“Decreasing Violence and Increasing Distributive Justice”

Abstract

Ernst-Otto Czempiel (1927-2017) was a leading German pioneer in International Relations and in Peace Research. He revived the theory of democratic peace long before it was rediscovered in the United States. I introduce three of his major works on the theory of peace and on peace strategies. Czempiel’s concerns are prudent policies for an enduring peace in international society in general and the chances of a peaceful Euro-Atlantic order after the end of the East-West conflict in particular. His complex program for dealing with six causes of violence is considered one of the major international designs, although his interpretations of important contemporary developments have remained controversial to some extent. In addition, new dangers to “decreasing violence and increasing distributive justice” (Czempiel’s definition of peace) have arisen which had not been obvious in his days of scholarship.