The Puzzle of Peace moves beyond defining peace as the absence of war and develops a broader conceptualization and explanation for the increasing peacefulness of the international system.

Gary Goertz is Professor of Political Science and Peace Studies, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame. Paul F. Diehl is Associate Provost and Director of Teaching-Learning Initiatives, University of Texas-Dallas. Alexandru Balas is Director, Clark Center for International Education and Assistant Professor and Coordinator, International Studies Program, State University of New York - Cortland.

Table of Contents; Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction; Part I: The Evolution of International Peace; 2. Conceptualizing Interstate Peace and Constituting the International System; 3. The Evolution of Peace 1900-2006; 4. Territorial Issues and the Evolution of Peace; Part II: International Territorial Norms, Conflict Management, and Peace; 5. The Development of Territorial Norms and the Norm Against Conquest; 6. Managing New States: Decolonization, Secession, and Peace; 7. When Territorial Change Happens: The Norm of Uti Possidetis; 8. Managing Territorial Conflict and Promoting Peace: Mediation and Legally-Binding Approaches; 9. Peace at Sea: Managing Maritime Boundaries; Part III: Summary and Extensions; 10. Conclusions and Implications; Afterwords: Some Speculations About the Causes of Peace; References; Authors' Biographies