Presenting the human security agenda as a policy response to the changing nature of violent conflicts and war, this collection traces its evolution in relation to conflicts in different contexts (Burma, India, Palestine, Canada, East Timor, Guatemala, Peru and African countries) and from the perspective of gender, addressing initiatives for peace with justice. Cases are analysed when the human security agenda, including UNSC resolution 1325, was in its initial phase and point to both the weakness of the concept and the unexpected direction it has taken.