Thematic studies: Peace and conflict flashcards

Topic 4: Thematic studies: Peace and conflict

Name the four types of conflict the course distinguishes

Interstate (between states); intrastate (within a state, such as civil war); non-state (between non-state actors, with no state as a direct party); extra-state (between a state and a non-state actor beyond that state's own borders).

What are the six named causes of conflict?

Identity, ideology, interests, resources, socio-economic divisions and institutional arrangements. Real conflicts rarely have a single cause; strong answers show how causes interact.

Peacemaking, peacekeeping and peacebuilding

Peacemaking: negotiation and mediation to end violence, often leading to a treaty. Peacekeeping: maintaining a ceasefire or preventing renewed violence, for example UN missions. Peacebuilding: post-conflict work to prevent recurrence, such as rebuilding institutions and reconciliation.

What is a truth and reconciliation commission?

A transitional justice body that records abuses and acknowledges victims after conflict, to support reconciliation and prevent recurrence. Examples include commissions in the Gambia, Canada and Tunisia.

What is structural violence?

Harm caused by social, economic or institutional arrangements that stop people meeting their needs, rather than by direct physical force. It links most directly to the socio-economic-divisions and institutional-arrangements causes of conflict.

How does legitimacy shape responses to a conflict?

Combatants and outside actors claim or deny legitimacy for their use of force. Whether a party is accepted as legitimate affects recognition, sanctions, aid and intervention, so similar conflicts can draw very different international responses.

How does interdependence apply to peace and conflict?

Conflicts in one state create effects beyond its borders: refugee flows, economic disruption and security concerns for neighbours and the wider region.