Peace by Trade

Debates the meaning and relevance of peace in the East Asian region. Explores how peace came about, and how sustainable it is. Brings together scholars from different disciplines who explicitly debate with each other. East Asia used to be the worlds deadliest battleground but since the 1980s there has been a sudden and marked reduction in battle deaths. This phenomenon, which has become known as the East Asian Peace, has spurred much debate. This volume reflects on some of the most prominent of these debates. Here, it focuses more on presenting and evaluating a variety of themes in relation to each other rather than offering simplistic answers to a complex question. While the chapters of this volume obviously discuss processes and events in East Asia, its contributions also offer insights to the core general questions for understanding peace and conflict. What is peace and how can it be studied? How can we characterize the East Asian Peace? What limits and conditions are associated with this peace? Can insights from East Asia explain overall regional trends of political violence? Does the way in which peace come about impact on the quality of peace? Is the East Asian peace under threat? If so, then why is this and where is the threat coming from? For the fascinating and controversial story of the six-year research programme behind this study, see NIAS Press' Tønnesson/Explaining the East Asian Peace