The Liberal Peace

Abstract

War outspends peace. In February 2010, the United States was spending $6.7bn per month in pursuit of its war in Afghanistan, and a further $5.5bn in Iraq (Wolf 2010; Stiglitz and Bilmes 2008). This total was almost equivalent to the entire United Nations budget for a year. Although outgunned by spending on war and militarism, expenditure on peace is still substantial, and is augmented by significant outlays in blood and moral energy. Some headline figures give a picture of the scale of pro-peace activity: in 2009, the UN had over 100,000 personnel in the field in seventeen peace missions, while in 2010, World Vision, a US-based Christian relief, development, and advocacy organisation, had a US income in excess of $1bn and a presence in over 100 countries (UNDPKO 2009; World Vision 2010).