From its inception, the United Nations (UN) has engaged in preventive diplomacy in situations of conflict in order to prevent the outbreak of large-scale violence. A 2015 report on UN Peace Operations and support from UN Secretary-General António Guterres has led to renewed interest in preventing violence through diplomacy. This...
This edition of Peace Policy focuses on efforts to prevent and respond to mass atrocities which include genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, as well as ethnic cleansing. While much scholarly and political attention has been given to understanding how mass atrocities can be prevented, there is still a...
The case for disarmament as a moral imperative is strong, but more work is needed to address the new challenges that will arise as the world moves toward global zero. If nuclear policies lack moral (and legal) legitimacy, they will suffer from a lack of support at home and abroad....
Over the past 18 months the Kroc Institute has established a new program in Colombia, the Barometer Initiative, to apply the methodology from the Peace Accords Matrix project to the challenge of contemporaneous monitoring of the Colombia Peace Accord. The following three articles present the Peace Accords Matrix methodology and...
The President and other critics have called for terminating the nuclear agreement with Tehran, yet the evidence since 2015 shows that the deal has been successful at curbing Iran’s nuclear threat. This case confirms that sanctions and diplomacy can be effective means of achieving and sustaining nonproliferation policy objectives.
The November election results will have significant implications for U.S. international policy and the prospects for peace. In this issue we examine some of the challenges the new administration will face and the impact of past and future policy choices in relation to the war in Syria, debates about human...
The UN Charter links the goal of international peace to “conditions of economic and social progress and development.” Teachers, political leaders and scholars have long recognized that economic development is inextricably linked to the prevention and cessation of armed conflict. This issue of Peace Policy explores contemporary connections between development...
The Intercept’s release of leaked documents about the U.S. drone program and a controversial attempt to defend drone warfare by former CIA Director Michael Hayden have raised new questions about the ethical and strategic implications of using these weapons. The following essays examine the findings of the Intercept documents, question...
The year 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of the United Nations, an international organization created to maintain international peace and security while upholding fundamental human rights. The organization has witnessed many challenges since its creation, succeeding in some cases while failing in others. This issue of Peace Policy examines the...
The Iran nuclear agreement was concluded in Vienna on July 14, 2015, after years of negotiations between a group of six nations (the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, China, France, and Germany) and the government of Iran. Following approval from the UN Security Council and U.S. Congress, the Iranian...
Colombia is drawing closer to a negotiated settlement that may end its half-century of violent conflict. Researchers and practitioners deeply engaged in the Colombian peace process — including the 3 writers of this month's Peace Policy, have found that academic research, when applied to the ongoing negotiations, has provided tangible...
The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is a clear and present danger to international security. It must be stopped. The question is how. President Obama said there are no military solutions to this crisis, but he has sent U.S. soldiers back to Iraq, launched air strikes there and...
During the intense days of "Operation Protective Edge," in an atmosphere of intimidation within Israel, thousands of Israelis nonetheless flooded the main squares of cities protesting the occupation of Palestinian territories and the massacres in Gaza. Prospects for ending the conflict and securing justice may seem more distant than ever,...
Fifty-one years ago, Pope John XXIII issued his encyclical Pacem in Terris, which declared that “the arms race should cease” and urged that “all come to an agreement on a fitting program of disarmament.” It is time for a fresh examination of the moral and ethical issues involved in nuclear...
International peacekeeping missions have become more robust and multi-dimensional, involving diverse civilian and military actors. At the same time, civil society and regional organizations are taking on increasingly important roles in peacebuilding and development.
The hope is that the parties will finalize, with U.S. help, a framework for a peace agreement by the end of April.
Peace scholars are reaching a consensus on what predicts peace. Research shows that higher per-capita GDP, more education, and the inclusion of women and religious and ethnic minorities in public life are associated with stable peace. How can this research help practitioners understand the causes of violent conflict and how...
The Kroc Institute recently assembled some of the world's leading experts on counterterrorism strategy, ethics and the use of force, international law, and civil and human rights for a conference on drone warfare.
The challenge of building peace and preventing violence demands new ways of seeing and thinking. In this issue of Peace Policy, an expert in peace processes, an anthropologist, and a political scientist offer unexpected insights for researchers and policymakers.
The nature of armed conflict has changed dramatically. Gone is the paradigm of industrial war between states. Instead, conflicts have risen sharply within and beyond states. Today’s combatants use hit-and-run attack or violence against civilians rather than formal combat. Such tactics cannot be defeated by conventional military means.
Religion is a key factor — for good and for ill — affecting security around the world, from Iraq and Iran to Pakistan and Israel-Palestine. It also plays a leading role in many other conflicts, including those in Congo, Sudan, and Colombia. Serious attention to religious actors and dynamics in...
The U.S. will withdraw the bulk of its forces from Afghanistan by 2014. This transition is fraught with risk for Afghan women, many of whom have benefited for 10 years from greater access to education, health care, and political participation.
Peacebuilders often point to the importance of reaching sustainable peace accords. But few have attempted to examine the world's many comprehensive peace accords, and their myriad provisions, to see what works and what doesn’t. The Peace Accords Matrix (PAM) is a rich source of comparative information about peace agreements and...
The U.S. government’s list of “Foreign Terrorist Organizations” is a central part of a counter-terrorism strategy based on the isolation of individuals and groups who espouse violence defined as terrorism. Peacebuilding, on the other hand, proposes a strategy of engagement and deliberative dialogue, inclusive of all views.
President Obama has declared that the U.S. is committed to creating “the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons." Some progress has been achieved in negotiated arms reduction, but many in Washington cling to old ways of thinking.
