“Long Peace”

The “Long Peace” refers to the period of international history between the end of World War II and the present time, in which there has been no major great power war. World Wars I and II represented the two bloodiest events of the 20th century; however, their aftermath ushered in what is perhaps the longest period of enduring great power peace in the modern era.

Several social scientific approaches have attempted to explain this phenomenon, including theories of trade interdependence, liberal sentimentalism, the balance of power, and collective identity explanations. Although there is no consensus on the causes of the Long Peace, it is widely recognized by scholars and policymakers that the international system is more restrained than it was 70 years ago and that cooperation ...