Pragmatic peacebuilding

The politics of international peacebuilding are undergoing a pragmatic turn. An era of liberal idealism and interventionism is closing, and a more pragmatic approach to the means and ends of peace appears to be on the rise.

In the current issue of International Affairs, a special section, edited by Louise Wiuff Moe (Helmut-Schmidt-Universität, Hamburg -https://www.hsu-hh.de/isk/team) and Finn Stepputat, explores this growing pragmatism. Mapping a continuum of pragmatic approaches, the contributions analyze the ‘turn to the local’, the increased focus on complexity, hybridity and resilience thinking, the weight of infrastructure in peacebuilding, and the (re)turn to prevention, stabilization and pacification approaches. Despite many differences, such approaches suggest a move beyond the previous focus on building state institutions towards a more flexible engagement with non-state actors and the complexities of local contexts. Peacebuilding finds itself at a critical juncture.