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In theoretical terms 'peace' remains a largely contested concept. Academics propose competing definitions and conceptualizations, which possess their own normative and analytical advantages or disadvantages. Yet despite heated academic and theoretical debates, studies looking at the empirical understandings of peace and conflict-settlement strategies of different states are largely missing. The paper set out to cover this gap and ask how similarities and differences in the actors' conceptual understandings of peace play themselves out in their agreement and disagreement over the advocated 'peace strategies'. Employing qualitative/ quantitative content analysis of the statements made by the representatives of the Russian Federation and the United States at the UN Security Council, Evgeniya Bakalova and Konstanze Jüngling analyze the debates around four recent and/ or ongoing conflicts (Georgia 2008, Libya 2011, Syria 2011-2014 and Ukraine 2014). The study reveals that while agreement over the conceptualization of peace does not impede further disagreement as to the advocated peace strategies, disagreement at the conceptual level breeds deeper disagreement.

Routledge Library Editions: Peace Studies (12 Volume set) contains titles, originally published between 1928 and 1985. Looking at peace movements and the people involved in them around the world, who seek to learn lessons from war and find solutions to a peaceful existence. It includes titles from a number of well-known pacifists, both pre- and post-war who have influenced ideas and policy throughout the twentieth century.

Peace may be conceived of not only as the absence of physical or structural violence, but also positively as harmony between culture and structure. In that case, the values of a society must be known in order for us to assess the degree of peace. Since 'small peace' presupposes a shared symbolic reality, most instances existing today are small — e. g., religious communities — and 'world peace' will have to consist of a multitude of 'small peaces', which may also contain what the outsider will define as structural violence.

Making War and Building Peace examines how well United Nations peacekeeping missions work after civil war. Statistically analyzing all civil wars since 1945, the book compares peace processes that had UN involvement to those that didn't. Michael Doyle and Nicholas Sambanis argue that each mission must be designed to fit the conflict, with the right authority and adequate resources. UN missions can be effective by supporting new actors committed to the peace, building governing institutions, and monitoring and policing implementation of peace settlements. But the UN is not good at intervening in ongoing wars. If the conflict is controlled by spoilers or if the parties are not ready to make peace, the UN cannot play an effective enforcement role. It can, however, offer its technical expertise in multidimensional peacekeeping operations that follow enforcement missions undertaken by states or regional organizations such as NATO. Finding that UN missions are most effective in the first few years after the end of war, and that economic development is the best way to decrease the risk of new fighting in the long run, the authors also argue that the UN's role in launching development projects after civil war should be expanded. ; https://scholarship.law.columbia.edu/books/1259/thumbnail.jpg