Analogue crisis, digital renewal? Current dilemmas of peacebuilding

The international architecture of peacebuilding and statebuilding, with the United Nations' efforts central among them, is currently responding to a shift from 'analogue' to 'digital' approaches in international relations. This is affecting intervention, peacebuilding and de...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inGlobalizations Vol. 17; no. 6; pp. 935 - 952
Main Authors Richmond, Oliver P., Tellidis, Ioannis
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Abingdon Routledge 17.08.2020
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
critical agency
digital technologies
International relations
Intervention
Locality
Mitigation
Peacebuilding
Renewal
Sovereignty
State
State formation
statebuilding
Territoriality
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:The international architecture of peacebuilding and statebuilding, with the United Nations' efforts central among them, is currently responding to a shift from 'analogue' to 'digital' approaches in international relations. This is affecting intervention, peacebuilding and development. This article analyses the potential that these new digital forms of international relations offer for the reform of peacebuilding - namely, the enhancement of critical agency across networks and scales, the expansion of claims for rights and the mitigation of obstacles posed by sovereignty, locality and territoriality. The article also addresses the parallel limitations of digital technologies, as well as the risk of co-optation by historical and analogue power structures, existing modi operandi and agendas of the United Nations, and other international actors. We conclude that though aspects of emerging digital approaches to peacebuilding are promising, they cannot yet bypass or resolve older, analogue conflict dynamics revolving around the state, territorialism, and state formation.
ISSN:1474-7731
1474-774X
DOI:10.1080/14747731.2020.1712169