Peace Process Lite: When global fragmentation meets conflict fragmentation

The parallel phenomena of global fragmentation of peacemaking and conflict fragmentation in civil wars are fundamentally restructuring peace processes.Drawing on the example of Myanmar, we argue that such changes exacerbate collective action problems for conflict actors and external third parties, leading to the emergence of pragmatic and reductionist forms of conflict resolution that we term 'peace process lite'.Peace process lite is marked by four key features: 1) the primacy of stabilisation through ceasefires and local peace agreements rather than comprehensive peace plans; 2) a focus on immediate 'wins' such as humanitarian assistance rather than long-term conflict termination; 3) short-term and ad hoc institutional arrangements to bring actors into talks; and 4) transactional mediation relationships conditioned by the economic and security interests of regional powers.Peace process lite is reductionist in that it rearticulates liberal visions and practices of peacemaking in a minimalistic form, bringing both opportunities and risks.