This chapter critically examines the role of external actors in shaping peacebuilding efforts in Madagascar, emphasizing the complex interactions between global liberal peace frameworks and local political realities. It explores how international, regional, and local forces intersected, often producing unintended consequences. While external interventions aimed to stabilize governance structures, they frequently reinforced elite power struggles and institutional fragilities. The chapter unpacks the tensions between international legitimacy, regional diplomacy, and grassroots peace efforts, revealing the limitations of externally driven mediation. Through an exploration of key political crises—most notably in 2002 and 2009—it highlights how foreign recognition, sanctions, and mediation efforts simultaneously advanced and hindered long-term stability.