Quality Peace ─ Peacebuilding, Victory, and World Order

In this book the notion of Quality Peace is introduced as the author searches for a way to capture peaceful relations within states, between states and in the world. The challenge to scholarship as well as world diplomacy is the recurrence of war between the same parties. Thus, this book systematically goes through war experiences and peace efforts since the-Second World War. It compares two different war outcomes: victory versus a negotiated ending through a peace agreement.

Methodologically the analysis is based on quantitative studies, and on illustrative cases. It introduces a measurable definition of quality peace, which is seen as a relationship building on dignity, safety and predictability. It relates this to the global conditions, finding a linkage between different levels of world order. Thus, the author concludes that 'world order' has to have a particular quality beyond a distribution of power for war not to recur. The ambition is to capture the factual relations that the world has witnessed in this period and at the same time relate this to quality criteria. The conclusions are based on solid empirical evidence as well as logical theoretical reasoning.

The book Toward Quality Peace presents an original formulation of what 'peace' means, demonstrates its utility for international affairs, finds ways to measure it and thus adds a novel concept to our understanding of peace and war. It is highly relevant for scholarship, teaching and practice. It comes at a time when there is growing concern about the direction of world affairs.

Richard Starmann Research Professor of Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame, and Dag Hammerskjold Chair of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University