Cooperatives rebuild postwar societies

Postwar reconstruction driven by marketization and privatization often deepens inequality and undermines social cohesion; community cooperatives — locally governed economic enterprises — can create livelihoods, reintegrate ex‑combatants and repair civic trust more effectively than top‑down capitalist projects, as shown in Rojava and Latin American cases discussed in the essay. — If donors and policymakers pivot to cooperative‑centred reconstruction, it would change who gets financing, how peace is consolidated, and the long‑term stability of postconflict states.