An Introduction to Early Warning

Abstract. Since the creation of the United Nations, the ban of the use of force has been collectively viewed as a founding principle of relations between states. However, the end of the Cold War and the strengthening of multilateral international institutions’ role in conflict management has not resulted in a general and lasting commitment to the traditional principles of collective security. The use of force has been states' most evident strategy, but it is not the only approach. Actually, conflict prevention has been investigated outside the spotlight by academic circles, international organisations, and governmental institutions as an alternative option for the management of crisis situations. Conflict prevention is neither a new policy nor a new technical tool for avoiding war. Rather, it is a different approach to using existing tools of conflict management, and employing early warning systems. This paper investigates the development of the early warning concept and its application to the sphere of conflict management.