A Fragile State: Vulnerability in Post-Conflict Angola

Presented at the Fragile States and Groups Conference in Helsinki. This paper reviews recent evidence about what happened in Angola during the almost 30 years of conflict and the subsequent 5 years of peace. It critically examines some of the assumptions that are often made about the processes that occur during conflicts, and particularly questions the assumption often made in post- conflict situations that the end of conflict in itself is sufficient to lead to the rapid reversal of processes that occurred during conflict, and to rapid reintegration and normalisation.