Peacebuilding Evidence In Brief

Non-western Peacemaking: Challenges and opportunities | Roger Mac Ginty

Join us for an in-depth audio overview of Roger Mac Ginty’s January 2026 report, Non-western peacemaking: Challenges and opportunities. As the global peacemaking landscape undergoes a "significant reorientation," this episode explores how actors such as China, Qatar, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates are displacing traditional Western hegemony in conflict resolution. We analyze the "can-do" attitude of these emerging powers, contrasting their willingness to intervene against a backdrop of Western pessimism and institutional funding cuts. (Read the full report, available here: https://effectivepeace.org/policy-brief/non-western-peacemaking-challenges-and-opportunities/) Key themes covered in this overview include: • The Shift from Peacebuilding to Dealmaking: How the "comprehensive peace accords" of the 1990s, which focused on rights and representation, are being replaced by elite-led, transactional deals prioritized by the Trump presidency and non-western states. • Ad Hoc Constellations: The move away from formal bodies like the United Nations—now often sidelined—toward flexible, temporary groups of regional actors who prioritize stability over democracy. • Transactionalism and Economics: The rising role of economic instruments, mineral deals, and development projects as central components of modern mediation. • Minimalist Peace: A look at how "firefighting" tactics, such as prisoner exchanges and local ceasefires, are saving lives in places like Sudan and Ukraine, even if they fail to address the root causes of conflict. • Continuity vs. Change: Why this new era might not be as radically different as it seems, sharing similarities with the secrecy and elite dominance of past Western approaches. Tune in to understand why the peacebuilding sector is facing a "whiplash moment" and how the definition of peace itself is being reshaped in the image of non-western powers.