View source for Peace

{{Short description|State of harmony in the absence of hostility and violence}}
{{hatnote group|
{{Other uses}}
{{redirect|Peacetime|the album|Peacetime (album){{!}}''Peacetime'' (album)|the film|Peacetime (film){{!}}''Peacetime'' (film)}}
}}
{{refimprove|date=August 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
[[File:Peace dove (3329620077).jpg|thumb|upright=.8|[[Peace dove]] statue in [[Lomé]], [[Togo]], Africa. The [[dove]] and the [[olive branch]] are the most common symbols associated with peace.<ref>{{multiref2
|1={{cite web |title=UN Logo and Flag |url=https://www.un.org/en/sections/about-un/un-logo-and-flag/index.html |website=United Nations |access-date=10 December 2020 |archive-date=26 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201226052729/https://www.un.org/en/sections/about-un/un-logo-and-flag/index.html |url-status=dead }}
|2={{cite web |title=International Day of Peace 2020 Poster |url=https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/idp-2020-poster-en-print-pro.pdf |website=UN.org |publisher=United Nations |access-date=10 December 2020 |archive-date=24 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924224523/https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/idp-2020-poster-en-print-pro.pdf |url-status=dead}} }}</ref>]]
[[File:Eiréné et Ploutos.JPG|thumb|upright|Statue of [[Eirene (goddess)|Eirene]], goddess of peace in ancient Greek religion, with the infant [[Plutus]]]]
'''Peace''' is a state of harmony in the absence of [[hostility]] and [[violence]]. In a [[societal]] sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict and freedom from [[fear]] of violence between individuals or groups.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Woodhouse |first=Tom |date=2022-01-27 |title=A brief history of peace |url=https://www.visionofhumanity.org/a-brief-history-of-peace/ |access-date=2025-08-11 |website=Vision of Humanity |language=en-US}}</ref> 

Promotion of peace is a core tenet of many philosophies, [[religions]], and [[Ideology|ideologies]], many of which consider it a core tenet of their [[philosophy]]. Some examples are: [[Religion|religions]] such as [[Buddhism]], [[Christianity]], [[Jainism]], and [[Islam]], important figures like [[Mahatma Gandhi|Gandhi]] and [[Martin Luther King Jr.]], and literary writings like "[[Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch]]" by Immanuel Kant, "[[Morihei Ueshiba|The Art of Peace"]] by [[Morihei Ueshiba]], or ideologies that strictly adhere to it such as [[Pacifism]] within a [[Political sociology|sociopolitical]] scope. It is a frequent subject of [[peace symbols|symbolism]] and features prominently in art and other cultural traditions.

The representation of peace has taken many diverse shapes and symbols based on culture, context, and [[history]], each with their respective symbolism whose nature can be very complex. An example, being during [[Post-war|post-violence]], in contexts where intense [[Emotion|emotions]], these symbols can form to evoke unity and [[cooperation]], described as to fill [[Collective|groups of people]] with [[pride]] and connection, yet the symbolism could also possibly form to convey [[oppression]], hatred, or else.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Moeschberger |first1=Scott L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oLEpBAAAQBAJ |title=Symbols that Bind, Symbols that Divide: The Semiotics of Peace and Conflict |last2=DeZalia |first2=Rebekah A. Phillips |date=2014-05-14 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3-319-05464-3 |language=en}}</ref>
As such, a universal definition for peace does not concretely exist but gets expanded and defined proactively based on context and culture, in which it can serve many meanings not particularly benevolent in its symbolism.

"Psychological peace" (such as peaceful thinking and emotions) is less relatively well-defined, yet perhaps{{explain|date=December 2024}} a necessary precursor to establishing "behavioural peace". Peaceful behaviour sometimes results from a "peaceful inner disposition". It has been argued by some that inner qualities such as [[tranquility]], [[patience]], [[respect]], [[compassion]], [[kindness]], [[self-control]], [[courage]], [[moderation]], [[forgiveness]], [[equanimity]], and the ability to see the big picture can promote peace within an individual, regardless of the external circumstances of their life.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Galtung |first=Johan |title=Peace by Peaceful Means: Peace and Conflict, Development and Civilization |date=1996-07-31 |publisher=SAGE Publications Ltd |isbn=978-0-8039-7511-8 |edition=1st |location=Los Angeles |language=English}}</ref>

== Etymology ==
[[File:Beowulf - frithu sibb.jpg|thumb|Before the word 'peace' came into English lexicon, Anglo-Saxons used a phrase "{{lang|ang|friðu sibb}}" for "pledge of peace".]]
The term 'peace' originates from the Anglo-French {{lang|xno|pes}}, and the Old French {{lang|fro|pais}}, meaning "peace, reconciliation, silence, agreement" (11th century).<ref>{{cite web|website=Online Etymology Dictionary|url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/peace|title=peace|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214011459/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=peace&allowed_in_frame=0 |archive-date=14 December 2013 }}</ref> The Anglo-French term {{lang|xno|pes}} itself comes from the [[Latin]] {{lang|la|pax}}, meaning "peace, compact, agreement, treaty of peace, tranquility, absence of hostility, harmony."

The English word came into use in various personal greetings from {{circa|1300}} as a translation of the Hebrew word {{transliteration|he|[[shalom]]}}, which, according to Jewish theology, comes from a Hebrew verb meaning 'to be complete, whole'.<ref>{{cite web|last=Benner|first=Jeff|title=Ancient Hebrew Word Meanings: Peace ~ shalom|website=Ancient Hebrew Research centre|url=http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/27_peace.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426232655/http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/27_peace.html |archive-date=26 April 2014}}</ref> Although "peace" is the usual translation, it is an incomplete one, because {{transliteration|he|shalom}}, which is also cognate with the Arabic {{transliteration|ar|[[S-L-M|salaam]]}}, has multiple other meanings in addition to peace, including justice, good health, safety, well-being, prosperity, equity, security, good fortune, and friendliness, as well as simply the greetings, "hello" and "goodbye".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Peace Sign|url=https://innerpeacezone.com/peace_sign/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-12-17|website=Inner Peace Zone|date=28 August 2021|language=en-US|archive-date=20 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920213111/https://innerpeacezone.com/peace_sign/}}</ref>

On a personal level, peaceful behaviours are kind, considerate, respectful, just, and tolerant of others' beliefs and behaviors – tending to manifest goodwill. This understanding of peace can also pertain to an individual's introspective sense or concept of her/himself, as in being "at peace" in one's own mind, as found in European references from {{circa|1200}}. The early English term is also used in the sense of "quiet", reflecting calm, serene, and meditative approaches to family or group relationships that have an absence of quarreling, disturbances and agitation; but seek clarity of conversation, and tranquility.

In many languages, the word 'peace' is also used as a greeting or a farewell, for example the Hawaiian word {{lang|haw|[[aloha]]}}, as well as the Arabic word {{transliteration|ar|salaam}}. In English the word peace is occasionally used as a farewell, especially for the dead, as in the phrases "[[rest in peace]]" or "[[wikt:peace out|peace out]]".

== History ==
[[File:Kroisos BMC 31.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.25|[[croeseid|Croeseid coin]] of [[Croesus]] ({{circa|{{BCE|550}}}}), depicting the Lion and Bull — partly symbolizing alliance between Lydia and Greece, respectively]]
Peace was forged through [[diplomacy]] in the form of royal marriages, both in the distant past and in modern times. Two early examples of royal marriages being used to establish diplomatic relations are [[Hermodike I]], who married the king of [[Phrygia]] around 800 BCE,<ref>{{cite book |title=The Cambridge Ancient History |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1997 |editor-last=Boederman |editor-first=John |page=832}}{{volume needed|date=August 2023}}</ref> and [[Hermodike II]], who married the king of [[Lydia]] around 600 BCE.<ref>{{cite book |last=Nilsson |first=Martin P. |title=Mycenaean Origin of Greek Mythology |publisher=Univ. of California Press |year=1983 |page=48}}</ref> Both marriages involved Greek princesses from the house of [[Agamemnon]] and kings from what is now Turkey.<ref>{{cite web|first=Amelia|last=Dowler|title=Gold coin of Croesus|website=A History of the World|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/7cEz771FSeOLptGIElaquA|access-date=12 March 2019|archive-date=22 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100122003748/http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/7cEz771FSeOLptGIElaquA|url-status=live}}</ref> The marriages between the Greek princesses and the kings of [[Phrygia]] and [[Lydia]] had a significant impact on the region, leading to the transfer of important technological innovations from [[Anatolia]] to [[Greece]]. In particular, the Phrygians introduced the Greek alphabet, while the Lydians pioneered the use of coinage as a form of currency. Both inventions were rapidly adopted by surrounding nations through further trade and cooperation.

Peace has not always been achieved through peaceful means; in many cases, it has been enforced by the victors of war, often through the use of violence and coercion. In his work ''[[Agricola (book)|Agricola]]'', the Roman historian Tacitus, writes passionately and critically about the greed and arrogance of the Roman Empire, portraying it as a ruthless and self-serving power. One, that Tacitus says is by the [[Caledonia]]n chieftain [[Calgacus]], ends with: "{{lang|la|Auferre trucidare rapere falsis nominibus imperium, atque ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant.}}" ("To ravage, to slaughter, to usurp under false titles, they call empire; and where they make a desert, they call it peace." —Oxford Revised Translation).

Discussion of peace is therefore at the same time an inquiry into its form.<ref>{{cite book|last=Šmihula|first=Daniel|year=2013|title=The Use of Force in International Relations|page=129|publisher=VEDA, Publishing House of the Slovak Academy of Sciences |isbn=978-80-224-1341-1}}</ref> Societal peace can be seen at least in two forms:
# A simple silence of arms, absence of war.
# Absence of war accompanied by particular requirements for the mutual settlement of relations, which are characterized by justice, mutual respect, respect for law, and good will.

Since 1945, the [[United Nations]] and the [[United Nations Security Council]] have operated under the aim to resolve conflicts without war. Nonetheless, nations have entered numerous military conflicts since then.

==Organizations and prizes==

=== United Nations ===
{{Main|United Nations}}

{{See also|List of United Nations peacekeeping missions}}
[[File:UNpeacekeeping.svg|thumb|upright=1.75|[[List of United Nations peacekeeping missions|United Nations peacekeeping missions]]. Dark blue regions indicate current missions, while light blue regions represent former missions.]]
The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achieving world peace. The UN was founded in 1945 after World War II to replace the League of Nations, to stop wars between countries, and to provide a platform for dialogue.

After authorization by the [[United Nations Security Council|Security Council]], the UN sends peacekeepers to regions where armed conflict has recently ceased or paused to enforce the terms of peace agreements and to discourage combatants from resuming hostilities. Since the UN does not maintain its own military, peacekeeping forces are voluntarily provided by member states of the UN. The forces, also called the "Blue Helmets", who enforce UN accords are awarded [[United Nations Medal]]s, which are considered [[international decoration]]s instead of military decorations. The peacekeeping force as a whole received the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] in 1988.

===Police===

{{Main|Police}}
	
The obligation of the state to provide for domestic peace within its borders is usually charged to the police and other general domestic policing activities. The police are a constituted body of [[Law enforcement officer|persons]] empowered by a [[State (polity)|state]] to [[law enforcement|enforce the law]], to protect the lives, liberty and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder.<ref>{{cite web|title =The Role and Responsibilities of the Police|publisher =Policy Studies Institute|url =http://www.psi.org.uk/publications/archivepdfs/Role%20pol/INDPOL-0.P.pdf|access-date =22 December 2009|page =xii|archive-date =29 August 2017|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20170829011701/http://www.psi.org.uk/publications/archivepdfs/Role%20pol/INDPOL-0.P.pdf|url-status =usurped}}</ref> Their powers include the power of arrest and the legitimized use of force. The term is most commonly associated with the police forces of a [[sovereign state]] that are authorized to exercise the [[Police power (United States constitutional law)|police power]] of that state within a defined legal or territorial area of responsibility. Police forces are often defined as being separate from the military and other organizations involved in the defense of the state against foreign aggressors; however, [[gendarmerie]] are military units charged with civil policing.<ref name="Lioe">{{cite book | first = Kim Eduard| last = Lioe| title = Armed Forces in Law Enforcement Operations? – The German and European Perspective|edition= 1989|pages= 52–57 | publisher = Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg| isbn= 978-3-642-15433-1| date = 3 December 2010}}</ref> Police forces are usually public sector services, funded through taxes.

===National security===
{{Main|National security}}

The national security apparatus of a nation is responsible for providing peace and security against foreign threats and aggression. National security can be threatened by a range of factors, including actions by other states (such as military or cyber attacks), violent non-state actors (such as terrorist attacks), organized criminal groups (such as narcotic cartels), and natural disasters (such as floods and earthquakes).<ref name="Romm 1993">{{Cite book|title=Defining national security: the nonmilitary aspects |last=Romm |first=Joseph J.|author-link=Joseph J. Romm |year=1993 |publisher=Council on Foreign Relations |series=Pew Project on America's Task in a Changed World (Pew Project Series) |isbn=978-0-87609-135-7 |pages=122 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=shxDOnuVcyYC |access-date=22 September 2010 <!-- (full view) -->}}</ref>{{rp|v, 1–8}}<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Losing control : global security in the twenty-first century|last=Rogers|first=P|date=2010|publisher=Pluto Press|isbn=9780745329376|edition=3rd|location=London|oclc=658007519}}</ref> Systemic drivers of insecurity, which may be transnational, include [[economic inequality]] and marginalisation, [[Social exclusion|political exclusion]], [[climate change]], and [[nuclear proliferation]].<ref name=":0" /> In view of the wide range of risks, the preservation of peace and the security of a nation state have several dimensions, including economic security, energy security, physical security, environmental security, food security, border security, and cyber security. These dimensions correlate closely with elements of national power.

===League of Nations===
The principal forerunner of the United Nations was the [[League of Nations]]. It was created at the [[Paris Peace Conference, 1919|Paris Peace Conference of 1919]], and emerged from the advocacy of [[Woodrow Wilson]] and other idealists during World War I. The Covenant of the League of Nations was included in the [[Treaty of Versailles]] in 1919, and the League was based in [[Geneva]] until its dissolution as a result of World War II and replacement by the United Nations. The high hopes widely held for the League in the 1920s, for example amongst members of the [[League of Nations Union]], gave way to widespread disillusion in the 1930s as the League struggled to respond to challenges from Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Japan.

The prominent scholar, [[Alfred Eckhard Zimmern|Sir Alfred Eckhard Zimmern]], who is widely regarded as one of the most influential intellectuals of the League of Nations, drew inspiration for his studies from the classics, along with other British scholars such as Gilbert Murray and Florence Stawell. This group of scholars is often referred to as the "Greece and peace" set, due to their shared interest in ancient Greek civilization and the promotion of peace.

The creation of the League of Nations, and the hope for informed public opinion on international issues (expressed for example by the [[Union for Democratic Control]] during World War I), also saw the creation after World War I of bodies dedicated to understanding international affairs, such as the [[Council on Foreign Relations]] in New York and the [[Royal Institute of International Affairs]] at [[Chatham House]] in London. At the same time, the academic study of international relations started to professionalise, with the creation of the first professorship of international politics, named for Woodrow Wilson, at [[Aberystwyth]], Wales, in 1919.

===Olympic Games===
The late 19th century idealist advocacy of peace which led to the creation of the [[Nobel Peace Prize]], the [[Rhodes Scholarships]], the [[Carnegie Endowment for International Peace]], and ultimately the [[League of Nations]], also saw the re-emergence of the ancient Olympic ideal. Led by [[Pierre de Coubertin]], this culminated in the holding in 1896 of the first of the modern [[Olympic Games]].

===Nobel Peace Prize===
{{Main|Nobel Peace Prize}}

[[File:Jean Henri Dunant.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Henry Dunant]] was awarded the first Nobel Peace Prize for his role in founding the [[International Red Cross]].]]
Since 1901, the Nobel Peace Prize has been the world's most prestigious honor given to individuals or organizations who have made significant contributions to peace. The prize is awarded by the [[Norwegian Nobel Committee]], a group of five individuals chosen by the Norwegian parliament. Nominees for the prize come from around the world, and are often those who have worked to end conflict, protect human rights, or promote humanitarian efforts. It is awarded annually to internationally notable persons following the prize's creation in the will of [[Alfred Nobel]]. According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who "...shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies, and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nobelprize.org/alfred_nobel/will/short_testamente.html |access-date=31 March 2008 |title=Excerpt from the Will of Alfred Nobel |publisher=[[Nobel Foundation]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071026033111/http://nobelprize.org/alfred_nobel/will/short_testamente.html |archive-date=26 October 2007 }}</ref>

===Rhodes, Fulbright and Schwarzman scholarships===
In creating the [[Rhodes Scholarships]] for outstanding students from the United States, Germany and much of the British Empire, [[Cecil Rhodes]] wrote in 1901 that 'the object is that an understanding between the three great powers will render war impossible and educational relations make the strongest tie'.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://files.rhodes.gethifi.com/Ottawa_September_2011_To_render_war_impossible.pdf |title=To 'render war impossible': the Rhodes Scholarships, educational relations between countries, and peace |access-date=9 June 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609195112/http://files.rhodes.gethifi.com/Ottawa_September_2011_To_render_war_impossible.pdf |archive-date=9 June 2013  }}</ref> This peace purpose of the Rhodes Scholarships was very prominent in the first half of the 20th century, and became prominent again in recent years under Warden of the Rhodes House [[Donald Markwell]],<ref>[http://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/news/cecil-rhodess-vision-of-peace-highlighted Cecil Rhodes's goal of Scholarships promoting peace highlighted – The Rhodes Scholarships] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130922131706/http://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/news/cecil-rhodess-vision-of-peace-highlighted |date=22 September 2013 }}. Various materials on peace by Warden of the [[Rhodes House]] [[Donald Markwell]] in Markwell, ''"Instincts to Lead": On Leadership, Peace, and Education''. Connor Court, 2013.</ref> a historian of thought about the causes of war and peace.<ref>E.g., [[Donald Markwell]], ''[[John Maynard Keynes]] and International Relations: Economic Paths to War and Peace''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.</ref> This vision greatly influenced Senator [[J. William Fulbright]] in the goal of the Fulbright fellowships to promote international understanding and peace, and has guided many other international fellowship programs,<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.politics.ox.ac.uk/materials/news/Fulbright_18May12_Arndt.pdf | title=The Decade Ahead: The US Role in the World | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130922110514/http://www.politics.ox.ac.uk/materials/news/Fulbright_18May12_Arndt.pdf | archive-date=22 September 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/news/honouring-j-william-fulbright |title=Honouring J. William Fulbright - the Rhodes Scholarships |access-date=26 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130922150243/http://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/news/honouring-j-william-fulbright |archive-date=22 September 2013  }}</ref> including the [[Schwarzman Scholars]] to China created by [[Stephen A. Schwarzman]] in 2013.<ref>See, e.g., "The Rhodes Scholarships of China" in [[Donald Markwell]], ''"Instincts to Lead": On Leadership, Peace, and Education'', Connor Court, 2013.</ref>

===Gandhi Peace Prize===
{{main|Gandhi Peace Prize}}

[[File:Mohandas K. Gandhi, portrait.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Mahatma Gandhi]] who the [[Gandhi Peace Prize]] is named after]]
The International Gandhi Peace Prize, named after [[Mahatma Gandhi]], is awarded annually by the [[Government of India]]. It was launched as a tribute to the ideals espoused by Gandhi in 1995 on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of his birth. This is an annual award given to individuals and institutions for their contributions towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violence and other Gandhian methods. The award carries Rs. 10 million in cash, convertible in any currency in the world, a plaque and a citation. It is open to all persons regardless of nationality, race, creed or sex.

===Student Peace Prize===
{{Main|Student Peace Prize}}

The [[Student Peace Prize]] is awarded biennially to a student or a student organization that has made a significant contribution to promoting peace and human rights.

===Ahmadiyya Muslim Peace Prize===
{{Main|Ahmadiyya Muslim Peace Prize}}

The [[Ahmadiyya Muslim Peace Prize]], is awarded annually "in recognition of an individual's or an organisation's contribution for the advancement of the cause of peace". The prize was first launched in 2009 by the [[Ahmadiyya]] Muslim Peace Prize Committee under the directive of the [[Khalifatul Masih|caliph]] of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, [[Mirza Masroor Ahmad]].

===Culture of Peace News Network===
{{Main|Culture of Peace News Network}}

The [[Culture of Peace News Network]], otherwise known simply as [[CPNN]], is a [[UN]] authorized interactive online news network, committed to supporting the global movement for a culture of peace.

[[File:Double-alaskan-rainbow.jpg|thumb|[[Rainbows]] are often used as a symbol of harmony and peace.]]

===Sydney Peace Prize===
Every year in the first week of November, the Sydney Peace Foundation presents the [[Sydney Peace Prize]]. The Sydney Peace Prize is awarded to an organization or an individual whose life and work has demonstrated significant contributions to: the achievement of peace with justice locally, nationally or internationally; the promotion and attainment of human rights; the philosophy, language and practice of non-violence.

===Museums===
{{See also|Peace museums}}
A peace museum is a museum that documents historical peace initiatives. Many provide advocacy programs for nonviolent conflict resolution. This may include conflicts at the personal, regional or international level.

Smaller institutions include the [[Randolph Bourne Institute]], the McGill Middle East Program of Civil Society and Peace Building and the [[International Festival of Peace Poetry]].

==Religious beliefs {{anchor|Religion}}==
{{see also|World_peace#Religious_views}}

Religious beliefs often seek to identify and address the basic problems of human life, including conflicts between, among, and within persons and societies. In ancient [[ancient Greek religion|Greek-speaking areas]], the virtue of peace was personified as the goddess [[Eirene (goddess)|Eirene]], and in [[ancient Roman religion|Latin-speaking areas]] as the goddess [[Pax (goddess)|Pax]]. Her image was typically represented by ancient sculptors as a full-grown woman, usually with a [[cornucopia|horn of plenty]] and scepter and sometimes with a torch or [[olive branch|olive leaves]].
===Christianity===

[[Christians]], who believe [[Jesus|Jesus of Nazareth]] to be the [[Jewish Messiah]] called [[Christ (title)|Christ]] (meaning Anointed One),<ref>{{cite web|last=Benner|first=Jeff|website=Ancient Hebrew Research Center|title=Ancient Hebrew Word Meanings: Messiah ~ meshi'ahh|url=http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/27_messiah.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426201839/http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/27_messiah.html |archive-date=26 April 2014 }}</ref> interpret {{Bibleverse|Isaiah|9:6}} as a [[Christian messianic prophecies|messianic prophecy]] of Jesus in which he is called the "[[Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament|Prince of Peace]]".<ref>"For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, ''Prince of Peace''." [New Revised Standard Version]</ref> In the [[Gospel of Luke]], [[Zechariah (priest)|Zechariah]] celebrates his son [[John the Baptist|John]]: "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins. By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."<ref>{{Bibleverse|Luke|1:76–79}}</ref>

Centuries later during the [[Medieval]] era, the exhortation for peace found within the [[Gospel of St. Matthew]] also served as the basis for the condemnation of war expressed by [[St. Francis of Assisi]].<ref>Klaus Reblin: ''Franziskus von Assisi. Der rebellische Bruder.'' Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2006, [http://books.google.de/books?id=zxqBAu9_zEAC&pg=PA55 S. 55ff.](German)</ref><ref>[https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Saint_and_the_Sultan/n0X2z0Z3DVcC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=St+Francis+of+Assisi+pacifism&printsec=frontcover ''The Saint and the Sultan: The Crusades, Islam, and Francis of Assisi's Mission of Peace.'' Moses, Paul. Doubleday, 2009 pp. 43-44 ISBN 978-0-385-52370-7 Just War Theory Criticism on Google Books]</ref> Disillusioned with his own military service as a youth during [[Pope Innocent III]]'s [[Fourth Crusade]], Francis urged his disciples to follow in the steps of St. Matthew by observing ""Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God ((Mt.5.9). They are truly peacemakers who are able to preserve their peace of mind and heart for love of our Lord Jesus Christ, despite all they suffer in this world."<ref>[https://www.google.com/books/edition/Crusading_Peace/NcoqPrP7KqMC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=St+Francis+of+Assisi+pacifism&pg=PA184&printsec=frontcover ''Crusading Peace: Christendom, The Muslim World and Western Political Order.'' Mastnak, Tomaz. University of California Press, 2002 pp. 184-188 ISBN 9780520925991 Just War Theory Criticism on Google Books]</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Doyle |first=Eric |title=St. Francis and the Song of Brotherhood and Sisterhood |date=1996 |publisher=Franciscan Institute |isbn=978-1576590034}}</ref><ref>[https://www.google.com/books/edition/Religion_Pacifism_and_Nonviolence/sexqDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=St+Francis+of+Assisi+pacifism&pg=PA18&printsec=frontcover ''Religion, Pacifism and Nonviolence''. Kellenberger, James. Springer International Publishing. 2018 p. 11 ebook ISBN 9783319950105 Just War Theory Criticism on Google Books]</ref> 

As a [[testimony of peace]], [[Peace Churches]] in the [[Anabaptist]] Christian tradition (such as the [[Mennonites]] and [[Quakers]]), as well Holiness Methodist Pacifists (such as the [[Immanuel Missionary Church]]), practice [[nonresistance]] and do not participate in warfare.<ref>{{multiref2
|1={{cite book |last1=Beaman |first1=Jay |last2=Pipkin |first2=Brian K. |title=Pentecostal and Holiness Statements on War and Peace |date=2013 |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |isbn=9781610979085 |pages=98–99 |language=English}}
|2={{cite web |title=Article 22. Peace, Justice, and Nonresistance |date=2 March 2015 |url=https://www.mennoniteusa.org/who-are-mennonites/what-we-believe/confession-of-faith/peace-justice-and-nonresistance/ |publisher=[[Mennonite Church USA]] |access-date=4 June 2021 |language=English |archive-date=4 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210604204515/https://www.mennoniteusa.org/who-are-mennonites/what-we-believe/confession-of-faith/peace-justice-and-nonresistance/ |url-status=live}} }}</ref>

In the [[Catholic Church]], numerous pontifical documents on the Holy Rosary document a continuity of views of the Popes to have confidence in the Holy [[Rosary]] as a means to foster peace. In the Encyclical ''[[Mense maio]]'', 1965, in which he urged the practice of the Holy Rosary, and as reaffirmed in the encyclical ''[[Christi Matri]]'', 1966, to implore peace, [[Pope Paul VI]] stated in the apostolic ''[https://www.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/la/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_p-vi_exh_19691007_recurrens-mensis-october.html Recurrens mensis]'', October 1969, that the Rosary is a prayer that favors the great gift of peace.

===Hinduism===
[[Hinduism|Hindu]] texts contain the following passages:
{{blockquote|May there be peace in the heavens, peace in the atmosphere, peace on the earth. Let there be coolness in the water, healing in the herbs and peace radiating from the trees. Let there be harmony in the planets and in the stars, and perfection in eternal knowledge. May everything in the universe be at peace. Let peace pervade everywhere, at all times. May I experience that peace within my own heart.|[[Yajur Veda]] 36.17}}

{{blockquote|Let us have concord with our own people, and concord with people who are strangers to us. Ashwins (Celestial Twins) create between us and the strangers a unity of hearts. May we unite in our minds, unite in our purposes, and not fight against the heavenly spirit within us. Let not the battle-cry rise amidst many slain, nor the arrows of the war-god fall with the break of day|Yajur Veda 7.52}}

{{blockquote|A superior being does not render evil for evil. This is a maxim one should observe... One should never harm the wicked or the good or even animals meriting death. A noble soul will exercise compassion even towards those who enjoy injuring others or cruel deeds... Who is without fault?|[[Valmiki]]|[[Ramayana]]}}

{{blockquote|The chariot that leads to victory is of another kind.
Valour and fortitude are its wheels;
Truthfulness and virtuous conduct are its banner;
Strength, discretion, self-restraint and benevolence are its four horses,
Harnessed with the cords of forgiveness, compassion and equanimity...
Whoever has this righteous chariot, has no enemy to conquer anywhere.|Valmiki|Ramayana}}

===Buddhism===
[[Buddhist]]s believe that peace is attained by ending pain and suffering. They regard pain and suffering is stemming from cravings (in the extreme, greed), aversions (fears), and delusions and suffering is attachments to outcomes. To eliminate such pain and suffering and achieve personal peace, followers in the path of the [[Buddha]] adhere to a set of teachings called the [[Four Noble Truths]] — a central tenet in [[Buddhist philosophy]].

===Islam===
[[Islam]] derived from the root word {{transliteration|ar|salam}} which literally means peace. [[Quran]] states "those who believe and whose hearts find comfort in the remembrance of Allah. Surely in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find comfort."<ref>{{qref|13|28|b=y}}</ref> and stated "O believers! When you are told to make room in gatherings, then do so. Allah will make room for you ˹in His grace˺. And if you are told to rise, then do so. Allah will elevate those of you who are faithful, and ˹raise˺ those gifted with knowledge in rank. And Allah is All-Aware of what you do."<ref>{{qref|58|11|b=y}}</ref>

=== Judaism ===
The Judaic tradition associates God with peace, as evidenced by various principles and laws in Judaism.

{{transliteration|he|[[Shalom]]}}, the biblical and modern Hebrew word for peace, is one of the names for God according to the Judaic law and tradition. For instance, in traditional [[Jewish law]], individuals are prohibited from saying "{{transliteration|he|Shalom}}" when they are in the bathroom as there is a prohibition on uttering any of God's names in the bathroom, out of respect for the divine name.

Jewish liturgy and prayer is replete with prayers asking God to establish peace in the world. The [[Amidah|שמונה עשרה]], a key prayer in Judaism that is recited three times each day, concludes with a blessing for peace. The last blessing of the [[Amidah|שמונה עשרה]], also known as the Amida ("standing" as the prayer is said while standing), is focused on peace, beginning and ending with supplications for peace and blessings.

Peace is central to Judaism's core principle of [[Messiah in Judaism|מָשִׁיחַ]] ("messiah") which connotes a time of universal peace and abundance, a time when weapons will be turned into plowshares and lions will sleep with lambs. As it is written in the [[Book of Isaiah]]:
{{blockquote|They shall beat their [[Swords into ploughshares|swords into plowshares]] and their spears into pruning hooks; nation will not lift sword against nation and they will no longer study warfare.|{{bibleverse||Isaiah|2:4|HE}} }}

{{blockquote|The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.|{{bibleverse||Isaiah|11:6-9|HE}}}}

This last metaphor from [[Tanakh]] (Hebrew bible) symbolizes the peace by which a longed-for messianic age will be characterized, a peace in which natural enemies, the strong and the weak, predator and prey, will live in harmony.

Jews pray for the [[messiah|messianic]] age of peace every day in the מָשִׁיחַ, in addition to faith in the coming of the messianic age constituting one of the thirteen core principles of faith in Judaism, according to [[Maimonides]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Mashiach: The Messiah - Judaism 101 | url=https://www.jewfaq.org/mashiach | publisher=JewFAQ | access-date=2026-05-14}}</ref>

==Ideological beliefs==

===Pacifism===
{{Main|Pacifism}}

[[File:Peace symbol (bold).svg|thumb|upright|A peace sign, which is widely associated with pacifism]]
Pacifism is the categorical opposition to the behaviors of war or violence as a means of settling disputes or of gaining advantage. Pacifism covers a spectrum of views ranging from the belief that international disputes can and should all be resolved via peaceful behaviors; to calls for the abolition of various organizations which tend to institutionalize aggressive behaviors, such as the military, or arms manufacturers; to opposition to any organization of society that might rely in any way upon governmental force. Groups that sometimes oppose the governmental use of force include [[Anarcho-pacifism|anarchists]] and [[Libertarianism|libertarians]]. Absolute pacifism opposes violent behavior under all circumstance, including defense of self and others.

Pacifism may be based on moral principles (a [[deontological]] view) or pragmatism (a [[consequentialist]] view). Principled pacifism holds that all forms of violent behavior are inappropriate responses to conflict, and are morally wrong. Pragmatic pacifism holds that the costs of war and inter-personal violence are so substantial that better ways of resolving disputes must be found.

===Inner peace, meditation and prayerfulness===
{{main|Inner peace}}

[[File:Abbot of Watkungtaphao in Phu Soidao Waterfall.jpg|thumb|upright|Buddhist monk during meditation near [[Phu Soi Dao National Park|Phu Soidao National Park]], 2009]]
Psychological or inner peace (i.e. peace of mind) refers to a state of being internally or spiritually at peace, with sufficient clarity of knowledge and understanding to remain calm in the face of apparent discord, stress and discomfort. Being internally "at peace" is considered to be a healthy playable mental state, a [[homeostasis]] of emotions and to be the opposite of feeling stressful, mentally anxious, or emotionally unstable. Within meditative traditions, the achievement of "peace of mind" is often associated with bliss and happiness.{{Citation Needed|date=April 2026}}

Peace of mind, serenity, and calmness are descriptions of a disposition free from the effects of stress. In some meditative traditions, inner peace is believed to be a state of consciousness or enlightenment that may be cultivated by various types of meditation, prayer, [[tai chi]], yoga, or other various types of mental or physical disciplines. Many such practices refer to this peace as an experience of knowing oneself. An emphasis on finding inner peace is often associated with traditions such as [[Buddhism]], [[Hinduism]], and some traditional Christian contemplative practices such as [[monasticism]],<ref>{{cite book|title=Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism|page=163|year=2006|first=Bernard|last=McGinn}}</ref> as well as with the [[New Age]] movement.

===Non-aggression principle===
The [[non-aggression principle]] asserts that aggression against an individual or an individual's property is always an immoral violation of life, liberty, and property rights.<ref>{{multiref2
|1={{cite web|first=Sheldon|last=Richman|url=https://reason.com/2015/03/29/how-many-rights/|title=For Libertarians, There Is Only One Fundamental Right|date=29 March 2015|website=Reason|access-date=24 February 2022|archive-date=8 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220308222328/https://reason.com/2015/03/29/how-many-rights/|url-status=live}}
|2={{cite web|first=Laurence M.|last=Vance|url=https://www.fff.org/explore-freedom/article/the-morality-of-libertarianism/|title=The Morality of Libertarianism|date=1 October 2015|website=The Future of Freedom Foundation|access-date=24 July 2023|archive-date=24 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230724215144/https://www.fff.org/explore-freedom/article/the-morality-of-libertarianism/|url-status=live}} }}</ref> Utilizing deceit instead of consent to achieve ends is also a violation of the Non-Aggression Principle. Therefore, under the framework of this principle, rape, murder, deception, involuntary taxation, government regulation, and other behaviors that initiate aggression against otherwise peaceful individuals are considered violations.<ref>{{Cite web|first=Walter|last=Block|url=https://archive.lewrockwell.com/block/block26.html|title=The Non-Aggression Axiom of Libertarianism|publisher=[[Lew Rockwell]]|access-date=2016-03-22|archive-date=24 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230724215144/https://archive.lewrockwell.com/block/block26.html|url-status=live}}</ref> A common elevator pitch for this principle is, "Good ideas don't require force."<ref>{{cite web|first=Barry|last=Popik|url=https://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/good_ideas_dont_require_force|title="Good ideas don't require force"|date=4 July 2021|website=The Big Apple|access-date=24 February 2022|archive-date=8 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220308151437/https://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/good_ideas_dont_require_force|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Satyagraha===
{{Main|Satyagraha}}

[[File:Martin Luther King, Jr..jpg|thumb|upright=.7|[[Martin Luther King Jr.]] was influenced by [[Satyagraha]]]]
Satyagraha is a philosophy and practice of [[nonviolent resistance]] developed by [[Mahatma Gandhi]]. He deployed satyagraha techniques in campaigns for [[Indian independence movement|Indian independence]] and also during his earlier struggles in [[South Africa]].

The word ''satyagraha'' itself was coined through a public contest that Gandhi sponsored through the newspaper he published in South Africa, ''[[Indian Opinion]]'', when he realized that neither the common, contemporary Hindu language nor the English language contained a word which fully expressed his own meanings and intentions when he talked about his nonviolent approaches to conflict. According to Gandhi's autobiography, the contest winner was Maganlal Gandhi (presumably no relation), who submitted the entry 'sadagraha', which Gandhi then modified to 'satyagraha'. Etymologically, this Hindic word means 'truth-firmness', and is commonly translated as 'steadfastness in the truth' or 'truth-force'.

Satyagraha theory also influenced [[Martin Luther King Jr.]], [[James Bevel]], and others during the campaigns they led during the [[civil rights movement]] in the United States. The theory of satyagraha sees means and ends as inseparable. Therefore, it is contradictory to try to use violence to obtain peace. As Gandhi wrote: "They say, 'means are, after all, means'. I would say, 'means are, after all, everything'. As the means so the end..."<ref>{{citation|editor-first1=R.K.|editor-last1=Prabhu|editor-first2=U.R.|editor-last2=Rao|chapter-url=https://www.mkgandhi.org/momgandhi/chap45.htm|chapter=The Gospel Of Sarvodaya|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927001300/http://www.mkgandhi.org/momgandhi/chap45.htm |archive-date=27 September 2011|title=The Mind of Mahatma Gandhi|location=Ahemadabad, India|edition=Revised|year=1967}}</ref> A quote sometimes attributed to Gandhi, but also to [[A. J. Muste]], sums it up: "There is no way to peace; peace is the way".{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

==Monuments==
The following are monuments to peace:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name
! Location
! Organization
! Meaning
! Image
|-
|[[Twelve Metal Colossi]]
|[[Epang Palace]], [[Xi'an]]
|[[Emperor of China]]
|Following the [[Qin's wars of unification|Qin universal conquest]] and symbolizing the [[Pax Sinica|universal pacification]], the [[Qin Shi Huang|First Emperor]] collected all metal weapons of former [[Warring States]] as no longer necessary and melted them into twelve statues and bells.<ref name="JE">{{cite book |last1=Elsner |first1=Jaś |title=Figurines: Figuration and the Sense of Scale |date=22 October 2020 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-886109-6 |pages=91–92 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q_7-DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA91 |language=en}}</ref>
|No illustrations have survived
|-
|[[Ara Pacis]]
|[[Rome]], [[Italy]]
|[[Roman Senate]]
|The monument of peace was preferred over the traditional triumphal arch as [[Augustus]] emphasized the achievement of [[Pax Romana|universal peace]] over Roman military victory.
|<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Ara-pacis-augustae-cti1941.jpg | format=JPG | title=Ara Pacis Augustae}}</ref>
|-
|[[Mennonite Heritage Village|Dirk Willems Peace Garden]]
|[[Steinbach, Manitoba]]
|[[Mennonite Heritage Village]]
|A peace garden telling the story of [[Dirk Willems]]; a place for reflection and contemplation on what it means to live a life of radical peacemaking.
|-
|[[Japanese Garden of Peace]]
|[[Fredericksburg, Texas]]
|[[National Museum of the Pacific War]]
|A gift from the people of Japan to the people of the United States, presented to honor [[Chester W. Nimitz]] and created as a respite from the intensity of violence, destruction, and loss.
|[[File:Japanese Garden Of Peace.jpg|100px]]
|-
| [[Japanese Peace Bell]]
| [[New York City]], NY
| [[United Nations]]
| World peace
| [[File:Japanese Peace Bell of United Nations.JPG|100px]]
|-
| ''[[Fountain of Time]]''
| [[Chicago]], IL
| [[Chicago Park District]]
| 100 years of peace between the US and UK
| [[File:Fountain of Time front1.jpg|100px]]
|-
| [[Fredensborg Palace]]
| [[Fredensborg]], [[Denmark]]
| [[Frederick IV of Denmark|Frederick IV]]
| The peace between [[Denmark–Norway]] and [[Sweden]], after [[Great Northern War]] which was signed 3 July 1720 on the site of the unfinished palace.
| [[File:Fredensborg Slot 124.JPG|100px]]
|-
|[[International Peace Garden]]
|[[North Dakota]], [[Manitoba]]
|non-profit organization
|Peace between the US and Canada, World peace
| [[File:2009-0521-CDNtrip003-PeaceGarden.jpg|100px]]
|-
|[[Peace Arch]]
|border between US and Canada, near [[Surrey, British Columbia]].
|non-profit organization
|Built to honour the first 100 years of peace between [[Great Britain]] and the [[United States]] resulting from the signing of the [[Treaty of Ghent]] in 1814.
| [[File:Peace Arch.JPG|100px]]
|-
|[[Shanti Stupa, Pokhara|Shanti Stupa]]
|[[Pokhara]], [[Nepal]]
|[[Nipponzan-Myōhōji-Daisanga]]
|One of eighty [[Peace Pagoda]]s in the World.
|-
|''[[Statue of Europe]]''
|[[Brussels]]
|[[European Commission]]
|Unity in Peace in Europe
|[[File:Statue of Europe-(Unity-in-Peace).jpg|100px]]
|-
|[[Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park]]
|[[Alberta]], [[Montana]]
|non-profit organization
|World Peace
|[[File:GlacierNP L7 20010701.jpg|100px]]
|-
|}

==Theories==
{{see also|Peace and conflict studies#Conceptions of peace}}
Many different theories of "peace" exist in the world of [[peace studies]], which involves the study of de-escalation, conflict transformation, disarmament, and cessation of violence.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.einaudi.cornell.edu/peaceprogram/|url-status=dead|title=Peace Studies Program|website=Cornell University|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071022225012/http://einaudi.cornell.edu/PeaceProgram/ |archive-date=22 October 2007 }}</ref>{{better source needed|date=August 2023}} The definition of "peace" can vary with religion, culture, or subject of study.

===Balance of power===
{{Main|Balance of power (international relations)}}

The classical "realist" position is that the key to promoting order between states, and so of increasing the chances of peace, is the maintenance of a [[Balance of power (international relations)|balance of power]] between states – a situation where no state is so dominant that it can "lay down the law to the rest". Exponents of this view have included [[Metternich]], [[Otto von Bismarck|Bismarck]], [[Hans Morgenthau]], and [[Henry Kissinger]]. A related approach – more in the tradition of [[Hugo Grotius]] than [[Thomas Hobbes]] – was articulated by the so-called "[[English school of international relations theory]]" such as [[Martin Wight]] in his book ''Power Politics'' (1946, 1978) and [[Hedley Bull]] in ''The Anarchical Society'' (1977).

As the maintenance of a balance of power could in some circumstances require a willingness to go to war, some critics saw the idea of a balance of power as promoting war rather than promoting peace. This was a radical critique of those supporters of the Allied and Associated Powers who justified entry into World War I on the grounds that it was necessary to preserve the balance of power in Europe from a German bid for [[hegemony]].

In the second half of the 20th century, and especially during the [[Cold War]], a particular form of balance of power – mutual nuclear deterrence – emerged as a widely held doctrine on the key to peace between the great powers. Critics argued that the development of nuclear stockpiles increased the chances of war rather than peace, and that the "nuclear umbrella" made it "safe" for smaller wars (e.g. the [[Vietnam War]] and the Soviet invasion of [[Czechoslovakia]] to end the [[Prague Spring]]), so making such wars more likely. Similarly, other critics such as [[Robert L. Holmes]] utilize a [[reductio ad absurdum]] argument to note that any reliance upon a strategy of mutual nuclear deterrence as a means to prevent nuclear war itself is irrational at best in so far as it requires the utilization of the very instruments of war which it seeks to avoid implementing, while also failing to demonstrate an inherent effectiveness in preventing war in either the past, present or future frames of reference.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=TBoABAAAQBAJ&q=Robert+L.+Holms#v=onepage&q=Robert%20L.%20Holms&f=false (1989) ''On War and Morality'' Holmes, Robert L. ' Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1989 Introduction p. 18 ISBN 0-691-07794-0 on Google books]</ref><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1988/01/17/opinion/l-what-we-don-t-know-about-nuclear-policy-016788.html ''The New York Times'', 17 January 1988, p.. 26, "What We Don't Know About Nuclear Policy" by Robert L. Holmes on nytimes.com]</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lee |first=Steven |date=1992 |title=Reviewed work: On War and Morality., Robert L. Holmes |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/2216042.pdf |journal=Noûs |volume=26 |issue=4 |pages=559–562 |doi=10.2307/2216042 |jstor=2216042}}</ref>

===Appeasement and deterrence===
[[Appeasement]] is a strategy to achieve peace by making political, material, or territorial concessions to an aggressive [[power (international relations)|power]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.history.co.uk/explore-history/ww2/appeasement.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130404054019/http://www.history.co.uk/explore-history/ww2/appeasement.html|url-status=unfit|title=Appeasement - World War 2 on History|archive-date=4 April 2013|website=www.history.co.uk}}</ref> [[Deterrence theory|Deterrence]] is a strategy to achieve peace by using threats or limited force to [[coercive diplomacy|dissuade]] an actor from escalating conflict,<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Morgan|first=Patrick M.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aNreAAAAMAAJ|title=Deterrence: A Conceptual Analysis|date=1977|publisher=SAGE Publications|isbn=978-0-8039-0819-2|pages=26–30|language=en|access-date=2021-08-30|archive-date=2024-02-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224051622/https://books.google.com/books?id=aNreAAAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> typically because the prospective attacker believes that the probability of success is low and the costs of attack are high.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Mearsheimer|first=John J.|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctt1rv61v2|title=Conventional Deterrence|date=1983|publisher=Cornell University Press|isbn=978-1-5017-1325-5|pages=23|jstor=10.7591/j.ctt1rv61v2|language=en|access-date=2021-09-05|archive-date=2023-04-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405171209/https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctt1rv61v2|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson Meet with Organizers of "March on Washington".jpg|thumb|Civil rights leaders (including [[Martin Luther King Jr.]]) meeting with President John F. Kennedy during the [[March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom|1963 March on Washington]] is an example of the "[[speaking truth to power]]" peace tactic.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dubrin |first=Doug |title=The March on Washington and Its Impact |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/teachers/lessonplans/history/dream2_8-20.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130109190937/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/teachers/lessonplans/history/dream2_8-20.html |archive-date=2013-01-09 |access-date=2020-08-29 |website=www.pbs.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Jenkins |first=Alan |date=2013-08-28 |title=An important goal of the 1963 March on Washington remains unfulfilled |url=https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/civil-rights/319011--an-important-goal-of-the-1963-march-on-washington-remains-unfulfilled |access-date=2020-08-29 |website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |language=en}}</ref>]]

=== Speaking truth to power ===
{{main|Speaking truth to power}}

Speaking truth to power is a [[Nonviolence|non-violent]] political tactic, employed by [[dissidents]] against the [[received wisdom]] or [[propaganda]] of governments they regard as oppressive, [[authoritarian]] or an [[ideocracy]]. Practitioners who have campaigned for a more just and truthful world have included [[Apollonius of Tyana]], [[Václav Havel]],<ref>Havel, Václav; et al. (1985). Keane, John, ed. The Power of the Powerless: Citizens against the state in central-eastern Europe. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe. {{ISBN|0-87332-761-6}}.</ref> [[Nelson Mandela]], [[Archbishop Desmond Tutu]], [[Mahatma Gandhi]], [[Bacha Khan]], and the [[14th Dalai Lama|Dalai Lama]].<ref>Nan Richardson (ed), [[Kerry Kennedy]] and [[Eddie Adams (photographer)|Eddie Adams]], 'Speak Truth to Power', Umbrage, 2003, introduction.</ref>

The phrase originated with a pamphlet, ''[[American Friends Service Committee#History|Speak Truth to Power: a Quaker Search for an Alternative to Violence]]'', published by the [[American Friends Service Committee]] in 1955. A contributor of the pamphlet's contents was civil rights activist [[Bayard Rustin]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/speaktruthtopowe00amer/page/n3/mode/2up |title=Speak truth to power A Quaker search for an alternative to violence |date=1955 |publisher=American Friends Service Committee |access-date=25 April 2024}}</ref><ref>According to Fea (2017), 'Rustin and his co-authors expunged Rustin’s name from the pamphlet because of his arrest on charges of committing a homosexual act in 1953.'[https://currentpub.com/2017/08/26/the-history-of-the-phrase-speak-truth-to-power/ The History of the Phrase “Speak Truth to Power”]</ref>

=== Free trade and interdependence ===
{{main|Doux commerce|Peace economics}}

It was a central tenet of [[classical liberalism]], for example among English liberal thinkers of the late 19th and early 20th century, that free trade promoted peace. For example, the Cambridge economist [[John Maynard Keynes]] (1883–1946) said that he was "brought up" on this idea and held it unquestioned until at least the 1920s.<ref>Quoted from [[Donald Markwell]], ''[[John Maynard Keynes]] and International Relations: Economic Paths to War and Peace''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006, chapter 2.</ref> During the [[economic globalization]] in the decades leading up to World War I, writers such as [[Norman Angell]] argued that the growth of economic interdependence between the great powers made war between them futile and therefore unlikely. He made this argument in 1913. A year later Europe's economically interconnected states were embroiled in what would later become known as the First World War.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nato.int/docu/review/articles/2019/01/14/the-end-of-the-great-illusion-norman-angell-and-the-founding-of-nato/index.html|title=NATO Review - the end of the "Great Illusion": Norman Angell and the founding of NATO|work=NATO Review |date=14 January 2019|access-date=10 November 2019|archive-date=10 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191110170330/https://www.nato.int/docu/review/articles/2019/01/14/the-end-of-the-great-illusion-norman-angell-and-the-founding-of-nato/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Democratic peace theory ===
{{main|Democratic peace theory}}

The [[democratic peace theory]] posits that democracy causes peace (between democracies) because of the accountability, institutions, values, and norms of democratic countries.<ref name="Hegre2014">{{cite journal |last1=Hegre |first1=Håvard |title=Democracy and armed conflict |journal=Journal of Peace Research |date=2014 |volume=51 |issue=2 |pages=159–172 |doi=10.1177/0022343313512852|s2cid=146428562 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

=== Territorial peace theory ===
{{main|Territorial peace theory}}

The [[territorial peace theory]] posits that peace causes democracy because territorial wars between neighbor countries lead to authoritarian attitudes and disregard for democratic values.<ref>{{multiref2|
1={{cite journal |last1=Gibler |first1=Douglas M. |last2=Hutchison |first2=Marc L. |last3=Miller |first3=Steven V. |title=Individual identity attachments and international conflict: The importance of territorial threat |journal=Comparative Political Studies |date=2012 |volume=45 |issue=12 |pages=1655–1683|doi=10.1177/0010414012463899 |s2cid=154788507|url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0010414012463899|url-access=subscription }}
|2={{cite journal |last1=Hutchison |first1=Marc L. |last2=Gibler |first2=Douglas M. |title=Political tolerance and territorial threat: A cross-national study |journal=The Journal of Politics |date=2007 |volume=69 |issue=1 |pages=128–142|doi=10.1111/j.1468-2508.2007.00499.x |s2cid=154653996|url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1111/j.1468-2508.2007.00499.x|url-access=subscription}} }}</ref> 
This theory is supported by historical studies showing that countries rarely become democratic until after their borders have been settled by territorial peace with neighbor countries.<ref>{{multiref2|
1={{cite journal |last1=Gibler |first1=Douglas M. |last2=Owsiak |first2=Andrew |title=Democracy and the Settlement of International Borders, 1919-2001 |journal=Journal of Conflict Resolution |date=2017 |volume=62 |issue=9 |pages=1847–1875|doi=10.1177/0022002717708599 |s2cid=158036471|url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0022002717708599|url-access=subscription }}
|2={{cite journal |last1=Owsiak |first1=Andrew P. |last2=Vasquez |first2=John A. |title=Peaceful dyads: A territorial perspective |journal=International Interactions |date=2021 |volume=47 |issue=6 |pages=1040–1068 |doi=10.1080/03050629.2021.1962859|s2cid=239103213|url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03050629.2021.1962859|url-access=subscription}} }}</ref>

=== Peace war game ===
{{Main|Peace war game}}

The ''Peace and War Game'' is an approach in [[game theory]] to understand the relationship between peace and conflicts.

The [[iterated game]] hypotheses was originally used by academic groups and [[computer simulation]]s to study possible strategies of [[cooperation]] and [[aggression]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Shy|first=Oz|year=1996|title=Industrial Organization: Theory and Applications|url=https://archive.org/details/industrialorgani0000shyo|url-access=registration|location=Cambridge, Mass.|publisher=The [[MIT]] Press}}</ref>{{page needed|date=August 2023}}

As peace makers became richer over time, it became clear that making war had greater costs than initially anticipated. One of the well studied [[strategy|strategies]] that acquired wealth more rapidly was based on [[Genghis Khan]], i.e. a constant aggressor making war continually to gain resources. This led, in contrast, to the development of what's known as the "provokable nice guy [[strategy]]", a peace-maker until attacked, improved upon merely to win by occasional forgiveness even when attacked. By adding the results of all pairwise games for each player, one sees that multiple players gain wealth cooperating with each other while bleeding a constantly aggressive player.<ref>{{cite journal|first=Nicholas R.|last=Miller|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/4235437|url-access=subscription|title=Nice Strategies Finish First: A Review of ''The Evolution of Cooperation''|journal=[[Politics and the Life Sciences]]|volume=4|number=1|pages=86–91|publisher=[[Association for Politics and the Life Sciences]]|year=1985|doi=10.1017/S0730938400020852 |jstor=4235437 |s2cid=151520743 }}</ref>

=== Socialism and managed capitalism ===
Socialist, communist, and left-wing liberal writers of the 19th and 20th centuries (e.g., [[Lenin]], [[J.A. Hobson]], [[John Strachey (politician)|John Strachey]]) argued that capitalism caused war (e.g. through promoting imperial or other economic rivalries that lead to international conflict). This led some to argue that international socialism was the key to peace.

However, in response to such writers in the 1930s who argued that capitalism caused war, the economist [[John Maynard Keynes]] (1883–1946) argued that managed capitalism could promote peace. This involved international coordination of fiscal/monetary policies, an international monetary system that did not pit the interests of countries against each other, and a high degree of freedom of trade. These ideas underlay Keynes's work during World War II that led to the creation of the [[International Monetary Fund]] and the [[World Bank]] at [[Breton Woods, New Jersey|Bretton Woods]] in 1944, and later of the [[General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade]] (subsequently the [[World Trade Organization]]).<ref>{{cite book|first=Donald|last=Markwell|author-link=Donald Markwell|title=John Maynard Keynes and International Relations: Economic Paths to War and Peace|location=Oxford|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2006|isbn=978-0-19-829236-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/johnmaynardkeyne0000mark|url-access=registration}}</ref>{{page needed|date=August 2023}}

===International organization and law===
One of the most influential theories of peace, especially since [[Woodrow Wilson]] led the creation of the [[League of Nations]] at the [[Paris Peace Conference, 1919|Paris Peace Conference]] of 1919, is that peace will be advanced if the intentional anarchy of states is replaced through the growth of [[international law]] promoted and enforced through international organizations such as the League of Nations, the [[United Nations]], and other functional international organizations. One of the most important early exponents of this view was [[Alfred Eckhart Zimmern]], for example in his 1936 book ''The League of Nations and the Rule of Law''.<ref>{{cite book|first=Alfred Eckhard|last= Zimmern|title=The League of Nations and the Rule of Law|publisher=Macmillan|year=1936|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.6948}}</ref>

=== Trans-national solidarity ===
[[File:Peace Steps on Social Movilitation.jpg|thumb|An [[Anti-war movement|anti-war activist]] with a homemade costume during an event in [[Colombia]], 2020]]Many "idealist" thinkers about international relations – e.g. in the traditions of [[Kant]] and [[Karl Marx]] – have argued that the key to peace is the growth of some form of [[solidarity]] between peoples (or classes of people) spanning the lines of cleavage between nations or states that lead to war.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hinsley|first=F.H.|author-link=Harry Hinsley|title=Power and the Pursuit of Peace|location=Cambridge|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1962|isbn=978-0-521-09448-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/powerpursuitofpe0000hins|url-access=registration}}</ref>{{page needed|date=August 2023}}

One version of this is the idea of promoting international understanding between nations through the international mobility of students – an idea most powerfully advanced by [[Cecil Rhodes]] in the creation of the [[Rhodes Scholarships]], and his successors such as [[J. William Fulbright]].<ref>Discussed above. See, e.g., {{cite book|first=Donald|last=Markwell|author-link=Donald Markwell|title="Instincts to Lead": On Leadership, Peace, and Education|year=2013|publisher=Connor Court Publishing|location=Australia|isbn=978-1-922168-70-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/instinctstoleado0000mark|url-access=registration}}</ref>

Another theory is that peace can be developed among countries on the basis of active management of water resources.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://strategicforesight.com/publications.php#.WBm94-V94dU|title=Publications – Strategic Foresight Group, Think Tank, Global Policy, Global affairs research, Water Conflict studies, global policy strategies, strategic policy group, global future studies|website=strategicforesight.com|access-date=2 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161101013118/http://strategicforesight.com/publications.php#.WBm94-V94dU|archive-date=1 November 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=August 2023}}

==Day==
[[World Peace Day]], celebrated on 21 September, was founded as a day to recognize, honour and promote peace.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=International Day of Peace |url=https://www.un.org/en/observances/international-day-peace |access-date=2024-05-16 |website=United Nations |language=en}}</ref>

==Studies, rankings, and periods==
===Peace and conflict studies===
{{Main|Peace and conflict studies}}

[[File:Peace-and-Prosperity-Vedder-Highsmith-detail-1.jpeg|thumb|upright=1.2|Detail from ''Peace and Prosperity'' (1896), [[Elihu Vedder]], Library of Congress [[Thomas Jefferson Building]], Washington, D.C.]]
''Peace and conflict studies'' is an [[academic field]] which identifies and analyses [[Violence|violent]] and [[Nonviolence|nonviolent]] behaviours, as well as the structural mechanisms attending violent and non-violent [[social conflict]]s. This is to better understand the processes leading to a more desirable [[human condition]].<ref>Dugan, 1989: 74</ref>{{full citation needed|date=August 2023}} One variation,
''Peace studies'' ([[irenology]]), is an [[Interdisciplinarity|interdisciplinary]] effort aiming at the prevention, [[de-escalation]], and solution of conflicts. This contrasts with [[war studies]] (polemology), directed at the efficient attainment of victory in conflicts. Disciplines involved may include [[political science]], [[geography]], [[economics]], [[psychology]], [[sociology]], [[international relations]], [[history]], [[anthropology]], [[religious studies]], and [[gender studies]], as well as a variety of other disciplines.

===Measurement and ranking===

Although peace is widely perceived as something intangible, various organizations have been making efforts to quantify and measure it. [[Global Peace Index|The Global Peace Index]] produced by [[Institute for Economics and Peace|the Institute for Economics and Peace]] is a known effort to evaluate peacefulness in countries based on 23 indicators of the absence of violence and absence of the fear of violence.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.visionofhumanity.org/#/page/our-gpi-findings|title=Vision of Humanity|work=visionofhumanity.org|access-date=15 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110222142429/http://www.visionofhumanity.org/#/page/our-gpi-findings|archive-date=22 February 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>

The 2015 edition of the Index ranked 163 countries on their internal and external levels of peace.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2015/06/25/world/global-peace-index-iceland-syria/|title=Study: Iceland is the most peaceful nation in the world|author=Jethro Mullen|date=25 June 2015|work=CNN.com|access-date=6 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150807205631/http://www.edition.cnn.com/2015/06/25/world/global-peace-index-iceland-syria/|archive-date=7 August 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> According to the 2017 [[Global Peace Index]], Iceland is the most peaceful country in the world while Syria is the least peaceful one.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/06/these-are-the-most-peaceful-countries-in-the-world/|first=Charlotte | last=Edmond | title=These are the most peaceful countries in the world|website=World Economic Forum|date=8 June 2017 |access-date=14 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170715234119/https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/06/these-are-the-most-peaceful-countries-in-the-world|archive-date=15 July 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Fragile States Index]] (formerly known as the Failed States Index) created by the [[Fund for Peace]] focuses on risk for instability or violence in 178 nations. This index measures how fragile a state is by 12 indicators and subindicators that evaluate aspects of politics, social economy, and military facets in countries.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/fragile-states-2014/|title=Fragile States 2014|publisher=Foreign Policy|work=foreignpolicy.com|access-date=10 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317151755/http://foreignpolicy.com/fragile-states-2014/|archive-date=17 March 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The 2015 Failed State Index reports that the most fragile nation is South Sudan, and the least fragile one is Finland.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/south-sudan-fragile-states-index-hunger-idps/2827703.html|first=Karin|last=Zeitvogel|title=South Sudan Tops List of World's Fragile States – Again|work=VOA|date=19 June 2015 |access-date=6 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150813094407/http://www.voanews.com/content/south-sudan-fragile-states-index-hunger-idps/2827703.html|archive-date=13 August 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> [[University of Maryland, College Park|University of Maryland]] publishes the Peace and Conflict Instability Ledger in order to measure peace. It grades 163 countries with 5 indicators, and pays the most attention to risk of political instability or armed conflict over a three-year period. The most recent ledger shows that the most peaceful country is Slovenia on the contrary Afghanistan is the most conflicted nation. Besides indicated above reports from the [[Institute for Economics and Peace]], Fund for Peace, and University of Maryland, other organizations including George Mason University release indexes that rank countries in terms of peacefulness.

===Long periods===
{{See also|List of periods of regional peace}}
The longest continuing period of peace and neutrality among currently existing states is observed in [[Sweden]] since 1814 and in [[Switzerland]], which has had an official policy of neutrality since 1815. This was made possible partly by the periods of relative peace in Europe and the world known as [[Pax Britannica]] (1815–1914), [[Pax Europaea]]/[[Pax Americana]] (since the 1950s), and [[Pax Atomica]] (also since the 1950s).

Other examples of long periods of peace are:
* the [[isolationism|isolationistic]] [[Edo period]] (also known as [[Tokugawa shogunate]]) in Japan 1603 to 1868 (265 years)
* [[Pax Khazarica]] in [[Khazar Khanate]] about {{CE|700–950}} (250 years)
* [[Pax Romana]] in the Roman empire (for 190 or 206 years).

==See also==
* {{annotated link|[[Anti-war]]}}
* {{annotated link|[[Catholic peace traditions]]}}
* {{annotated link|[[Grey-zone (international relations)]]}}
* {{annotated link|List of anti-war songs}}
* {{annotated link|[[List of peace activists]]}}
* {{annotated link|[[List of places named after peace|List of places named Peace]]}}
* {{annotated link|[[List of peace prizes]]}}
* {{annotated link|[[Moral syncretism]]}}
* {{annotated link|[[Nonkilling]]}}
* {{annotated link|[[Nonviolence]]}}
* {{annotated link|[[Peace education]]}}
* {{annotated link|[[Peace in Islamic philosophy]]}}
* {{annotated link|[[Peace Journalism]]}}
* {{annotated link|[[Peace makers]]}}
* {{annotated link|[[Peace One Day]]}}
* {{annotated link|[[Peace Palace]]}}
* {{annotated link|[[Peace symbol]]}}
* {{annotated link|[[Prayer for Peace (disambiguation)|Prayer for Peace]]}}
* {{annotated link|[[Structural violence]]}}
* {{annotated link|[[Sulh]]}}
* {{annotated link|[[Turn the other cheek]]}}
* {{annotated link|[[War resister]]}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin|30em}}
*Sir [[Norman Angell]]. ''[[The Great Illusion]]''. 1909
*[[Raymond Aron]], ''Peace and War''. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1966
*[[Hedley Bull]]. ''The Anarchical Society''. Macmillan, 1977
*Sir [[Herbert Butterfield]]. ''Christianity, Diplomacy and War''. 1952
*Martin Ceadel. ''[[Pacifism]] in Britain, 1914–1945: The Defining of a Faith''. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1980
*Martin Ceadel. ''Semi-Detached Idealists: The British Peace Movement and International Relations, 1854–1945''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.
*Martin Ceadel. ''The Origins of War Prevention: The British Peace Movement and International Relations, 1730–1854''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996
*Martin Ceadel. ''Thinking about Peace and War''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987
*[[Inis L. Claude]], Jr. ''Swords into Ploughshares: The Problems and Progress of International Organization''. 1971
*[[Michael W. Doyle]]. ''Ways of War and Peace: Realism, Liberalism, and Socialism''. W.W. Norton, 1997
*Sir [[Harry Hinsley]]. ''Power and the Pursuit of Peace''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1962
*[[Andrew Hurrell]]. ''On Global Order''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008
*[[Immanuel Kant]]. ''[[Perpetual Peace]]''. 1795
*[[Martin Luther King Jr.]]. [[Letter from Birmingham Jail]]
*[[Donald Markwell]]. ''[[John Maynard Keynes]] and International Relations: Economic Paths to War and Peace''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.
*[[Donald Markwell]]. ''"Instincts to Lead": On Leadership, Peace, and Education''. Connor Court, 2013
*[[Hans Morgenthau]]. ''Politics Among Nations''. 1948
*Laure Paquette. ''The Path to Peace'' 
*[[Steven Pinker]]. ''The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined''. Viking, 2011
*Sir [[Alfred Eckhard Zimmern]]. ''The [[League of Nations]] and the Rule of Law''. Macmillan, 1936
*[[Kenneth Waltz]]. ''Man, the State and War''. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1978
*[[Michael Walzer]]. ''Just and Unjust War''. Basic Books, 1977
*Jeni Whalan. ''How Peace Operations Work''. Oxford University Press, 2013
*[[Martin Wight]]. ''Power Politics''. 1946 (2nd edition, 1978)
*"Pennsylvania, A History of the Commonwealth," esp. pg. 109, edited by Randall M. Miller and William Pencak, The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2002
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20220412014737/http://peacefulsocieties.org/index.html Peaceful Societies, Alternatives to Violence and War]}} Short profiles on 25 peaceful societies.
*''Prefaces to Peace: a Symposium [i.e. anthology]'', Consisting of [works by] Wendell L. Willkie, Herbert Hoover and Hugh Gibson, Henry A. Wallace, [and] Sumner Welles. "Cooperatively published by Simon and Schuster; Doubleday, Doran, and Co.; Reynal & Hitchcock; [and] Columbia University Press", [194-]. xii, 437 p.
{{Refend}}

==External links==

{{Sister project links|Peace}}
* [https://www.carnegieendowment.org/ Carnegie Endowment for International Peace]
* [https://www.carnegiecouncil.org/ Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs]
* [https://libraryresources.unog.ch/peace Research Guide on Peace by the United Nations Library at Geneva]
* [https://peace.maripo.com/ Peace Monuments Around the World]
* [https://www.frient.de/ Working Group on Peace and Development (FriEnt)]
* [https://www.hejdanek.eu/Archive/Detail/2519 Ladislav Hejdánek: What do we actually want when we want peace?]  
<!--======================== {{No more links}} ============================
    | PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS IN ADDING MORE LINKS TO THIS ARTICLE. Wikipedia  |
    | is not a collection of links nor should it be used for advertising. |
    |                                                                     |
    |           Excessive or inappropriate links WILL BE DELETED.         |
    | See [[Wikipedia:External links]] & [[Wikipedia:Spam]] for details.  |
    |                                                                     |
    | If there are already plentiful links, please propose additions or   |
    | replacements on this article's discussion page, or submit your link |
    | to the relevant category at the Open Directory Project (dmoz.org)   |
    | and link back to that category using the {{dmoz}} template.         |
    ======================= {{No more links}} =============================-->

{{War navbox}}
{{anti-war}}
{{International relations}}
{{Political philosophy}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Peace| ]]
[[Category:Ethical principles]]
[[Category:Nonviolence]]
[[Category:Pacifism]]
[[Category:Political concepts]]
[[Category:Social concepts]]