Zones of Peace and Neighborhood Diffusion

Abstract

Abstract This chapter examines the zones of peace and neighborhood diffusion. It explores research focusing on the nature of peace, state relationships, and structural conditions that facilitate violence. Under the right conditions, states may choose to forgo conflict by developing strong, cooperative relations characterized by a “warm peace.” Moreover, the notion of a security community represents the highest level of peace. The chapter elaborates on the conception of zones of peace, which includes the absence of militarized violence in a neighborhood. It explains the spatial diffusion of peace factors in correlation with industrialization, which highlights how the local diffusion of industrialization helps explain the development of zones of peace more generally.