Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
How are current developments changing our perception of peace? In this video, Oliver Richmond, Professor of International Relations, Conflict and Peace Studies at Manchester University, joins me to explore how the meaning of peace has evolved from “victor’s peace” models to more inclusive and human-centred approaches. We trace global traditions of peacemaking, highlighting the contrast between top-down settlements shaped by elites and bottom-up practices grounded in everyday life, indigenous customs, and social coexistence. We examine how international law, constitutional safeguards, resource-sharing, and pluralistic identities form part of a broader international peace architecture, offering alternatives to domination, territorial control, and extractive politics.
Our discussion deep-dives into modern peace processes, including peacekeeping, state-building, and mediation, assessing why some efforts succeed while others stall. Under the spotlight come Cyprus, the Balkans, Northern Ireland and other conflict zones, illustrating the challenges of transforming ceasefires into lasting political orders that protect human rights, manage diversity, and transcend rigid notions of sovereignty. Professor Richmond contrasts comprehensive, long-term peace-building, emphasising democratic governance, rule of law, civil society, development, and regional integration, with new trends favouring rapid, elite-driven deals that ignore local realities. As he underlines, durable peace requires inclusive negotiations, sustained international support, and systems that reduce inequality, mitigate polarisation, and build resilient interdependence.
*VIDEO CHAPTERS*
00:00 Introduction and Titles
00:53 What Is Meant by ‘Peace’ Today?
04:37 Understanding International Peace Architecture
10:29 The Role of Mediation in Peacemaking
19:09 Does ‘Peacekeeping’ Prevent ‘Peacemaking’?
26:47 What Makes Successful Peacemaking?
36:39 How Should We Understand Trump’s Peacemaking Approach?
44:59 Do We Need to Relearn The Lessons of WWII?
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*MY LATEST BOOK!*
Secession and State Creation: What Everyone Needs to Know
Oxford University Press global.oup.com/academic/product/secession-and-state-creation-9780190494049
Amazon amzn.to/2MPY3W2
Some of the links above are affiliate links. These pay a small commission if you make a purchase. This helps to support the channel at no additional cost to you.
#Peace #Peacemaking #InternationalRelations
How are current developments changing our perception of peace? In this video, Oliver Richmond, Professor of International Relations, Conflict and Peace Studies at Manchester University, joins me to explore how the meaning of peace has evolved from “victor’s peace” models to more inclusive and human-centred approaches. We trace global traditions of peacemaking, highlighting the contrast between top-down settlements shaped by elites and bottom-up practices grounded in everyday life, indigenous customs, and social coexistence. We examine how international law, constitutional safeguards, resource-sharing, and pluralistic identities form part of a broader international peace architecture, offering alternatives to domination, territorial control, and extractive politics.
Our discussion deep-dives into modern peace processes, including peacekeeping, state-building, and mediation, assessing why some efforts succeed while others stall. Under the spotlight come Cyprus, the Balkans, Northern Ireland and other conflict zones, illustrating the challenges of transforming ceasefires into lasting political orders that protect human rights, manage diversity, and transcend rigid notions of sovereignty. Professor Richmond contrasts comprehensive, long-term peace-building, emphasising democratic governance, rule of law, civil society, development, and regional integration, with new trends favouring rapid, elite-driven deals that ignore local realities. As he underlines, durable peace requires inclusive negotiations, sustained international support, and systems that reduce inequality, mitigate polarisation, and build resilient interdependence.
*VIDEO CHAPTERS*
00:00 Introduction and Titles
00:53 What Is Meant by ‘Peace’ Today?
04:37 Understanding International Peace Architecture
10:29 The Role of Mediation in Peacemaking
19:09 Does ‘Peacekeeping’ Prevent ‘Peacemaking’?
26:47 What Makes Successful Peacemaking?
36:39 How Should We Understand Trump’s Peacemaking Approach?
44:59 Do We Need to Relearn The Lessons of WWII?
*SUPPORT INDEPENDENT ANALYSIS*
If you enjoy the channel and would like to support independent analysis of international relations, conflict, and security, there are several ways you can help:
SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE
youtube.com/channel/UCEszqJb1FjYisBevHBIof3g
youtube.com/c/JamesKerLindsay?sub_confirmation=1
JOIN THE COMMUNITY AND BECOME A CHANNEL MEMBER
YouTube: youtube.com/c/JamesKerLindsay/join
Patreon: patreon.com/JamesKerLindsay
*MY LATEST BOOK!*
Secession and State Creation: What Everyone Needs to Know
Oxford University Press global.oup.com/academic/product/secession-and-state-creation-9780190494049
Amazon amzn.to/2MPY3W2
Some of the links above are affiliate links. These pay a small commission if you make a purchase. This helps to support the channel at no additional cost to you.
#Peace #Peacemaking #InternationalRelations
