Many countries in Africa, Asia, or Latin America are seen as especially war prone. There are, however, some countries that resist this general trend towards internal war in certain regions. These countries have one thing in common: They are small islands of peace in regions of war and post-war countries. This is a puzzle in conflict studies, as they do not seem to differ much from countries they border (in regard, for example, to economic development, social composition, or colonial history)—except for the level of organized violence. Why and how did these countries manage to avoid having an internal war and are peaceful, while others did not?
