Key debates in peace and conflict

Answer

What peace is (negative/positive), why conflicts happen (greed/grievance), whether conflict is changing, how peace is best pursued, and when force is justified.

Answer

Define and frame the debate; explore both perspectives with real examples; evaluate them against each other; reach a clear, conditional judgement.

Answer

Galtung's frame: direct, structural and cultural violence, and negative peace (no direct violence) vs positive peace (a just society).

Answer

Evaluation — not just exploring perspectives but weighing them against each other and reaching a balanced, well-supported judgement.

Answer

Linking peace and conflict to a core concept (power, sovereignty, legitimacy, human rights, equality, interdependence) as the spine of the argument.

Answer

Resist the extremes: peace is rarely purely negative or positive, conflict rarely pure greed or grievance, force rarely always or never justified — hold both sides and judge conditionally.

Answer

Positive peace — a just society without structural violence — not merely a ceasefire (negative peace).

Answer

Grievance usually starts a conflict and greed sustains it; they interact, so ending war means addressing both.

Answer

Yes, in extreme cases (self-defence, stopping atrocities) as a last resort, but the moral bar must be very high and conduct constrained.

Answer

It depends on motive, authorisation and conduct — legitimate, limited, protective intervention can help; self-interested or reckless intervention harms.

Answer

Lasting peace usually blends both — truth and some accountability — with the balance depending on the society and the scale of atrocity.