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Peaceiswhenentitiesareinharmony.Initsmostimmediateandpopularmeaning,signifiestheabsenceofhostilities.Thisdefinitionofpeacereferstoaconditionwherenationsorgroupsarenotengagedinviolentconflict.Theconceptionofpeacecangofurthertomeanarelationshipbetweenpartiescharacterizedbyrespect,justice,andgoodwill.Furtherdescriptivemeaningsforpeaceinclude:apeaceagreement,calminthenaturalenvironment,aninternalstateofserenity,andsilence.Sincepeaceisatermpronetosubjectiveviewpoints,therearemanydifferentdefinitionsofpeace.
ThetraditionallyacceptedpoliticaldefinitionofpeaceandtheveryworditselfcomesfromtheinfluenceoftheancientRomanswhodefinedpeace,pax,asabsentiabelli,theabsenceofwar.
Inthemodernnation-stateworld,peacehasoftenbeenunderstoodastheabsenceofinternationalwarbetweentwoormorestate-organizedarmies.However,constrainingtheconceptofpeacetotheabsenceofinternationalwarignorestherelevanceofcivilwar,internalgenocide,terrorism,andotherviolence.SinceWorldWarII,warsbetweenstateshavedecreasedwhileviolentinternalconflictsincreased.Since1992,however,internalconflictshavedecreasedthoughtherearestillnumerousandproblematicintractableconflicts.[1]PresentdaySudan,asanexample,isnotengagedinawarwithanothersovereignstate.However,fewwoulddenythatwhatamountstogenocideistakingplaceinitsDarfurregion.
Peacetherefore,inthesenseoftheabsenceofhostilities,isbestunderstoodastheabsenceofviolencebetweengroups,whethertheyarepartofastateapparatusornot.JohanGaltung,averyinfluentialpeaceresearcher,callspeaceunderstoodsimplyastheabsenceofviolence"negativepeace."[2]Itislabeledassuchbecausealthoughdirectviolenceisnottakingplace,thepointsofconflict,whichcanleadtoviolence,arenotnecessarilyresolved.