A peace treaty is an agreement between two hostile parties, usually countries or governments, that formally ends an armed conflict. It is different from an armistice, which is an agreement to cease hostilities, or a surrender, in which an army agrees to give up arms. A white flag is traditionally used to represent a truce. ... Balian of Ibelin surrendering the city of Jerusalem to Saladin, from Les Passages faits Outremer par les Français contre les Turcs et autres Sarrasins et Maures outremarins, ca. ...

Elements of treaties

There are many possible issues which may be included in a peace treaty, and a treaty's content usually depends heavily on the nature of the conflict being concluded. Some of these may be:

• Formal designation of borders.
• Processes for resolving future disputes
• Access to and apportioning of resources
• Status of refugees
• Settling of existing debts
• Defining of proscribed behavior
• The re-application of existing treaties

Treaties are often ratified in territories deemed neutral in the previous conflict and delegates from these neutral territories act as witnesses to the signatories. In the case of large conflicts between numerous parties there may be one international treaty covering all issues or separate treaties signed between each party. For other uses, see Border (disambiguation). ... A controversy is a contentious dispute, a disagreement over which parties are actively arguing. ... For other uses, see resource (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Debt (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The first two pages of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, in (left to right) German, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Ottoman Turkish and Russian A treaty is an agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely states and international organizations. ... A neutral country takes no side in a war between other parties, and in return hopes to avoid being attacked by either of them. ... This article is about witnesses in law courts. ... John Hancocks signature is the most prominent on the United States Declaration of Independence. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

In modern times certain intractable conflict situations may first be brought to a cease-fire and are then dealt with via a peace process where a number of discrete steps are taken on each side to eventually reach the mutually desired goal of peace and the signing of a treaty. A peace treaty also is often not used to end a civil war, especially in cases of a failed secession, as it implies mutual recognition of statehood. In cases such as the American Civil War, it usually ends when the armies of the losing side surrender and the government collapses. An armistice is the effective end of a war, when the warring parties agree to stop fighting. ... The peace process describes efforts by interested parties to effect a lasting solution to long-running conflicts, such as the Northern Ireland peace process see Belfast Agreement, Arab-Israeli conflict and Peace process in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. ... For other uses, see Secession (disambiguation). ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total...

By contrast, a successful secession or declaration of independence is often formalized by means of a peace treaty. For other uses, see Secession (disambiguation). ... A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. ...

Role of UN

Since the founding of the United Nations after World War II this organization has sought to act as a forum for resolution in matters of international conflict and is often instrumental in peace processes and peace treaties. The number of international treaties and obligations member states are involved in which they seek to limit and control behavior during wartime has perhaps made the idea of total war less tenable. This has meant that formal declarations of war are frequently not undertaken and also a peace treaty at the end is also not entered in to. The Korean War is an example of a war which was suspended with a cease-fire but never closed with a treaty. UN redirects here. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... It has been suggested that Protocol (treaty) be merged into this article or section. ... Total war is a military conflict in which nations mobilize all available resources in order to destroy another nations ability to engage in war. ... Belligerents United Nations: Republic of Korea Australia Belgium Canada Colombia Ethiopia France Greece Luxembourg Netherlands New Zealand Philippines South Africa Thailand Turkey United Kingdom United States Naval Support and Military Servicing/Repairs: Japan Medical staff: Denmark Italy Norway India Sweden DPR Korea PR China Soviet Union Commanders Syngman Rhee Chung...

Famous peace treaties

Ancient history

Tablet of the first treaty in history, Treaty of Kadesh, at the Istanbul Archaeology Museum.

One of the earliest recorded peace treaties was concluded between the Hittite and Egyptian empires after the ca.1274 BC Battle of Kadesh. The battle took place in what is modern-day Syria, the entire Levant being at that time contested between the two empires. After an extremely costly four-day battle, in which neither side gained a substantial advantage, both sides claimed victory. The lack of resolution led to further conflict between Egypt and the Hittites with Ramesses II capturing the city of Kadesh and Amurru in his 8th Year.^[1] However, the prospect of further protracted conflict between the two states eventually persuaded both their rulers, Hatusiliš III and Ramesses to end their dispute and sign a peace treaty. Both sides could not afford the possibility of a longer conflict since they were threatened by other enemies: Egypt was faced with the task of defending her long western border with Libya against the incursion of Libyan tribesmen by building a chain of fortresses stretching from Mersa Matruh to Rakotis while the Hittites faced a more formidable threat in the form of the Assyrian Empire which "had conquered Hanigalbat, the heartland of Mitanni, between the Tigris and the Euphrates" rivers that had previously been a Hittite vassal state.^[2] ImageMetadata File history File links Kadesh. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Kadesh. ... The first two pages of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, in (left to right) German, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Ottoman Turkish and Russian A treaty is an agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely states and international organizations. ... Istanbul Archaeology Museum (Turkish: Ä°stanbul Arkeoloji Müzesi) is an archeological museum, located in the Eminönü district of Istanbul, Turkey, near Gülhane Park and Topkapı Palace. ... Relief of Suppiluliuma II, last known king of the Hittite Empire The Hittites were an ancient people from KaneÅ¡ who spoke an Indo-European language, and established a kingdom centered at Hattusa (Hittite URU) in north-central Anatolia from the 18th century BC. In the 14th century BC, the Hittite... 1279 BC — Pharaoh Seti I dies. ... Belligerents New Kingdom of Egypt Hittite Empire Commanders Ramesses II Muwatalli II Strength 2,000+ chariots[3] and ca. ... The Levant The Levant (IPA: ) is an imprecise geographical term historically referring to a large area in the Middle East south of the Taurus Mountains, bounded by the Mediterranean Sea on the west, and by the northern Arabian Desert and Upper Mesopotamia to the east. ... Nomen: Ramesses meryamun Ramesses (Re has fashioned him), beloved of Amun. ... Hattusili III (Hittite: from Hattusa) was a king of the Hittite empire (New Kingdom or Late Empire) ca. ...

The peace treaty was recorded in two versions, one in Egyptian hieroglyphs, the other in Akkadian, using cuneiform script; fortunately, both versions survive. Such dual-language recording is common to many subsequent treaties. This treaty differs from others, however, in that the two language versions are differently worded. Although the majority of the text is identical, the Hittite version claims that the Egyptians came suing for peace, while the Egyptian version claims the reverse. The treaty was given to the Egyptians in the form of a silver plaque, and this "pocket-book" version was taken back to Egypt and carved into the Temple of Karnak. A section of the Papyrus of Ani showing cursive hieroglyphs. ... Akkadian (lišānum akkadītum) was a Semitic language (part of the greater Afro-Asiatic language family) spoken in ancient Mesopotamia, particularly by the Assyrians and Babylonians. ... Cuneiform script The Cuneiform script is one of the earliest known forms of written expression. ... Karnak is a village in Egypt that was once part of the ancient capital of Egypt, Thebes. ...

The Treaty was concluded between Ramesses II and Hatusiliš III in Year 21 of Ramesses' reign.^[3] (c.1258 BC) Its eighteen articles calls for peace between Egypt and Hatti and then proceeds to maintain that their respective gods also demand peace. It contains many elements found in more modern treaties, although it is perhaps more far-reaching than later treaties' simple declaration of the end of hostilities. It also contains a mutual-assistance pact in the event that one of the empires should be attacked by a third party, or in the event of internal strife. There are articles pertaining to the forced repatriation of refugees and provisions that they should not be harmed; this might be thought of as the first extradition treaty. There are also threats of retribution, should the treaty be broken. Nomen: Ramesses meryamun Ramesses (Re has fashioned him), beloved of Amun. ... Hattusili III (Hittite: from Hattusa) was a king of the Hittite empire (New Kingdom or Late Empire) ca. ... Repatriation (from late Latin repatriare - to restore someone to his homeland) is the process of return of refugees or soldiers to their homes, most notably following a war. ... Extradition is the official process by which one nation or state requests and obtains from another nation or state the surrender of a suspected or convicted criminal. ...

This treaty is considered of such importance in the field of international relations that a reproduction of it hangs in the United Nations headquarters. UN redirects here. ...

Modern history

Famous examples include the Treaty of Paris (1815), signed after Napoleon's defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, and the Treaty of Versailles, formally ending the First World War. The latter treaty is possibly the most notorious of peace treaties, in that it is "blamed" by some historians for the rise of National Socialism in Germany and the eventual outbreak of the Second World War. The costly reparations that Germany was forced to pay the victors, the fact that Germany had to accept sole responsibility for starting the war, and the harsh restrictions on German rearmament were all listed in the treaty and caused massive resentment in Germany. Whether the Treaty of Versailles can be blamed for starting another war or not, shows the difficulties involved in making peace. The Treaty of Paris of 1815 was signed on November 20, 1815, following the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo, 18 June. ... For other uses, see Napoleon (disambiguation). ... Combatants French Empire Seventh Coalition: United Kingdom Prussia United Netherlands Hanover Nassau Brunswick Commanders Napoleon Bonaparte, Michel Ney Duke of Wellington, Gebhard von Blücher Strength 73,000 67,000 Anglo-Allies 60,000 Prussian (48,000 engaged by about 18:00) Casualties 25,000 killed or wounded 7,000... This article is about the Treaty of Versailles of June 28, 1919, which ended World War I. For other uses, see Treaty of Versailles (disambiguation) . Left to right, Prime Minister David Lloyd George of the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Vittorio Emanuele Orlando of Italy, Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau of France... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... Not to be confused with Nasi. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... World War I reparations refers to the payments and transfers of property and equipment that the German state was forced to make following its defeat during World War I. Article 231 of the Treaty (the war guilt clause) held Germany solely responsible for all loss and damage suffered by the...

Another famous example would be the series of peace treaties known as the Peace of Westphalia. It initiated modern diplomacy, involving the modern system of nation-states. Subsequent wars were no longer over religion, but rather revolved around issues of state. This allowed Catholic and Protestant powers to ally, leading to a number of major realignments. Ratification of the Treaty of Münster. ... The term nation-state, while often used interchangeably with the terms unitary state and independent state, refers properly to the parallel occurence of a state and a nation. ...

See also

• Armistice
• Diplomacy
• Escheat of Limbo Cessions
• List of treaties
• Peace
• Peace process
• Separate peace
• Treaty
• Truce

A white flag is traditionally used to represent a truce. ... This article is about negotiations. ... Escheat is an obstruction of the course of descent and the consequent reversion of property to the original grantor. ... This is a chronological list of international treaties, historic agreements, peaces, edicts, pacts, etc. ... Gari Melchers, Mural of Peace, 1896. ... The peace process describes efforts by interested parties to effect a lasting solution to long-running conflicts, such as the Northern Ireland peace process see Belfast Agreement, Arab-Israeli conflict and Peace process in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. ... The phrase separate peace refers to a nations agreement to cease military hostilities with another, even though the former country had previously entered into a military alliance with other states that remain at war with the latter country. ... The first two pages of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, in (left to right) German, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Ottoman Turkish and Russian A treaty is an agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely states and international organizations. ... == T.R.U.C.E == Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Childrens Entertainment. ...

References

external links

• UN Peacemaker Database on Peace Agreements, UN Peacemaker
• United States Institute of Peace Digital Peace Agreements Collection
• The First Peace Treaty in History