Global Politics Peace and Conflict

Direct Violence

It’s Intentional and personal, intends to hurt someone physically or psychologically, and the violence can be instantly seen.

Ex. Russian missile strikes on Ukraine harming mutliple civilians

Negative Peace

Is the absnece of direct or personal violence and nothing has been done to improve the societal structures that may have caused the probelm in the first place

Structural Violence

Violence that is caused by structures in society. More likely to go unnoticed and don’t have a specific target like direct violence does.

Cultural Violence

A means of justifying or legitimizing direct or structural violence through aspects of culture like religion, art, language, ideology, etc.

Positive peace

Removal of structural and cultural violence

Balance of power theory

The best way to guarantee national security is to ensure no single country is powerful enough to control others in their region or anywhere in the world

Feminist peace

Trying to understand how aspects like gender, origin, class, and other parts of an individual’s identity change how power is used in a situation. The overall aim is to redefine our idea of peace to include the people who went through the conflict, not just the states.

Destructive conflict

Conflict that destroys

Constructive conflict

Conflict that places pressure on ideals and ultimately allows for progress to be achieved in society

Strategic Non violence

Taking a nonviolent approach because it is the most effective tool to achieve ones desired outcome

Non violent resistance

a method of struggle in which unharmed people confront an adversary by using collective action in forms like protest demonstrations, strikes, etc to build power and achieve political goals.

Pacifism

a philosophical position that rejects the use of violence on moral grounds and can also be referred to as principled nonviolence

Geneva conventions

forms the basis of international humanitarian law, or the laws of war conflict

Primary Disputants

the parties that oppose one another in the conflict and are the primary actors

Interstate conflict

A dispute between two conflicts

Intrastate conflict

military conflict within states

Secondary parties to conflict

They have an indirect stake in the outcome of the conflict and often provide assistance or support to their allies in the conflict and often provide assistance or support to their allies in the conflict, but are not directly involved in the conflict itself

Third parties to conflict

could be mediators, bystanders who are pulled into the conflict and forced to choose a side, or non-combatant new individuals who are negatively affected by the conflict for a long time.

Violent state actors

State actors seek to achieve their goals by violent means

Collective defense

Taking defense measures when one member of a group is harmed, all members of the group collectively invoke defense measures

Violent Non state actors

Non-state actors engaging in conflict to achieve their goals by violent means

Non-violent state actors

Actors of the state like diplomats seeking not only to make change non-violently but also actively attempting to achieve peace

Non-Violent non state actors

non state actors seeking to make change non violently and acheive peace

Non state conflict

conflict between two organized groups, neither of which is a state

Extra state conflict

Conflict between a state and non state entity that doesn’t stay in the border of a singular state

Identity Conflicts

This is a type of conflict that arises when individuals or groups are trying to achieve their interests and competing against others to secure them.

Interest Based Conflict

Conflict that is created by individuals or groups trying to achieve their interests and competing against others to secure them.

Human needs theory of conflict

People have basic human needs that must be met to maintain harmony so that conflict does not ensue

Ideological conflict

Ideology is said to involve some or all of a person’s beliefs, values, and ideas that shape their views and affect their actions. Ideological conflicts are created when differences in beliefs arise, and it can be both minor or major.

Just war theory

This theory looks to see if going to war is morally justified and are conducted in a just way

Symmetric conflict

When both parties in the conflict have a similar level of power.

Asymmetric Conflict

When parties in the conflict have evident stronger and weaker party.

Guerrilla Warfare

When small local groups of fighters, which are often local militia groups or insurgents, fight a larger and less mobile traditional military through small acts of warfare, which often a surprise at the opposition.

Counterinsurgency

strategies and operations a government implements to suppress/ eliminate an insurgency, similar to guerrilla tactics but with more complete goals, like controlling the resources of a country.

Terrorism

violence created through dramatic surprise attacks to capture attention and create fear, and often targets non-combatants

Cyber Conflict

When a state or non-state actors use digital tools to attack, defend, or exploit the information systems of a party, they are in conflict with.

Non-Violent Conflict

Expressing a wanting for change in non-violent forms such as protests, petitions, strikes, etc.

Peacemaking

Measures to address conflict in progress and usually involve diplomatic action to bring hostile parties to a negotiated agreement.

Mediation

Process of conflict management that involves the intervention of an outsider into a conflict between two or more stated or other actors.

Peace treaties

Formal agreements to end a conflict that include peace terms

ex. In 2016, a peace treaty was signed by both the Colombian government and FARC to end the conflict that had lasted over 50 years.

Sanctions

Measures of encouragement or punishment designed to reinforce a decision or make a policy authoritative

Embargos

A type of sanction on a country that can be comprehensive or selective, meaning it can cover all goods and services or only certain commodities.

ex. In 2006, the UN sanctioned Iran with an embargo on supplying, selling, or transferring arms or related materials to or from Iran, all in response to their nuclear program.

Election Observers

People who serve as proof of whether an election was transparent, fair, and credible. Their overall role is to add more legitimacy to an election.

Ex. the Carter Center has trained impartial, credible election observers to support states so they can ensure legitimate elections.

Genocide

a coordinated plan of actions aiming at the destruction of the essential foundation of life of national groups, with the aim of annihilating the groups themselves

Peace building

the process of developing a positive peace so that the likelihood of conflict is minimized

Restorative Justice

An approach to justice that seeks to address the harm caused by criminal or wrongful acts through a process of reconciliation.

Truth and reconciliation commitees

People who investigate and report on past injustice and human rights abuses in societies that have experienced prolonged periods of conflict or authoritarian rule.

Ex.  the Canadian TRC looking into the impacts of the Indian residential schooling system in canada where gov funded school operated by Christian churches would separate Indigenous children from their homes and force them to assimilate. The TRC wanted to attempt reconciliation between the students’ families and Canadian society.