New Books in History Nicole Wegner, "Martialling Peace: How the Peacekeeper Myth Legitimises Warfare" (Edinburgh UP, 2023)
Jan 31, 2026
Nicole Wegner, a lecturer who studies militarism and peace, explores how the peacekeeper myth emotionally legitimizes military force. She discusses the concept of martial peace, how myths form and sustain militarism, Canada's peacekeeping narrative, Afghanistan's role, and links between militarized policing and Indigenous suppression. Short, provocative, and focused on storytelling and political narratives.
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Peace Reduced To Order
- Martial peace frames peace as order rather than justice or connection.
- This narrows peace to negative peace: absence of armed conflict rather than well-being.
Myths Make Violence Seem Inevitable
- Myths present ideological commitments as apolitical truths and legitimize coercion.
- The peacekeeping myth paradoxically claims militaries prevent lethal violence while being trained to use it.
Peacekeeping Framed As Softer Warfare
- The peacekeeping myth treats peacekeeping as morally softer and distinct from warfare by object not nature.
- UN doctrine (consent, limited force, impartiality) and academic framing naturalize that distinction.
