The guiding principle of peacemaking and peacebuilding over the past quarter century has been "liberal peace": the promotion of democracy, capitalism, law, and respect for human rights. These components represent a historic effort to prevent a reoccurrence of the nationalism, fascism, and economic collapse that led to the World Wars as well as many later conflicts. Ultimately, this strategy has been somewhat successful in reducing war between countries, but it has failed to produce legitimate and sustainable forms of peace at the domestic level. The goals of peacebuilding have changed over time and place, but they have always been built around compromise via processes of intervention aimed at supporting "progress" in conflict-affected countries. They have simultaneously promoted changes in the regional and global order. As Oliver P. Richmond argues in this book, the concept of peace has evolved continuously through several eras: from the imperial era, through the states-system, liberal, and current neoliberal eras of states and markets. It holds the prospect of developing further through the emerging "digital" era of transnational networks, new technologies, and heightened mobility. Yet, as recent studies have shown, only a minority of modern peace agreements survive for more than a few years and many peace agreements and peacebuilding missions have become intractable, blocked, or frozen. This casts a shadow on the legitimacy, stability, and effectiveness of the overall international peace architecture, reflecting significant problems in the evolution of an often violently contested international and domestic order. This book examines the development of the international peace architecture, a "grand design" comprising various subsequent attempts to develop a peaceful international order. Richmond examines six main theoretical-historical stages in this process often addressed through peacekeeping and international mediation, including the balance of power mechanism of the 19th Century, liberal internationalism after World War I, and the expansion of rights and decolonization after World War II. It also includes liberal peacebuilding after the end of the Cold War, neoliberal statebuilding during the 2000s, and an as yet unresolved current "digital" stage. They have produced a substantial, though fragile, international peace architecture. However, it is always entangled with, and hindered by, blockages and a more substantial counter-peace framework. The Grand Design provides a sweeping look at the troubled history of peace processes, peacemaking, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding, and their effects on the evolution of international order. It also considers what the next stage may bring.

About the Author
Oliver P. Richmond is a Research Professor in International Relations, Peace and Conflict Studies in the Department of Politics at the University of Manchester, UK. He is International Professor at Dublin City University, Ireland, Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Tubingen, Germany, and a Visiting Professor at the University of Coimbra, Portugal. His publications include Peace Formation and Political Order in Conflict Affected Societies and Failed Statebuilding. He is editor of the Palgrave book series, Rethinking Peace and Conflict Studies, and co-editor of the journal, Peacebuilding.

Reviews
With his wide-angle historical lens, Richmond offers critical reflections on the formation and evolution of the international peace architecture. The breadth of his scholarship and the depth of his knowledge are truly impressive. * Richard Caplan, author of Measuring Peace: Principles, Practices, and Politics *
In this extraordinary book, Oliver Richmond engages with the intellectual traditions of war and peace to closely trace the evolution of the contemporary, layered peace architecture. Richmond provides profound insights into the complex relationship between power and peace, and exposes counter-peace processes, agents, and frameworks that act as blockages of peace. This book offers one of the best efforts of its kind yet, tracing liberal peace's core ideas from the time of Kant's Perpetual Peace to the convulsions of the current vexed moment. * Annika Bjoerkdahl, Professor of Political Science, Lund University *
In an ambitious tour-de-force, Oliver Richmond examines the shifting meanings and practices of peace over several centuries. Written by one of the most prolific and influential scholars in the field, The Grand Design reveals how an 'international peace architecture' emerged from the complex entanglement of peace and war during key historical moments. * Roland Bleiker, Professor of International Relations, University of Queensland *
In this book, Oliver Richmond once again delivers a text that sets the standard for the field. In an account that is both historically comprehensive and conceptually rigorous, The Grand Design highlights a gap in our knowledge and in so doing acknowledges the dilemmas that are inherent in the search for peace. * Ali Watson, Professor of International Relations, University of St Andrews, Scotland *
In The Grand Design, Oliver Richmond succeeds at his stated goal of illuminating the international peace architecture (IPA) at the macro-level. * Samantha Marie Gamez, swisspeace; University of Basel, International Peacekeeping. *



Book Information
ISBN 9780190850449
Author Oliver P. Richmond
Format Hardback
Page Count 312
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 580g
Dimensions(mm) 242mm * 164mm * 23mm