New Forms of War and Peace

Dernière mise à jour le 10/07/09

The ever-present threat of conflict and war is reflected in the importance of “peace strategies”. The term commonly covers notions ranging from conflict prevention and resolution to peace missions and intervention, but also encompasses post-conflict situations, State-building, reconciliation and justice. Peace strategies are based on the premise that these wars risk becoming contagious and can disrupt the regional order or the international balance. For more than fifteen years, the main State and intergovernmental actors (UN, NATO, OSCE, etc.) have appeared willing to intervene to prevent these conflicts from spreading, opposing massacres of civilian populations, trying to impose an end to fighting and seeking sustainable solutions, unlike in the past.

However, the cessation of hostilities or the signing of a peace agreement does not necessarily put an end to conflict. Often, internal displacement, social conflicts and human rights violations persist long after the guns have been silenced. The study of international, ethnic or civil conflict therefore necessitates going beyond formal notions of war and peace to include the social foundations of peace and post-conflict management.

This highlights the long term conditions for stability and peace and draws attention to the micro-foundations of war and conflict. Projects submitted in this area can focus on either war or peace and might examine comparative socio-historic experiences; study the evolution of trust or collective identities; compare the political institutions for defense or State-building to ensure durable peace arrangements; analyze the relationship between social, economic or political factors and violent conflict; or highlight the challenges of transnational interdependence.