On November 24th, 2022, Prof. Yuji Uesugi, a professor at Waseda University, gave a lecture on peacebuilding primarily based on his rich experience as a practitioner of peacebuilding. He has served as a peacebuilder in Bangsamoro, the Philippines; Timor Leste; Aceh, Indonesia; Afghanistan; Myanmar; and Okinawa, Japan. He emphasized that he focuses more on practical skills of peacebuilding than on theoretical knowledge.

During the lecture, Prof. Uesugi explained that effective peacebuilding must be composed of both “top-down” and “bottom-up” approaches. The top-down approach is a typical liberal approach to peacebuilding where an external actor imposes reforms in the country in need of peacebuilding. The bottom-up approach to peacebuilding, in turn, emphasizes the importance of taking indigenous cultural and political factors into account during the peacebuilding process. This mixture of the two approaches is called “hybrid-peacebuilding.”  

However, Prof. Uesugi mentioned that hybrid-peacebuilding is not without problems. Support for the bottom-up approach is often framed as illiberal, and prescriptions on how to strike the right balance between endogenous and exogenous factors are challenging to give. Therefore, his job, Prof. Uesugi emphasized, is to explore how to operationalize hybrid peacebuilding successfully. 

To successfully implement peacebuilding, Prof. Uesugi argued that peacebuilders must be aware of the distinction between the “national” and “grassroots” levels and find key individuals who can serve as a bridge between the two levels—or “mid-space bridge-builders.” The national level concerns factors such as the country’s political system and constitution. This is where the national elite operate. The grassroots level concerns ordinary people. This means peacebuilders must focus on this level to effectively help the people suffering on the ground. However, since the two levels are separate, it is crucial for peacebuilders to find mid-space bridge-builders—such as village chiefs and local warlords—who have connections with national elites and simultaneously possess formidable influence over local politics. It is efficient and practical for peacebuilders to talk to these individuals and seek approval to operate in their communities to help the people. Moreover, peacebuilders should try to influence their thinking on human rights to improve the living conditions in the communities. 

Additionally, Prof. Uesugi mentioned three critical factors in peacebuilding. The first is the rule of law. This is a fundamental factor since, without laws and practical means to enforce them, there is no way to govern the system and punish wrongful behaviors by corrupt individuals or groups. The second factor is the elites’ confidence in and support for “perpetually lived organizations” such as the state economy and political system. Finally, the control of the military is a crucial factor. To control the military, Prof. Uesugi argued that it is imperative to incentivize military commanders that it is in their interests to cooperate with the civilian elite, even if that involves institutionally empowering the military in the political system. While courting the military elite is not democratic and may not even be a morally just approach, not to mention it sometimes fails (as in the case of Myanmar), Prof. Uesugi argued this is a necessary price to pay to help the people suffering on the ground.

The lecture concluded with a vibrant Q&A session, during which members of the audience asked interesting questions, such as those regarding how social media could affect the process of peacebuilding, whether religious values hinder peacebuilding efforts, and how to avoid potential corruption in the country undergoing peacebuilding. 

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Written by Yusy Widarahesty and Daichi Morishige (Doctoral Students at the Graduate School of International Relations, Ritsumeikan University)