Description
How does the self-perception of conflict actors implicate the peace process? Drawing from the Palestinian Israeli and the Russian-Ukraine War, this paper identifies a major challenge in peace talks arising from actors’ perception of their actions, identity and impact. The paper will underscore how the politics of defining or identifying who the aggressor or victims are in the conflict have stalled peace talks in the selected conflict zones. How a party in conflict identifies itself and the other party in a conflict, shapes how they engage in peace talks. The paper highlights that actor’s perception of themselves, is coloured by three factors their assess and relations to other actors in the international system, their military industrial complex and the media. The paper further explores how peace actors in bringing conflict actors together can go beyond the politics of identity construction during peace talks to engender sustainable agreements.
