Peacemaking, Peacekeeping, and Peacebuilding

Ending a war and building a durable peace involve distinct activities that are easily confused. The United Nations and scholars distinguish a family of related but different tasks, and knowing which is which is essential for analyzing any intervention. Peacemaking refers to the diplomatic efforts to bring hostile parties to a negotiated agreement, chiefly through mediation and negotiation. Peacekeeping is the deployment of international personnel, often lightly armed, to monitor and support the implementation of an agreement, typically with the consent of the parties. Peacebuilding is the longer-term work of addressing root causes and constructing the institutions, relationships, and economic conditions that make a return to war unlikely. Peace enforcement, by contrast, involves the use of