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Can Gulf states increase their soft power through humanitarianism and peacebuilding?

Moosa Elayah
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Can Gulf states increase their soft power through humanitarianism and peacebuilding?

In recent years, the Gulf oil states have increasingly asserted their influence in global humanitarian efforts, leveraging their wealth to shape aid delivery mechanisms. Despite participating in some multilateral initiatives, these states predominantly favor bilateral aid. This preference raises questions about the underlying motivations and the impact of such strategies on recipient countries. Our study focuses on Yemen, where the Gulf states’ aid efforts have been particularly pronounced since the Saudi-led coalition’s intervention in 2015. The findings reveal a complex interplay of strategic interests and humanitarian considerations, with significant implications for peacebuilding, aid effectiveness and conflict dynamics.

The strategic deployment of bilateral aid by the Gulf states aligns with broader theories of aid allocation, which suggest that donor countries often use aid to pursue geopolitical, economic, and security objectives. This study builds on existing literature, which highlights the alignment of Gulf states’ aid practices with their national interests. By examining the specific case of Yemen, this research sheds light on how these strategies manifest in a conflict setting, with significant implications for regional peacebuilding.

The research employs a qualitative approach, utilizing data from 30 semi-structured in-depth interviews with key stakeholders involved in aid delivery and policy-making, as well as a comprehensive review of relevant literature and aid reports. This methodology allows for a nuanced understanding of the motivations and dynamics behind the Gulf states’ aid strategies.

The Gulf states’ preference for bilateral aid is driven by several strategic considerations. Bilateral aid enables Gulf states to forge and strengthen geopolitical alliances. In Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have used aid to support local actors aligned with their interests, such as the Southern Transitional Council (STC) and the National Resistance Movement, thereby exerting significant influence over the conflict’s trajectory. This influence could be valuable in convincing local actors to participate in, and abide by, future peace processes. 

Additionally, bilateral aid serves as a tool for managing and mitigating conflict. By directing aid through bilateral channels, Gulf states can ensure that resources are allocated in ways that support their military and political objectives while also providing humanitarian assistance. Moreover, bilateral aid allows Gulf donors to bypass the bureaucratic complexities and inefficiencies often associated with multilateral aid channels. This control over aid delivery helps minimize delays and reduce the risk of aid diversion.

Despite their substantial financial contributions, Gulf states face significant challenges when engaging with multilateral aid organizations. These challenges include bureaucratic inefficiencies, as multilateral aid processes are often slow and cumbersome, leading to delays in aid delivery and increased operational costs. Furthermore, the risk of aid being diverted from its intended recipients is higher in multilateral frameworks, which can undermine the effectiveness of aid efforts. Additionally, the presence of multiple stakeholders in multilateral aid initiatives can lead to coordination problems, further complicating aid delivery and reducing its impact.

The Gulf states’ strategic use of bilateral aid has significant implications for the effectiveness of aid efforts in Yemen. The competitive and duplicative nature of aid efforts by Saudi Arabia and the UAE has exacerbated the conflict, transforming Yemen into a geopolitical battleground and prolonging the humanitarian crisis. The emphasis on bilateral aid raises concerns about transparency and accountability. Gulf-funded projects often lack the visibility and oversight associated with multilateral aid initiatives, leading to potential misuse of resources. While bilateral aid can be more efficient, it is not immune to the challenges faced by multilateral organizations. The focus on strategic interests can sometimes overshadow the humanitarian needs of the affected populations.

The Gulf states’ preference for bilateral aid reflects a strategic approach to foreign assistance that prioritizes geopolitical and security interests alongside humanitarian concerns and peacebuilding. This study highlights the need for greater transparency, accountability, and coordination in aid delivery to ensure that the humanitarian needs of conflict-affected populations are effectively addressed. Future research should focus on in-depth field studies and interviews to further explore the dynamics of aid distribution and its impact on local economies and livelihoods in conflict zones.

Enhancing transparency in aid delivery is crucial. Implementing robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms can help ensure transparency and accountability in bilateral aid projects. Additionally, balancing aid approaches by combining the advantages of both bilateral and multilateral aid can enhance coordination and effectiveness in conflict settings. Prioritizing impartial, needs-based aid delivery is essential to address the immediate and long-term needs of affected populations. Furthermore, conducting real-time field studies can provide deeper insights into the impact of different aid modalities in conflict-affected regions.

The Gulf states’ strategic motivations behind their preference for bilateral aid have significant implications for the effectiveness of aid efforts in Yemen. Their approach reflects a complex interplay of geopolitical, economic, and security considerations, alongside humanitarian concerns. While bilateral aid offers certain advantages, such as operational control and efficiency, it also presents challenges related to transparency, accountability, and the potential for aid diversion. By addressing these challenges and adopting a balanced approach that leverages the strengths of both bilateral and multilateral aid, the Gulf states can enhance the effectiveness of their aid efforts and better meet the needs of conflict-affected populations in Yemen. Future research should continue to explore the dynamics of aid distribution in conflict settings to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the strategic motivations and impacts of different aid modalities.

Four Key Dimensions of Youth Peacebuilding

Laura Taylor
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Four Key Dimensions of Youth Peacebuilding

Over 60% of armed conflicts reoccur; thus, peace agreements alone cannot ensure lasting peace. Youth (aged 25 or less) make up 42% of the global population and can be powerful agents of change. Young people can break these cycles of conflict by addressing the root causes and building quality peace, which goes beyond ending violence. It includes the attitudes, institutions, and structures that ensure security, dignity, and predictability for all people. Quality peace can be built even in countries without recent violent conflicts. Youth peacebuilding, in this regard, is vital to sustainable, quality peace.

There are 4 key dimensions to youth peacebuilding. First, engagement: youth need opportunities to participate in decision-making processes. Their engagement brings fresh perspectives and innovative solutions. Such participation also fosters a sense of being valued among young people. Thus, engaging youth to work towards positive change can help prevent future violent conflict.

Second, inclusive and quality education helps young people develop essential skills and knowledge for peacebuilding. Education can also change attitudes and behaviors, promoting understanding and tolerance across groups, including conflict rivals. Schools can become places where peace is taught and practiced on a daily basis.

Third, information empowers youth to understand their rights, the world around them, and how they can make a difference. Access to information also connects youth with peers and mentors, fostering a sense of global community. Internet access and free press is crucial for youth peacebuilding.

Fourth, inclusion spans the three dimensions above. Inclusive policies and practices ensure that all young people, regardless of their background, can participate in peacebuilding. When young people from diverse backgrounds come together, they can build stronger, more inclusive and resilient communities.

Framed by the Developmental Peacebuilding Model (Figure 1), in the Helping Kids! lab’s research, we examine the factors that shape youth peacebuilding (e.g., empathy, positive intergroup attitudes, exposure to intergroup violence). In a new line of research, we test if youth peacebuilding works. 

Figure 1

We examined if, and how, these four dimensions of youth peacebuilding dimensions – engagement, education, information, and inclusion – influence quality peace comparing data from 165 different countries over 10 years.Education and information were key for quality peace. More specifically, education served as a pathway for indirect effects of information, engagement and inclusion. For example, when more young people went further in school, they were able to use access to a free press (i.e.information) to promote greater engagement. 

This network of connections among youth peacebuilding dimensions was foundational for stronger quality peace over time. One surprising finding was that lower levels of inclusion were related to greater quality peace one year later; this finding might indicate that intergroup tensions can motivate peacebuilding. Together, each youth peacebuilding dimension was directly or indirectly linked to quality peace, both for a particular country as well as comparing between countries.

Our research directly supports the United Nation’s Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS) Agenda. In 2015, the first of three YPS resolutions was passed by the UN Security Council. Our findings reinforce these policy directions that call for youth involvement in conflict prevention, resolution, and peacebuilding efforts. 

Consistent with the YPS agenda, we argue that youth are essential partners in achieving quality peace. This particular study outlines four channels through which governments, international organizations, civil society organisations can foster youth engagement and leadership in peacebuilding initiatives. Investing in engagement, education, information and inclusion among young people offers a way to build quality peace across a variety of contexts. These findings, along with previous Helping Kids! papers, suggest that the Developmental Peacebuilding Model may be a useful framework to integrate policy, research and practice, which can help to build quality peace and involve youth around the world.

This Week in Peace #39: June 28

Peace News Staff
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This Week in Peace #39: June 28

This week, prospects for a negotiated and just peace in Ukraine continue to fade, Colombia opens yet another round of negotiations with a rebel group, and a landmark peace deal in South Sudan appears fragile ahead of crucial upcoming elections. 

Some hope for progress for Ukraine, but not for peace 

This week, Ukraine received some promising news on the international front, but the prospects of a fair negotiated settlement to end Russia’s invasion and occupation still appears remote. An upcoming NATO summit is expected to result in a firm commitment to support and coordinate assistance to Ukraine, but not membership. Despite Russia’s narrative of being provoked by “NATO expansion”, NATO has rejected Ukraine’s strong desire to become a full member, and has not moved to open formal accession negotiations. A negotiated end to the conflict remains unlikely, as Russia continues to insist that any settlement legitimize its occupation and claimed annexation of Ukrainian territory. Both sides presented peace proposals following  Ukraine’s peace summit of last week, but neither was acceptable to the other. There was some progress for Ukraine, however, as the European Union opened formal accession negotiations this week. While this will not end the conflict in its current state, EU membership would help guarantee long-term peace for Ukraine. Moldova’s inclusion is a positive step forward for regional peace as well, as fears persist of conflict with Russian-backed separatists in the Transnistria region. 

Colombia starts negotiations with another rebel group

In Caracas, Venezuela, Colombia announced the start of yet another set of negotiations with a former rebel group, in a move that could help to strengthen the legacy of a landmark 2016 peace deal. The opening of talks with the Second Marquetalia group is intended to address growing in violence in rural areas, and to resolve a loose end from a landmark peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The Second Marquetalia is led by former FARC members who returned to fighting against the government, and while they are a small group, it is an important step towards normalizing the government’s commitment to peace and to carrying on the legacy of the 2016 agreement. Nearly a decade since the end of the FARC’s decades-long insurgency, Colombia’s countryside is experiencing an era of relative peace, and despite recent setbacks the continued announcements of new peace talks with a wide variety of groups shows that President Gustavo Petro’s “total peace” initiative continues to stay on track. 

South Sudan’s peace deal under stress before a crucial election
As South Sudan approaches its first ever democratic elections this fall, its vice president, Riek Machar, objected to ongoing peace talks in Kenya, saying that they threaten a 2018 agreement which ended five years of civil war in the world’s youngest country. Machar, who led one side in the war, which killed over 400,000 people, warned that these ongoing negotiations, which include other groups which continue to fight, but not his, should not replace the previous agreement, which had resulted in him becoming vice president. Machar’s protest raises the specter of future political turmoil in South Sudan, at a crucial point before elections in December. South Sudan continues to face numerous issues, including widespread violence, but the 2018 agreement was successful in ending large-scale civil conflict, and should be preserved in order to ensure a first peaceful transition of power.

How can Local Radio Build Peace between Herders and Farmers in Nigeria? 

Mohammed Ibrahim
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How can Local Radio Build Peace between Herders and Farmers in Nigeria? 

Local radio plays an important role in building peace throughout Nigeria. Conflicts between farmers and herders is a longstanding problem in Nigeria, which is linked to tribal and religious differences. In many areas, this polarization has created divisions in society, which leads to stereotyping, ethnic profiling, and societal divisions. Peace News Network spoke to people living in communities experiencing conflict, to hear how radio programs have helped to build peace, bridge divides between religions and ethnic groups, and promote a more inclusive society. 

Some communities in the Kajuru and Chikun Local Government Areas (LGAs) have experienced violent attacks between herders and farmers. The herders are usually from the Fulani tribe, while the farmers are people from other tribes within the communities.

Such conflicts led to loss of lives and property, so a radio program was aired on Liberty Radio that brought the farmers and herders together to discuss their grievances, challenges, and how they could be addressed.Since the program was aired, there has been a new level of understanding between the herders and farmers.

Benjamin Maigari, a community leader in Kufana chiefdom under the Kajuru LGA, spoke to Peace News Network about his experience, and how his contribution to the radio program assisted in changing the mindset of his people about ethnic profiling.

He said, “I also called in and made a comment, and after the program, I received more than 50 phone calls because in that radio program, I made our people understand that any tribe member can be a criminal, not necessarily a particular tribe. If we need to address the issue, we must stop profiling tribes. So after I made these comments, many people from our communities called me to say they never thought ethnic profiling was wrong because they always profile a particular tribe as criminals.

“The comment I made that banditry was not a tribe and that anybody can be a bandit, because whether we liked it or not, when there was a banditry attack in a community, the first thing that comes to our mind is a particular tribe behind it, and we always conclude it to be the Fulani tribe. This has been the norm in the minds of the people from these communities.”

Benjamin said the radio program aired between the herders (who are the majority Fulani) and the farmers helped to highlight the many Fulani men who had been living with them for decades as peaceful people. According to some community members, they had seen Fulanis as aiding their attackers, but now they all understand that it was not always the case.

“So we should tell ourselves the truth and put ourselves together irrespective of our tribes in our communities to join hands to address the issue. The radio program has really promoted peaceful coexistence and understanding in our communities, and this is the personal experience I got as a person.”

He called for more of such radio programs to be aired and suggested they not only invite religious leaders, but also tribal leaders, especially those who have caused divisions in communities. He advised that ordinary tribal men in the villages, as well as youth, women, and persons with disabilities, should be encouraged to participate in radio programs to create more bonds between them and help to build peace in society. 

Another resident of Unguwar Gimbiya Community in Kaduna spoke to PNN about how local radio has helped to change her views and promote interfaith peace. Grace James, said she used to isolate herself from people of different religions,until she heard a radio program where Pastor Yohana Buru, a Christian scholar and activist, explained the need for people of different faiths to coexist and live in peace.

She said since she listened to the radio program, she had a changed mind and now respects people of different faiths from hers.”I now respect everybody, including those without religion, thanks to the radio program as I now respect people I come across on the street,” she told Peace News Network. She explained that such radio programs further exposed her to know that God created people differently to live peacefully.

In conclusion, radio remains a powerful tool for promoting peace and stability, particularly in regions marred by conflict and unrest. Through innovative programing and community engagement, radio stations can continue to drive positive change and contribute to building more peaceful and inclusive societies.

Circle Pedagogy: A Blueprint for Inclusive Classrooms and Peaceful Futures

Crystena Parker-Shandal
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Circle Pedagogy: A Blueprint for Inclusive Classrooms and Peaceful Futures

When children who have experienced violence, war, or conflict arrive in relatively peaceful or settled environments, their struggle to feel included is amplified. All students—regardless of their migration history—are subject to exclusion and the bullying that can go with it. The day-to-day classroom experience for children—particularly those carrying trauma—is pivotal for successfully learning new cultural norms and for feeling safe and included. Teachers obviously play a key part in these students’ integration into a healthy classroom community. Peacebuilding circles are one pedagogical method for creating a safe and inclusive classroom culture.

Circle pedagogy is a unique and transformative approach. At its heart, circle pedagogy is a practical approach where participants gather in a circle to discuss topics, share stories, or resolve conflicts. This structure ensures that each member has an equal opportunity to speak and be listened to, thereby democratizing voice and power. This stands in stark contrast to traditional hierarchical setups in educational and social contexts. In such a physical and metaphorical circle, a flow of ideas is encouraged, distributing speaking opportunities and disrupting conventional power dynamics.

Circles can be used in peaceful, post-conflict moments, or even during conflicts. Fostering relational spaces of care and connection, circles equip individuals with the skills to navigate conflicts effectively and foster positive interpersonal relationships. Circles are not merely a pedagogical choice but a philosophical commitment to nurturing a community where every individual feels valued. In my research, I have found that children often feel more comfortable sharing their story if they feel connected in some way. They may feel connected to a teacher or peer they have aligned with, or to content within the curriculum, or to classroom discussions that closely reflect their experiences. When teachers strive to create an inclusive and safe space for children, the process of building trust and creating an emotionally and physically safe community contributes to helping children heal from trauma.

For instance, in one Grade 6 classroom, a newcomer student, aged 10, was a refugee who had recently arrived in Canada. They did not know much English and initially remained silent during classroom lessons. In circles held in that classroom, the teacher used a talking piece—a physical object that students passed to each other when it was their time to speak. One day, when this student received the talking piece in the circle, they spoke for the first time in front of their peers. Upon hearing their new peer speak, all the students spontaneously clapped, acknowledging them.

Implementing circle pedagogy in classrooms has multiple benefits. First, it fosters an environment of mutual respect and active listening, where students learn to engage with diverse perspectives. This is crucial in a world where understanding—and navigating—multicultural interactions is critical to personal and professional success. Second, circle pedagogy can be a proactive tool for conflict resolution. Instead of addressing conflicts after they have escalated, circles can be used to cultivate a culture of open communication and pre-emptive problem-solving.

Moreover, the principles of circle pedagogy align closely with restorative justice practices, which emphasize healing and learning rather than punishment. In educational settings, this approach encourages students to take accountability for their actions and actively work towards repairing any harm caused within the school community. This not only reduces recidivism but also enhances students’ emotional and social skills, preparing them to handle future conflicts constructively.

The impact of circle pedagogy extends far beyond the classroom. In a society grappling with various forms of conflict—racial, political, socioeconomic—equipping young people with the skills to mediate and mitigate disputes is of utmost importance. Circle pedagogy can play a pivotal role in instilling, early in life, the values of empathy, equity, and engagement. These skills are not just beneficial for personal growth, but are essential for fostering societal peace and understanding, since they encourage individuals to move beyond mere tolerance of difference and towards a deeper, more empathetic engagement with the world around them.*

* This article is based on reflections from a recently published book, Restorative Justice in the Classroom: Liberating Students’ Voices through Relational Pedagogy (Palgrave Macmillan, New York), by Dr. Crystena Parker-Shandal, Department of Social Development Studies, Renison University College, University of Waterloo.

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