War and Energy
War is a chaotic system that requires energy to function. The energy is emotional energy created by the humans that participate or are affected by the conflict. War requires emotional energy to function and wars end when one side is demoralised and therefore lacking in sufficient energy to drive the system, which then stops becoming chaotic and enters a phase of stability (peace).
World War II was so successful for Germany despite a chaotic leadership because of the large store of emotional energy created during the 1930's. Fighting in the middle east persists because so many people worldwide get involved.
Any energy can affect the system in a chaotic way. This includes peace protests if they add energy, if they are antagonistic to one side or the other. The outcome of any antagonism is unpredictable because the system is chaotic, therefore even a protest that opposes one side might not favour that side in the conflict.
Conflict requires energy to succeed, it is known to all Buddhists that only a lack of action can create peace. Thus peace can only be achieved by either a sufficient lowering of energy on one side (defeat) or both sides (accepted peace; this normally happens when both sides have been fighting for a sufficiently long time that the energy has become naturally dissipated).
Conclusion
The most peaceful and direct way for a third party to achieve peace is to ignore a war. The most effective peace protest would involve a news blackout to actively avoid the input of emotional energy into the conflict system.
