Introduction: HIV/AIDS and Post-Conflict Societies in Africa

Abstract

This edition of International Peacekeeping explores HIV/AIDS and post-conflict societies in Africa. While there has been a great deal of interest in and research devoted to exploring the relationship between HIV/AIDS and conflict, the dynamics, spread and impact of the epidemic in post-conflict settings have received far less attention. Initial forecasts for the impact of HIV/AIDS on national and international peace and security were extremely gloomy. It was predicted that conflicts would significantly increase the spread of the epidemic, and that the epidemic itself could lead to conflict. These fears have not been realized.1 There are still concerns that various aspects of conflict environments contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS, and research continues to examine the nuances of the relationship between them. Research and thought on the much lesser explored nexus between HIV/AIDS and societies in the aftermath of conflict suggest that post-conflict contexts are both sites of...