Suchergebnisse

AbstractThis concluding article looks at the findings of the special issue through the lens of the Swiss experience. It traces the development of Swiss peace promotion activities, emphasising the emergence of a fully institutionalized peace policy since the end of the Cold War. Drawing on role theory, it makes sense of this process by referring to changes in the structure of the international system, altered role expectations by external actors, as well as internal processes of role contestation. In comparison to other small states, the article argues that Switzerland can be seen as a paradigmatic case on some levels. Notably, Switzerland extended its peace promotion activities as part of a niche foreign policy, which emerged in response to the post‐Cold War world order as well as a change in dominant foreign policy role conceptions. At the same time, there are a number of idiosyncrasies: Switzerland as a non‐member of EU and NATO enjoys a higher degree of autonomy in crafting its peace policy and its peace promotion activities remain largely focused on civilian instruments.

The paper summarizes the crucial concerns of the author's two major book contributions (see note above) to peace research and peace policy. On the basis of some hypotheses about militarism as a means of societal rule, the economic role of arma ment-expenditures, particularly in the Federal Re public, are described. It is shown that, since the middle of the 1950s, there has existed an intensive interest on the part of industry for high domestic armament orders of the government. The principles of disarmament economics are discussed; and the absence of any governmental effort in this direction as well as the general aver sion of the economic power elite against effective economic alternatives (welfare planning etc.) to a militarization of (parts of) the economy are noted. Principles for a socially oriented peace policy in Western Europe are then formulated. These are based on the ideas of strong intensification of socio-economic and socio-cultural exchange (learn ing processes) between Western and Eastern Europe and a growing cooperation of the progressive social forces in Western Europe.

AbstractThis article seeks to solve the puzzle of what explains Irish peace policy norm consistency for over three centuries and the recent reversal of these norms. The methodology analyses values and identities in Irish leaders' foreign policy discourses and practices, producing evidence that Irish peace policy norms are consistently: independence and neutrality for Ireland in the cause of peace and security; self‐determination; anti‐imperialism; third world solidarity; and resistance to famine and slavery. In the early 1900s, after Ireland gained statehood, the addition of: institutional cooperation; a constitutional commitment to peaceful resolution of disputes; armed neutrality; UN peacekeeping; and an explicit subordination of material interests for moral, justice‐based norms, made this small postcolonial state an historically‐driven Natural Born Peacemaker. Elite‐led norm reversals consolidated in the 2000s suggests a vital explanatory relationship with elite corruption and associated specific personality characteristics, and the need to revise elite socialisation theory to incorporate these variables.