The roles of local non-governmental organizations in peacemaking: The case of Chiapas, Mexico

Since the end of the Cold War, violent conflicts have taken new forms, and an increasingly diverse array of actors has become involved in efforts to overcome them. As their roles have evolved, so has interest in analyzing and seeking ways to improve their effectiveness. While healthy dialogues now exist regarding the peacemaking roles of many of these unofficial international actors, less analysis has been done of the peacemaking roles of local non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Because local NGOs often have the greatest knowledge of local context and the strongest connections to people directly affected by conflict, they play a vital role in peacemaking. The purpose of my dissertation is to identify factors critical to their effectiveness.; For my comparative case study research, I focused on Chiapas, Mexico and the ongoing conflict between the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) and the Mexican government. I used open-ended interviews, triangulation and process tracing, in addition to primary and secondary literature, to gather information and verify my findings. My comparative case study methodology allowed me to delve deeply and uncover dynamics not immediately evident through broader but more superficial methodologies.; I focused my research on three NGOs and two NGO networks that are positively regarded for their peacework. These organizations use accompaniment, third-party interventions, organizational capacity building, conflict analysis and transformation workshops and public meetings to promote local-level peace. Through information analysis and dissemination, they aim to influence peace processes on both the local and official levels.; I found successes and failures among the peacemaking efforts of the five organizations I studied. The variables I found to most influence the effectiveness of those efforts were the following: its responsiveness to a dynamic conflict context and the people it seeks to serve; the trust it builds with those it seeks to influence; and its ability to work within its resource limitations. Further, cooperation with other like-minded organizations helps a local NGO address local-level peacemaking needs more comprehensively and increases its influence in official peace processes. For both local and official-level peacemaking, responsiveness to context and promoting participatory processes emerged as the most critical variables.