Achieving stability in Mali will require the peace process to include all groups that wield power and influence.
The Politics of Peacebuilding: Engaging Elites to Resolve Conflict .
Event | March 2, 2021
On March 2, 2021, Chemonics hosted a webinar to examine local elites' role in localized conflicts and discuss how to include community-level power brokers in peace efforts.
The event examined how informal power drives conflict through the lens of “Elite Bargains and Political Deals” theory. By exploring the new approach’s potential, the presenters sketched a roadmap for engaging often elusive power brokers in peacebuilding programming.
Panelists, drawn from across academia and implementation, discussed how “Elite Bargains and Political Deals” theory sheds new light on analyzing conflict and overcoming persistent obstacles to achieving peace. The event concluded with a free-ranging panel discussion and Q&A session.
Areas of debate included how best to define “elites” in conflict settings and how peacebuilders should be wary of reinforcing existing imbalances of power while including elites in their programs.
Featured Speakers
- Prof. Jonathan Goodhand, SOAS University of London
- Dr. Adeline Neron, Search for Common Ground
- Todd Diamond, Chemonics International
- Sahar Tabaja, Chemonics International
This webinar revolved around the contents of Chemonics’ “Elite Bargains and Political Deals Toolkit,” which offers a flexible guide to applying community-level conflict analysis to stabilization work. Find the toolkit below: