Transformative diplomacy? Micro-sociological observations from the Philippine peace talks

Abstract

Abstract How do adversaries build social bonds in peace talks and how decisive are such bonds for the success of peace processes? The article investigates the micro-sociological thesis that diplomatic face-to-face interaction can generate social bonds. It is based on direct observations from peace talks between the Philippine government and the communist party (NDFP) in January 2017 and backchannel talks in 2020. The article shows that the talks took the form of friendly and disengaged interaction with very little dominating or conflictual interaction. Observations and interviews with participants show that social bonds were generated at the negotiations. However, the talks broke down immediately after the third round and has not been running since, apart from back-channel negotiations. The article discusses the remarkable contrast between the good atmosphere at the table and the breakdown of negotiations, arguing that while face-to-face interaction holds transformative potential, the right people need to be at the table for it to bring peace. As neither the president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, nor the hardliners of his government were present at the table, the transformative potential was limited. The article therefore questions the transformative potential of peace talks, if leaders and hardliners are not present.