The Grimshaw Review of International Affairs Vol. 2, No. 1 examined the need for a shift in transnational solidarity to be reconceptualised as more than a short-term solution, and to instead act as a transformative force in reshaping the very foundations of citizenship, justice, and belonging for the Rohingya. By exploring the limitations and potential of current advocacy efforts, the critical question addressed has been directed towards whether transnational solidarity can achieve more than merely temporarily alleviating the suffering and discrimination faced by the Rohingya. As discussed, the Rohingya crisis conveys the profound inadequacies of the global humanitarian system, which, despite mobilising significant resources and aid, has repeatedly failed to address the root causes of the Rohingya’s plight. The systemic failures of aid are evident in the severe underfunding of immediate relief efforts like food aid by organisations like the World Food Programme, leaving millions of people without essential support. Compounded by the endurance of colonial legacies in these aid efforts, the marginalisation of the Rohingya has only grown more entrenched. As a result, existing aid efforts can only be framed as a stopgap measure, unable to offer sustainable solutions to the underlying issue of Rohingya statelessness. This article has examined how, through a constructivist lens, identities and perceptions shaped by humanitarian actors and organisations could foster a norm-driven network, rather than one based on material interests. However, the persistence of exclusionary practices – even if unintended by aid organisations and digital advocacy platforms – suggests that such norms remain underdeveloped and fail to address the systemic dynamics at play. Contrastingly, a postcolonial lens provides an alternative perspective on humanitarian aid, characterising it not as a neutral force but rather one which often perpetuates the unequal power relations between the Global North and Global South. The persistence of these power dynamics, portraying the Rohingya as passive recipients of aid, only further reduces their humanity to a state of vulnerability, preventing narratives based on belonging and inclusion from being advanced. As such, the limitations of aid reveal the failure of humanitarianism alone to challenge the power structures perpetuating the Rohingya’s societal exclusion. It has accordingly been suggested that adopting constructivist conceptions of identity construction 26