Book excerpt: The term 'Yugoslav Wars' (or, often, 'the Balkan conflict') refers to a series of wars in the region of former Yugoslavia, which were associated with the break-up of that state. The Yugoslav Wars resulted in an unimaginable number of dead, injured and displaced people. They also had a devastating impact on the economy and on the environment. Most notably, in some of the states which emerged from the conflict, people still to this day cannot peacefully coexist with one another. Beyond the affected region itself, the military conflict also had significant implications for Europe and its member states. It destroyed the illusion that Europe had overcome war. Perhaps these recent wars have given Europe an impetus to draw lessons from them, to find out what really needs to be done to build a peaceful Europe. A particular characteristic of this publication is that it does not settle for a single precise analysis of the reasons for war and for post-war conflicts. Rather, peace efforts and peace treaties are analyzed by focusing on their function of preventing conflicts or reducing their extent. Emphasis is placed on the efforts of national actors as well as on those of actors in civil society to promote peace policies in the international sphere. This collection of articles might, for the first time, clearly display the political challenges of peace in the context of the collapse of Yugoslavia and its subsequent wars. It certainly seeks to illustrate what has been learned and what still needs to be learned for the future.