Abstract
In the face of ongoing conflicts, pacifist movements – as well as their leading intellectuals
– have been swinging between seemingly incompatible positions, unsettling
large sections of public opinion by creating confusion and uproar regarding
the real alternatives for ending the conflicts. This has reduced the pressure on
the international community, encouraging procrastination and ambiguity, to the
disadvantage of the citizens of conflict-torn societies, who cannot hope to achieve
sustainable peace. The article argues that the tradition of peace research – whose
trajectory is briefly outlined – provides fruitful methodological and conceptual
resources to break the current deadlocks of pacifism.