Glopo: Peace & Conflict Vocab

Negative peace

absence of direct, physical violence or armed conflict, but without addressing underlying social, economic, or political injustice that may cause future unrest (no direct conflict, yet no solution)

ex. Myanmar, ethnic minorities still face discrimination and lack basic rights

direct violence

visible, intentional, and designed to hurt individuals or communities

ex. people in a state experiencing injury or death due to war

structural violence

structures of society or an organization that reveals itself as unequal power, which results in unequal opportunities.

ex. educational opportunities or medical services

cultural violence

aspects of culture, such as religion, art, language, sport, and ideology, which can be used to justify or legitimize direct or structural violence.

positive peace

presence of social justice through equal opportunity, rights, and structural harmony

ex. In Norway, everyone has access to free education and healthcare, which helps keep society fair and peaceful.

balance of power

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

feminist peace

understanding how gender change how power is used in situations and how conflict is experiences

ex. women are left out

destructive conflict

War and abusive behavior

ex. Ukraine/Russia

constructive conflict

disagreement or struggle that leads to positive changes or improvements in society.

ex. civil rights movement because protests and actions helped end segregation and improve equality.

strategic non-violence

using non-violence as a tactic to achieve political goals

ex. Martin Luther King Jr.s’ civil rights marches

non-violent resistance

fighting for change where people use peaceful actions, like protests, strikes, or boycotts, instead of violence, to pressure an opponent and achieve political goals.

ex. civil rights movement, people peacefully marched, boycotted buses, and held sit-ins to end racial segregation, without using violence.

pacifism

used in narrow sense to mean opposition to war

ex. Mahatma Gandhi led India’s independence movement through peaceful protests instead of fighting a war.

geneva conventions

Basis of international humanitarian laws, or the laws of war or conflict

primary disputants

parties (individuals or groups) that oppose one another in the conflict

interstate conflict

occurs between 2+ internationally recognized sovereign states

ex. Russia and Ukraine military conflict

intrastate conflict

conflict within the borders of a single sovereign states between gov and non-gov actors

ex. Syrian Civil War, where fighting occurs within one country between the government and various rebel groups.

secondary parties to conflict

indirect stake in the outcome of the conflict

ex. Syrian Civil War, countries like Russia and the United States supported different sides, even though they were not the main parties in Syria.

third parties to conflict

mediators, arbitrators or dialogue facilitators actively trying to cool or end hostilities (also bystanders)

ex. South Sudan, local community leaders and NGOs acted held meetings to help different ethnic groups talk and reduce tensions.

violent state actors

government, government controlled group that uses physical force to achieve political, security or territorial goals

ex. military actors, paramilitary actors,

collective defense

one member of a group of states is attacked, all the other members agree to defend it as if they were attacked themselves.

violent non-state actors

group that uses force to achieve political, ideological, or economic goals but is not officially linked to any government

ex. terrorist organizations, criminal gangs, etc

non-violent state actors

government or government-controlled institutions that pursues political or policy goals without using force

non-violent non-state actors

group or organization that operates independently from any government and works to influence political, social or economic issues, without using force

track 1 diplomacy

negotiation, peacekeeping, arbitration, peace support, mediation with muscle. Exchange and threat power dominate

ex. Camp David Accords (1978) because it involved official leaders negotiating peace.

track 2 diplomacy

non-government people like experts, NGOs, or community leaders work behind the scenes to solve conflicts through dialogue and cooperation.

ex. South Sudan, local community leaders and NGOs held meetings to help different ethnic groups talk and resolve tensions, even though they were not official government negotiators.

non-state conflict

conflict between 2 organized groups (neither is a state)

extrastate conflict

country fights a non-state group outside its own borders, and the conflict can spread beyond one country.

ex. US fighting al-Qaeda terrorist groups

identity conflict

how people define themselves both fixed and dynamic, current and historical

ex. Israel–Palestine as both groups see the same land as central to their history, culture, and nationhood.

interest-based conflict

defending group interests, usually economic or power related

ex. Workers striking for higher wages against a company because both sides want to protect their economic interests.

human needs theory of conflict

human needs must be satisfied to resolve conflict, threatened human needs lead to conflict

ex. Israeli–Palestinian: security, access to land, and political recognition, which fuel ongoing tensions.

ideological conflict

Beliefs, values, ideas that form our world views and influence our actions

ex. Israeli–Palestinian involve differing beliefs about national identity, religion, and the right to the land.

“just war” theory

ensure wars are morally justifiable and that they are conducted in just ways

ex. UN intervention in South Korea to stop North Korea from taking over South Korea.

symmetric conflict

opposing forces have similar military resources, strategies, and tactics

ex. Iran–Iraq War because both countries had similar armies and fought long, direct battles.

asymmetric conflict

conflict between a stronger and weaker party

ex. Israeli–Palestinian: Israel has much stronger military power, and Palestinian groups use smaller-scale attacks

guerrilla warfare

use of hit-and-run tactics by small groups of fighters who use knowledge of land and sympathetic civilians to fight larger, more traditional force

ex. china tells its military that they must starve before the people of the country making the people of the country want to give back to military

counterinsurgency (COIN)

when a government uses military and non-military actions to stop rebel groups trying to overthrow or challenge the state.

ex. The Afghan government, supported by international forces, carried out operations to weaken the taliban by fighting them and trying to win support from local communities.

terrorism

Asymmetric warfare characterized by violence targeting non-combatants

cyber conflict (cyberwar)

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

ex. Russia and Ukraine both sides targeted each other’s government websites and critical systems.

non-violent conflict

bringing about social change and improving human rights

ex. social movements, resistance movements

peacemaking

people or organizations try to stop a conflict that is happening by using talks, negotiation, or diplomacy to reach an agreement between the fighting parties.

ex. The Camp David Accords (1978) between Egypt and Israel where leaders negotiated to end years of conflict and make peace.

mediation

Process of conflict management that involve the intervention of an outsider into a conflict between 2 or more states or other actors

ex. UN mediated between Israel and Egypt

peace treaties

formal agreements to end a conflict that include peace terms

ex. Treaty of Versailles (1919)

sanctions

restrictive measures imposed by one or more countries on a state, organization, or individual to influence behavior

ex. trade bans, financial restriction, or travel prohibitions

embargoes

total ban on a product if it is deemed dangerous

ex. UN placed an arms embargo on North Korea to stop the country from getting weapons that could be used dangerously.

election observers

helping to prevent and deter conflict

ex. ensuring elections are transparent, fair, and credible

peacekeeping

Sending international forces to help enforce ceasefires, protect civilians, and support peaceful solutions to conflicts.

ex. UNMISS in Kashmir and Jammu, help report whether anything happens

genocide

deliberate killing of one ethnic, racial, or religious group, with the aim of destroying that group

ex. Rwandan Genocide

peacebuilding

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

restorative justice

dealing with crime or wrongdoing that focuses on repairing harm and helping the victim, the offender, and the community heal, instead of just punishing the offender.

ex. New Zealand allows victims of minor crimes and offenders to meet, talk about the harm caused, and agree on ways to make amends.

truth & reconciliation commissions

official groups set up to uncover the truth about past human rights abuses, give victims a voice, and help a country heal after conflict or dictatorship

ex. Sudan made programs to investigate human rights abuses and give victims a chance to tell their stories