Peace-Building in War-Torn Societies

The changed nature of war after the end of the Cold War requires a fresh perspective on the methods of managing conflict, as well as making & maintaining peace. For nearly two decades, the overwhelming majority of wars around the world are intra-national rather than international. Wars fought between two sovereign countries are increasingly the exception to the norm. In their stead, ethnic & religious conflicts, conflicts over self-determination or succession, & violent power struggles among opposing domestic political factions account for over 90 percent of the major armed conflicts recorded in recent years worldwide. This statistic has profound ramifications for the processes of conflict resolution & post-conflict peace-building. Tools & techniques that may be suitable for coping with international wars are often inadequate for achieving & making peace between domestic adversaries. Besides, major international organizations, including the United Nations (UN), were designed to cope with inter-state problems, historically the main source of threat to global peace & security. Further, the fact that intra-national conflicts occur within the borders of states made most international actors reluctant to intervene, either for legal concerns or for concern to avoid probable losses. Adapted from the source document.