South American long peace

The South American long peace (also referred to as the Latin American long peace) is a term used in international relations and history to describe the relative absence of large-scale interstate war in South America since the end of the Chaco War in 1935. Some accounts also mention the period of peace as beginning in 1884. The region has remained an anomaly in global security studies for its persistent lack of major conventional wars between sovereign states. The region, however, continues to showcase high levels of intra-state violence despite the absence of war among states.

The concept emerged as a regional parallel to John Lewis Gaddis's "Long Peace" (the period of stability between great powers during the Cold War). Scholars such as Nicolás Terradas and Arie Kacowicz argue that South America constitutes a "zone of peace" or a "security community" in which the use of force to settle disputes has become increasingly rare. The contrast is clear when comparing South America with the more war-prone continents of Africa, Asia and Europe.

The "long peace" is usually dated from 1935 to the present. Although the region has witnessed militarised crises (such as the 1981 Paquisha War or the 1995 Cenepa War), these are viewed as low-intensity exceptions that did not escalate into full-scale war or destabilised the regional order. According to Kalevi Holsti the Falklands War of 1982 against the United Kingdom should not be counted as it was fought against a non-South American power.