Abstract
In this chapter, we study the role of populist leaders engaging as third parties in international mediation, a phenomenon which we term ‘populist peacemaking’. We illustrate this with examples of peace initiatives pursued by US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdğan in conflicts such as Kosovo-Serbia, Israel-Palestine, and Russia-Ukraine. We identify populists peacemaking in a rejection of what is viewed as the peacemaking ‘establishment’, and with that of established norms and best-practices; in a mediation style that puts the populist mediator, rather than the conflict issues or parties centre stage; as well as in appeals to the volonté générale, or the needs of the people in respective conflict areas, distancing oneself from supposed elite interests. We argue that the phenomenon of populist peacemaking, while sharing many features with illiberal approaches to peace, should be classed as a distinct phenomenon.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Routledge Handbook of Populism and Foreign Policy |
| Publisher | Taylor and Francis |
| Pages | 606-622 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781040380642 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781032540184 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1 Jan 2025 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2025 selection and editorial matter, David Cadier, Angelos Chryssogelos and Sandra Destradi; individual chapters, the contributors.