Conflict Resolution Should be based on Durable Peace and Justice

Conflicts, civil wars and wars have become the single most important cause of extreme distress today. There are about 56 conflicts in the world today. In addition there are several other conflicts too localized to be counted at world level but taken together these too are a significant source of distress.

At the level of bigger conflicts those involving very high levels of distress include Ukraine and Russia, Israel and Palestine/others, Sudan, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo and some of its neighbors, Nigeria, the Horn of Africa region, the Sahel region, Yemen, Syria, Libya, Myanmar, Mozambique and of course several others.

In the case of several of these conflicts and elsewhere, fears of further escalation have often been expressed which makes the situation much more difficult.

Some other countries may be seeing a reduction of conflict but the lingering impacts of previous conflicts, such as in the form of the dangers of landmines, cluster bombs, chemical weapons and depleted uranium, can still be seen in several of these countries like Laos, Angola, Vietnam, Iraq and others.

World-level data indicates that increasingly even when conflicts end, these are not ending well in the sense of permanent peace and goodwill being achieved. Instead we continue to see frozen conflicts and simmering tensions which may explode again.

The role of UNO in resolving conflicts has been steadily eroded. Big powers are guided by narrow self-interest instead of any enlightened leadership role for creating a safer world.

Worldwide availability of most destructive weapons has increased tremendously, increasing deaths and disabilities caused by violent conflict.

Internal and external displacement caused by conflicts, often for very long periods, has been at a high level in recent times.

The biggest danger is that some of the conflicts, like the ones in Ukraine and the Middle-East can also lead to actual use of nuclear weapons.

Wars and conflicts are today not the wars of old times; in some context these pose an existential crisis not just for certain countries but in fact for the entire world. Hence the greatest importance should be given to ending existing wars and conflicts as soon as possible, as well as improving the capacity for resolving differences before these blow up into violent conflicts and wars.

I have tried to study a lot of writings which have been published in the context of recent conflicts and their resolution. Most of these appear to reflect narrow interests instead of exploring possibilities of justice-based peace. In the case of Israel and Palestine some writings appear to advocate legitimization of Israel’s highly unjust erosion of Palestinian rights and territory, while those on the other extreme appear to suggest solutions which leave no room for the ordinary people of Israel. Those arguing along these lines do not appear to realize that they are taking the situation further away from peaceful resolution.  None of these approaches will take us any nearer to justice-based peace, and it is justice-based peace that our deeply troubled world needs more than anything else.

Those who have the most power at world level, in particular the USA leadership, appear to have abandoned world peace with justice as their leading concern or objective; instead their top priority is world dominance. The quest for world dominance necessarily involves trampling under feet the objective of world peace with justice. This is what we have been seeing in recent years—the cause of world peace with justice being trampled upon most of the time.

Where do we go from here? The main hope rests now in a very big people’s initiative for peace and disarmament that reaches the entire world but is at its strongest in the great power countries who also have the most destructive weapons. Initially the initiative has to be taken by some of the world’s most prominent statesmen, diplomats, academics and scholars who should not just be very learned but must also be entirely free of bias, committed completely to world  peace and justice (and of course environment protection). Ultimately this initiative must become the biggest people’s peace movement the world has ever seen which works for peace with continuity at various levels, ranging from communities and schools to national and international levels. It is only when the demand for ending war and conflict on permanent basis comes from tens of millions of people with continuity, and is also backed by some of the world’s most prominent and respected persons known for their deep commitment to peace with justice, that the present and the future generations can have a real chance of a safer and more peaceful world, a justice-based world without wars.

Bharat Dogra is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include Planet in Peril, Protecting Earth for Children, Earth without Borders and A Day in 2071.