Adaptive Peacebuilding in Mali : A study on the role of organized criminal groups in an era of struggling peacebuilding

Abstract: Research has concluded that liberal peacebuilding is failing and should be replaced by pragmatic peacebuilding. The shift from liberal to pragmatic peacebuilding has been well-researched and research on the rise of illiberal peace which has gained favourability due to liberal peacebuilding’s failings, is gaining traction. However, when it comes to research on the changes in international peacebuilding connected to the increase of organized crime and organized criminal groups (OCGs), there is more research to be made. Since the world is going through rapid changes with increasingly complex conflicts where organized crime and criminal groups play a more prominent role, the need for research on how pragmatic peacebuilding can address OCGs to meet the needs of conflict-affected countries is the focal point of this thesis. Thus, this research investigates how international peacebuilders can shift toward pragmatic peacebuilding by investigating the role of organized criminal groups in international peacebuilding operations, utilizing the case of Mali with the UN peace operation MINUSMA and the EU capacity-building mission EUCAP Sahel Mali. Through semi-structured interviews of personnel from MINUSMA and EUCAP Sahel Mali, this research has contributed to how international peacebuilders in Mali perceive the role of OCGs in peacebuilding contexts and contributed to a better understanding of how international peacebuilding can cope with the increasing existence of OCGs in peacebuilding. The adaptive peacebuilding approach was applied to the findings which showcased how international peacebuilders in Mali struggle to adapt to the uncertainty related to OCGs and struggle to have a structured engagement with local communities and enable institutional learning to support locally owned peace. The study also found how international peacebuilders in Mali were stuck in a liberal peacebuilding mindset of solving problems and conflicts instead of locating national and local means for change that can better create a resilient, sustained peace.