Abstract
Peacemaking is in flux, driven by rising conflict, multipolar shifts, and the emergence of non-Western peacemakers. A fast-growing literature has begun to characterise this practice, yet much of it draws on a limited range of cases, leaving the distinctive approaches of smaller, highly active mediators less examined. This paper examines Qatar, one of the most active mediators globally, through the lens of the literature's core assumptions. Drawing on long-term research, practitioner engagement, and structured observation, the analysis finds that Qatari mediation cuts across prevailing characterizations of non-Western peacemaking along the dimensions of inclusion, transactionalism, and cooperation. The paper develops the concept of embedded cooperation to capture Qatar's practice: pragmatic operation within existing international frameworks combined with the retention of independent agency and context-dependent adaptation. On this account, Qatar neither offers an alternative paradigm to liberal peacemaking nor operates as a subordinate instrument of Western diplomacy. The paper argues that embedded cooperation may be amongst the most common yet least theorised modes of non-Western peacemaking.
Click here to read the full article