Fawcett, L. (2025). The changing regional faces of peace: Toward a new multilateralism?
Contemporary Security Policy, 1–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/13523260.2025.2460130
The fast-changing face of multilateralism, and the roles and reputations of international organizations, have invited more serious reconsideration of different institutional types and the part they play in global ordering. Recent scholarly work offers multiple insights into formal and informal governance mechanisms, but the importance of regional groups and actors within the multilateral system remains under studied. This article contributes to the debate on global peace operations in a time of geopolitical change by focusing on the evolving roles of regional institutions in world politics. It tracks their activities over time showing how they have become an essential element in any global security architecture today. Yet, despite their expansion and growing visibility, their transformative potential remains neglected. In a world where existing multilateral institutions and their normative framings are increasingly contested, the role of regional powers and agencies should be placed at the forefront of contemporary security debates.
