Mediation and Peacebuilding in an Age of Division

Daisaku Higashi is a professor at Sophia University in Tokyo. He specializes in mediation on armed conflicts, post-conflict peacebuilding, and international relations. He started his career as a program director at NHK, Japan Public TV Stations and produced many documentaries, including “Rebuilding Iraq: Challenges of UN” by which he received the silver medal from UN Correspondents Association in New York in 2004. Then, he took MA and Ph.D. in Political Science at the University of British Columbia in Canada. He also worked for United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) as a team leader for reconciliation in Kabul (2009–2010), as well as Minister-Counsellor in the Permanent Mission of Japan to the UN in New York (2012-2014). His English publications include Inclusivity in Mediation and Peacebuilding: UN, Neighboring States, and Global Power (Edward Elgar 2022) and Challenges of Constructing Legitimacy in Peacebuilding: Afghanistan, Iraq, Sierra Leone and East Timor (Routledge 2015).

""This book could not be more timely or important. Professor Higashi courageously takes on the tough challenges of how to try to resolve key conflicts in a starkly divided world and build sustainable post-conflict peace. While he advocates for the primacy of respecting the core principles of sovereignty and self-determination, he does so in pragmatic way. This means adapting those principles flexibly and grounded in deep situational knowledge, which is what Dr. Higashi has accumulated with his impressive research of the conflicts and nation and peace building efforts in Ukraine, South Sudan and Afghanistan. His nuanced conclusions seek to sidestep some of the current roadblocks in each of these cases and bear close hearing. What package of elements regarding territorial disputes, war crimes, and a post-conflict security framework are the most promising to end the war in Ukraine? What are the advantages and disadvantages of seeking to resolve conflict by establishing a democratic regime and engage in peacebuilding with a non-democratic government? Read Higashi’s deeply informed book to find out.”- Richard Price, Director of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies, Faculty of Arts, Professor, Department of Political Science, Certified Coach for UBC Coaching Services, The University of British Columbia“This important book weaves together international relations theory and diplomatic perspectives from the trenches of the worst war-torn settings to offer practical guidance for achieving peace. In a compelling narrative, the book advances the need for pragmatic and adaptive peacebuilding. Higashi argues that national sovereignty and stability must sometimes take precedence, even when this requires deferring goals such as democratization or accountability for war crimes. His analysis of the conflicts in Ukraine, South Sudan, and Afghanistan highlights critical turning points in negotiations where alternative choices could have produced better outcomes. A must-read for scholars and practitioners alike, the book offers a clear-eyed path toward more effective peacebuilding.”- Christina L. Davis, Edwin O. Reischauer Professor, Harvard University; author of Discriminatory Clubs: The Geopolitics of Membership in International Organizations“In Mediation and Peacebuilding in an Age of Division, Professor Higashi provides careful, critical analysis and constructive suggestions that draw on his extensive experience and interactions with leaders of various stripes engaged in some of the most intractable conflicts of the time. His reflections will be of real value to practitioners and to scholars alike who seek to understand such conflicts and look for pathways towards peace."- Alistair Edgar, Associate Professor of Political Science and Associate Dean of the School of International Policy & Governance at the Balsillie School of International Affairs(BSIA), Wilfrid Laurier University

• 1. Introduction: The War in Ukraine, the Conflict in Gaza, and the Division of the World 2. Theoretical Arguments of Mediation and Peacebuilding 3. Three Challenges of Ending the War in Ukraine: Territory, War Crimes, and Post-Conflict Framework 4. The Challenges of Mediation by the Trump Administration in the War in Ukraine 5. Challenges of Mediation and Peacebuilding When Creating a Democratic State: The Case of South Sudan 6. Challenges of Peacebuilding under a Non-Democratic System: The Case of Afghanistan 7. Conclusion