This book provides an analytical framework for understanding how the concept of quality peace can be used to evaluate post-conflict peacebuilding, using social science, statistics, and case studies.

Including contributions from more than 20 researchers and practitioners, it argues that the quality of the peace in a post-conflict state relates to the extent to which peace accords are implemented, the agreed-upon mechanism for the non-violent resolution of the conflict, and the available social space for civil and political actors. To arrive at the concept of 'quality peace', the authors evaluate the existing literature and identify a lack of a satisfactory means of measuring outcomes, and consequently how these might be researched comparatively. The volume problematizes the 'quality peace' concept as a way to understand the origins of armed conflict as well as problems deriving from the conflict dynamics and the need for social, political, and economic changes in the post-conflict periods.

The book emphasizes five dimensions as crucial for quality peace in a post-accord society. Negotiations and agreements not only aim at avoiding the return of war but also seek to: (1) promote reconciliation, (2) develop mechanisms for resolving future disputes, (3) provide for reliable security, (4) open economic opportunities for marginalized segments of the population, and (5) generate space for civil society. These five dimensions together provide for quality peace after war. They are studied in the context of internal armed conflicts in which multiple parties have signed a peace agreement.

This book will be of great interest to students of peace and conflict studies, civil wars, global governance, security studies, and International Relations in general.

About the Author

Madhav Joshi is Research Associate Professor and Associate Director of the Peace Accords Matrix project at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame, USA.

Peter Wallensteen is Professor of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University, Sweden, and University of Notre Dame, USA. He is editor/author of many books, including, recently, Understanding Conflict Resolution (4th edition, 2015), Quality Peace: Peacebuilding, Victory and World Order (2015), and Regional Organisations and Peacemaking (co-editor, Routledge 2014).

Reviews

'Quality peace is the only kind of peace that meets the true needs of those who have experienced the devastating effects of civil war. In this wide-ranging volume, expert researchers probe what can make quality peace effective and lasting.' -- Michael Doyle, Columbia University, USA

'Understanding Quality Peace gives us a new, useful concept by which to assess both peace agreements and post-war societies. The volume will be helpful to students and policymakers seeking to conceptualize and analyze sustainable peace. It answers a need to go beyond the "negative peace" of minimal stability, but not to unrealistically expect "positive peace" of egalitarian, wealthy consolidated democracy in places like Somalia and Haiti.' -- Charles T. Call, American University, USA

'This volume deepens our insights into the conditions after a peace agreement in civil wars. It takes up factors that that are proven to be conducive for preventing war recurrence. By analyzing five crucial dimensions in global work as well as through cases studies it focuses on the qualities that are required for sustaining peace. Thus, this book specifies the state of the art, stimulates further research and gives directions for peace making.' -- Anna Jarstad, Umea University, Sweden

'Based on decades of empirical evidence, clear case studies, and a well-rounded theoretical understanding the editors and authors in this volume break new ground that helps us transcend the binary notion of negative or positive peace. Understanding Quality Peace gives us an excellent platform, engaging for the practitioner and the theorist, that helps us shift toward evidence-based approaches to peacebuilding in the aftermath of war.' -- John Paul Lederach, Professor Emeritus, Kroc Institute, University of Notre Dame, USA

'[T]he book presents a very practical approach to peacebuilding, engaging predominantly with the debate related to the critical assessment of the strategies and operational policies of international peacebuilders...Taking as a starting point Wallensteen's 2015 book, this edited book advances the discussion on quality peace, while elucidating some aspects that were previously unclear.'--Roberta Holanda Maschietto, University of Coimbra, International Peacekeeping Journal

Book Information
ISBN 9781138307681
Author Madhav Joshi
Format Paperback
Page Count 292
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 460g