Illiberal Peacebuilding and Political Stability : A Comparative study of Indonesia and Nepal

Sammanfattning

While the existing literature has extensively conceptualized illiberal peacebuilding, there exists a lack of comparative research examining its actual outcomes on political stability. This study addresses this gap by comparing the implementation of illiberal peacebuilding in Indonesia and Nepal, specifically aiming to explain the divergent outcomes following the 2025 ‘Gen Z’ protests in both countries. A qualitative desk study utilizing thematic analysis and abductive reasoning was conducted, examining a triangulated dataset of 53 sources, including academic texts, NGO reports, news articles, and government documents. The findings reveal that while both states utilize similar illiberal mechanisms, their implementation differs fundamentally. Indonesian political elites employ a proactive, strategic approach to illiberal peacebuilding, managing destabilizing factors through calculated co-optation, clientelism, and flexible concessions to maintain state survival. By preemptively absorbing regional actors into expansive patronage networks, as seen with former GAM leaders in Aceh and elites in West Papua, the central government effectively neutralizes potential threats while preserving its dominance. Conversely, Nepali political elites rely on a blatant, reactionary approach, ignoring systemic grievances until they become impossible to ignore, and subsequently deploying impulsive, violent repression that further angers the population. The state's failure to address structural exclusion, coupled with the abandonment of ideological promises by co-opted Maoist leaders, systematically generated public frustration that ultimately culminated in the government's collapse. This thesis concludes that while the strategic application of illiberal mechanisms can create a temporary negative peace, both implementations fundamentally fail to address underlying structural and cultural violence. Consequently, illiberal peacebuilding inherently fosters an exclusionary societal structure that generates future political instability.