In this episode of the Restful Record, we explore Conflict and Peace Studies through the lived realities of war, identity, escalation, and reconciliation. 

We examine the causes of war and the patterns scholars identify across major global conflicts. Through the outbreak of World War I, the security dilemma of the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the gradual escalation of the Vietnam War, and the Troubles of Northern Ireland we explore how alliances, mobilization plans, miscalculation, and “mission creep” can pull nations into catastrophic violence. The episode also examines identity-based conflicts, including the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, the Rwandan Genocide, and the Bosnian War, asking why disputes over land, ethnicity, religion, and historical memory can become so resistant to compromise.

Finally, we turn toward peacebuilding, reconciliation, and international intervention. From United Nations peacekeeping missions and the failure at Srebrenica, to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and community-based justice processes, this episode examines how societies rebuild after atrocity. What makes peace agreements last? How do power-sharing governments function after civil war? Can accountability and reconciliation coexist? Conflict and Peace Studies offers tools for understanding not only how wars begin, but how violence ends — and what it takes to prevent it from returning.

This episode is ideal for listeners interested in international relations, political science, history, human rights, genocide studies, diplomacy, negotiation, and global conflict resolution. It is a thoughtful, narrative-driven exploration of war, trauma, mediation, and the enduring human search for peace.

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Podcast cover art image by Eric Nopanen.