International NGOs and Statebuilding: The Case of Haiti, the Phantom State

Abstract: In post-conflict states that are subject to international statebuilding such as in Haiti, the approach is to build a liberal democratic state that institutionalizes stability and peace through the reconstruction of government institutions. Current statebuilding practices focus on the narrow institutional dimensions of strengthening the state ignoring state-society relations. This study will examine international statebuilding through the lens of civil society, using a liberal conception that views the role of civil society as horizontal with the state in holding it accountable and responsiveness to the population’s needs and demands. This study attempts to build a theoretical framework that can connect the impact of international support to civil society to the process of statebuilding. Using this framework to analyse the case of Haiti, the study posits that with many international NGOs supporting civil society in Haiti, they are indirectly weakening its role by blurring accountability channels with the state and creating upward accountability with its foreign donors rather than communities. This has weakened the state by widening the gap between state and society resulting in the “phantom” state; a state that is accountable to international institutions and lacks legitimacy in society.