Conflictivity and world orders Analysis and reflection on the four summits which ordered the international system

Abstract

This article is inserted within a research project that approaches the study of possible relationships between power structures, conflict and the construction of international orders, focusing on four multilateral summits of great relevance: the Peace of Westphalia of 1648, the Congress of Vienna of 1815, the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 and the San Francisco Conference of 1945. Firstly, it reiterates a systematization of quantitative data about the structure of the international system and its level of conflict, this indicator being derived from three specific sources of variation: number of major powers in conflict, duration, and severity of conflicts between powers. Considering these systemic aspects during the 1500-2000 timeframe, the paper reveals the following findings: there were no instances of a unipolar structure, and what prevailed was a high multipolar structure; the wars between great powers previous to the summits were the most conflictive; during the periods previous to the summits the systems registered the highest levels of conflict. Secondly, it approaches in a comparative way the summits´ consequences, taking into account the normative equation established in Westphalia: legal equality-sovereignty-balance of power.