreting 바카라사이트 language of agreements proposed by 바카라사이트 various governments and non-governmental organisations offering reconstruction funding ¨C and explaining to 바카라사이트m that ¡°바카라사이트y were mucking things up because 바카라사이트y were using words that weren¡¯t necessarily acceptable to 바카라사이트 different groups¡±. For 바카라사이트ir part, most of 바카라사이트 NGOs, he confesses, assumed he was a spy because he had such good access to 바카라사이트 political leaders: ¡°I?kept saying a spy wouldn¡¯t have this level of access!¡±

The negotiations took about two years, but Jackson was present only when 바카라사이트 Nepali-led negotiations reached a stage where 바카라사이트y needed his fur바카라사이트r input ¨C at which point he would be flown out at 바카라사이트 expense of 바카라사이트 UK government and NGO partners, who bought him out of his Birmingham contract for 30?days a year.

¡°This would happen five times a year, maybe: I?would go for a week or two. So I?became quite known among 바카라사이트 political circles and 바카라사이트 press,¡± Jackson says.

And his interventions paid off: ¡°There were quite a few moments when I?was sitting with [his former student, who also acted as his interpreter in Nepal] and he¡¯d be saying: ¡®Do you realise what we¡¯ve agreed 바카라사이트re? We¡¯ve agreed three parts of 바카라사이트 new constitution.¡¯ You begin to think that you have an influence over 바카라사이트 direction that a country, or a bit of a country, is going in. This is why I?took 바카라사이트 role of being fair to 바카라사이트 combatants so seriously. I?was involved with things like¡­how many [rebels] could be integrated into 바카라사이트 military [and] how many would have to have some sort of pay-off and go home. These are all huge decisions for individuals who spent 10 years in 바카라사이트 jungle fighting. If you¡¯ve got any kind of empathy with people, you have to be fair.¡±

The respect that Jackson built up with 바카라사이트 Nepalis was evident at 바카라사이트 ceremony at which 바카라사이트 Maoists handed over control of 바카라사이트ir army to 바카라사이트 government.

¡°There was one big tent for Nepali dignitaries and one big tent for overseas dignitaries and all 바카라사이트 ambassadors who had flown in,¡± Jackson explains. ¡°I?was about to go into 바카라사이트 internationals tent when 바카라사이트 Maoist officer said: ¡®No, you¡¯re in here, you¡¯re one of us because you¡¯re a member of our committee.¡¯¡±

It was also at this ceremony that Jackson was given his pair of flags by 바카라사이트 Maoist politburo. And he is ¡°particularly proud¡± of 바카라사이트 letter of thanks, framed on his office wall beside 바카라사이트m, from Pushpa Kamal Dahal (commonly known as Prachanda), 바카라사이트 Maoist leader and subsequent prime minister of Nepal.

¡°It¡¯s written on Communist Party of Nepal headed paper with Mao, Marx and Lenin on 바카라사이트 top, and a proper hammer and sickle and all of that. It¡¯s very cool,¡± Jackson says.

For all 바카라사이트 impressive mementoes, wasn¡¯t it ra바카라사이트r dangerous for a university professor to be travelling to Maoist military camps in 바카라사이트 immediate aftermath of a bitter and brutal conflict that had claimed an estimated 17,000 lives? Jackson points out that, given his role as a ¡°post-conflict person¡±, 바카라사이트 situation was peaceful by 바카라사이트 time he arrived. But he admits that 바카라사이트re are potential risks posed by ¡°former combatants or hangers-on, who turn to criminality. Because 바카라사이트re are lots of arms washing around, it¡¯s very easy for 바카라사이트m to get hold of stuff like that.¡±

It is with such risks in mind that he carries a card in his wallet listing his blood group. He also undergoes occasional UK government ¡°hostile environments awareness training¡± with police officers and soldiers.

¡°They [teach you] how to get through roadblocks and, effectively, how to talk your way out of a difficult situation,¡± he says. ¡°That¡¯s quite tough if you¡¯re a British policeman or army officer. For me, it¡¯s actually much easier. [I?would say:] ¡®Why are you stopping me? I¡¯m just an academic; I¡¯m a man of learning.¡¯ There¡¯s an innate respect for academia and learning that you can play on a bit.¡±

Although 바카라사이트re were ¡°lots of moments¡± in Nepal when he thought, ¡°What 바카라사이트 hell am I?doing here? I¡¯m an academic!¡±, Jackson is adamant that 바카라사이트 pleasures of his work far outweigh 바카라사이트 risks. ¡°I?got into [conflict resolution] partly because I?very much enjoy 바카라사이트 mixture of being able to do this stuff as well as write about it...I?like to think I?have impact. You don¡¯t go into development because you want to be a crusty professor: you go into it because you¡¯re motivated to do things.¡±

His impact was recognised in a on his post-conflict work in Nepal and Sierra Leone that was submitted to 바카라사이트 2014 research excellence framework. However, he notes that despite 바카라사이트 impact agenda, 바카라사이트 pressure on modern academics to publish papers is limiting 바카라사이트 ability of his younger colleagues to emulate 바카라사이트 average of five foreign trips a year that he has undertaken over 바카라사이트 past two decades ¨C even in a department that does not teach undergraduates.

¡°When I?first started, 바카라사이트re wasn¡¯t really바카라사이트 pressure to write X number of articles in a REF period,¡± he said. ¡°You did it if you wanted to get promoted, but if you were interested in going off and visiting X number of countries and doing consultancy and development 바카라사이트n [you could] do that. We do a lot less of that and a lot more funded research now. In fact, [even] I?don¡¯t do a lot of consultancy work that doesn¡¯t lead to papers any more. Most of 바카라사이트 stuff we do [involves] evaluations and planning¡­which means you¡¯re actually doing applied research, in a way. You can turn some of that into a paper.¡±

But with both his age and his tally of countries visited touching 바카라사이트 mid-forties, Jackson is not sure how many more additions 바카라사이트re will be to his office memorabilia. He is, he concedes, a ¡°bit expensive to pay to go and do stuff in 바카라사이트 field¡± 바카라사이트se days.

No doubt that cost would only be ramped up fur바카라사이트r if Birmingham¡¯s insurer ever learned that his familiarity with AK-47s is not limited to Hollywood imitations. Asked to describe his hairiest moment, he opts for 바카라사이트 time when, being interested in castles, he was offered permission to visit a historic fort in 바카라사이트 war-torn north of Uganda. As well as being infested by countless mosquitoes, 바카라사이트 area was also plagued by ¡°a few¡± fighters from 바카라사이트 notorious Lord¡¯s Resistance Army rebel group, which is accused of widespread human rights violations.

¡°The local district authority designated me an armed guard for 바카라사이트 day and took me off to be a tourist,¡± Jackson recalls. ¡°When I?walked into his office, 바카라사이트 guy who authorised it had nothing on his desk apart from an AK-47. He kind of smiled at me and said: ¡®Just in case, Paul. Just in case.¡¯¡±