Peace and Conflict Studies Glossary

A formal agreement to stop fighting, typically as a prelude to peace negotiations. Unlike a peace treaty, an armistice does not resolve the underlying issues of the conflict.

A temporary or permanent halt to hostilities agreed upon by warring parties. May be unilateral or bilateral and can be a precursor to formal peace negotiations.

A form of political action that uses nonviolent methods such as strikes, boycotts, and mass demonstrations to challenge oppressive power structures and achieve political change.

A systematic study of the profile, causes, actors, and dynamics of a conflict, used to inform effective intervention strategies for resolution, transformation, or prevention.

The methods and processes involved in facilitating the peaceful ending of conflict and retribution, including negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and adjudication.

An approach that addresses the deeper relational, structural, and cultural dimensions of conflict, seeking to change destructive patterns into constructive processes of social change.

Aspects of a society's symbolic sphere, including religion, ideology, language, and art, that can be used to justify or legitimize direct or structural violence.

A strategy aimed at discouraging an adversary from taking an unwanted action, typically by threatening severe retaliation. Nuclear deterrence during the Cold War is the most prominent example.

Physical, visible acts of violence committed by identifiable actors, including killing, assault, torture, and destruction of property. One of three forms in Galtung's violence triangle.

The process of reducing, limiting, or abolishing weapons. In post-conflict settings, it involves the collection and destruction of arms held by combatants as part of DDR programs.

The systematic collection and analysis of information to anticipate the escalation of conflict and enable timely preventive action by governments or international organizations.

Armed conflict in which the primary parties identify themselves or are identified by others on the basis of ethnic, national, or tribal affiliation, often exacerbated by political mobilization of ethnic identity.

Acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group, as defined by the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

A people-centered approach to security that focuses on protecting individuals from threats to their physical safety, economic welfare, health, and dignity, rather than solely on state territorial defense.

The use of military force by external actors in a sovereign state to protect civilians from mass atrocities, often debated in terms of legitimacy, sovereignty, and effectiveness.

A doctrine of military ethics that establishes criteria for when going to war is justified (jus ad bellum) and how war should be conducted (jus in bello), with roots in the writings of Augustine and Thomas Aquinas.

A voluntary conflict resolution process in which a neutral third party facilitates communication between disputing parties to help them reach a mutually acceptable agreement.

The absence of direct violence or armed conflict, without necessarily addressing the underlying structural or cultural causes. Coined by Johan Galtung.

The range of measures implemented to reduce the risk of relapsing into conflict by strengthening national capacity for conflict management and building foundations for sustainable peace.

The deployment of international personnel, typically under UN mandate, to help maintain peace and security in conflict-affected areas, usually with the consent of the parties involved.

The presence of attitudes, institutions, and structures that create and sustain peaceful societies, including social justice, equity, rule of law, and inclusive governance.

The process of rebuilding relationships and trust between former adversaries after conflict, involving acknowledgment of past wrongs, healing, and the restoration of social bonds.

A global political commitment affirming that sovereignty entails the responsibility to protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity.

Violence built into social, political, and economic structures that results in unequal power, life chances, and access to resources, causing harm without any single actor committing direct violence.

The full range of processes and mechanisms associated with a society's attempt to come to terms with a legacy of large-scale past abuses, in order to ensure accountability, serve justice, and achieve reconciliation.