This report is submitted in conjunction with the presentation on con ict and peace. This report will be an extension to the presentation with greater detail.
The meaning of con ict and peace is widely debated but, the most agreed upon de nition is the simplest one. An ongoing argument between those who hold different ideas or opinions is known as a con ict. They result from different views on interest, viewpoints, or even philosophical concepts. The basis of con ict can be personal, racial, class, caste, political, or even international, thus it will always exist in society. Consequences of this can range from deaths and trauma to total economic collapse. Con icts always have far reaching effects, they can result in 1000s if not millions of deaths not to mention the wounded and other people who are affected indirectly by the con ict such as the families of the people who died. While peace, is the complete opposite, peace refers to the tranquility that humans long for, the one without their livelihood, or their lives, at stake. It often comes as a byproduct of resolved con icts, freedom from civil disturbance and is a state of harmony. But, peace, for eternity, has been long sought after with often not-so-peaceful methods. This is the biggest piece of irony in human history.
As you can see, con ict is much much more common than peace. So, is there a right ad wrong in con icts? In con icts between friends, putting the blame on the other party can only lead to the weakening of the bonds you have built up over months or even years. Always trying to prove yourself correct will do the same, but there are right and wrong actions which someone can take during a con ict. The same way, national con icts also have some right and wrong actions. In most con icts there are strong emotions triggered, which provokes one to prove themselves right. There are usually no rights and wrongs during a con ict as it is a disagreement amongst two parties, or nations, but after being resolved they can lead to a positive and negative effect. Hence, the felling of doing the correct thing in most con icts is nothing but and illusion that e create to hide our actual reason for warring.
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fi fl fl fl fl fl fl fl fl fl fl fl fl fl fl fl A common misconception is that peace leads to progress and con ict leads to regression. This statement is not entirely correct and is also not entirely wrong. War can be a force for good, It can bring people together and create bonds that would never have existed otherwise. War can be a catalyst for change. It can help to bring about new ideas and ways of thinking. Some of todays major inventions were made during World War II and I itself. A few examples would be- mass production of u vaccines and penicillin, jet Engines, electronic computers, radar technology, the atom bomb, synthetic rubber. The desperation for victory war provides, rushed inventions and also the problems faced by soldiers inspired new inventions such as the ballpoint pen. All these feelings for urgency cannot be found during peace time so the rate of invention can slow. It can also be a way to protect and defend one’s country, or even one’s way of life. But, war can also cause economic fallout and destruction due to its rst for blood. The main problem with peace is that it can be boring and uneventful, leading to complacency and a lack of motivation. It is also fragile. It can be easily shattered by violence or con ict. War is often seen as a necessary evil. It is brutal and destructive, but it can also be a force for good, defending our freedoms and protecting the innocent. Peace, on the other hand, is seen as the ideal state. It is calm and harmonious, and it allows us to live in harmony with our fellow man. But peace is not always possible, and sometimes war is the only way to achieve it.
To effectively solve a con ict, perspective must be changed, we should view the world from the eyes of all parties. In order to resolve con ict constructively, so that all parties are satis ed with the outcome, a person must be able to hold all the opposing ideas, positions, and perspectives in mind at the same time. With this knowledge, a peace solution can be negotiated. By looking from another perspective maybe negotiators could see what pushed a party to pick up arms and they could impose restrictions and rules to prevent something like this from happening again. It also reduces biases and also improves judgment. By following this procedure, a verdict, treaty, agreement or any decision taken would satisfy both parties, attacker and defender.
Now, let's talk about the best way to resolve con icts and the special times when war should be fought. The best way to deal with a problem is for a third party to act the role of a negotiator. This person should be able to see and hear the opinion and reasoning of each
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fi fi fl fl fl fl fl fl party and then come to an agreement that both parties agree. This can be done on any level, from personal to international levels. If two children are ghting over the best toy, the best solution would be to share it. The same decision was also taken at the national level too. In the Cauvery river dispute, The Indian government and court decreed that the river water be shared between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Global issues can also be resolved like this. During the Cold War, the situation was solved by diplomacy too. Many times, the world was close to World War III such as when the Cuban Missile crisis and Berlin Crisis hit, but these problems were solved through diplomacy. Hence, we can all agree that diplomacy is the best solution to most con icts. But sadly, a few problems must be dealt with war, such as when Adolf Hitler kept invading countries even though extra land was given to him in diplomatic negotiations. The greed of some people can only be stopped by war.
To understand all of this better, let's do an analysis of the cold war.
The Cold War between the former Soviet Union and the United States of America. This war happened post World War II, from 12th March 1947 - 26th December 1991, for 44 years and 9 months. The con ict was based around the ideological and geopolitical struggle for global in uence by these two superpowers, following their temporary alliance and victory against Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan in 1945. There were never any open hostilities resulting in casualties but they supported opposing sides in regional con icts known as proxy wars. Aside from the nuclear arsenal development and conventional military deployment, the struggle for dominance was expressed via indirect means such as psychological warfare, propaganda campaigns, espionage, far-reaching embargoes, rivalry at sports events, and technological competitions such as the Space Race. The Cold War began shortly after the end of World War II in 1945. The United States and its allies created the NATO military alliance in 1949 in the apprehension of a Soviet attack. The Soviet Union formed the Warsaw Pact in 1955 in response to NATO. Major crises of this war included the 1948–1949 Berlin Blockade, the 1945–1949 Chinese Communist Revolution, the 1950–1953 Korean War, the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, the 1956 Suez Crisis, the 1961 Berlin Crisis, the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, and the 1964–1975 Vietnam War. In 1989, the fall of the Iron Curtain after the Pan-European Picnic and a peaceful wave of revolutions overthrew almost all of the communist governments of the Eastern Bloc. The Communist Party of the Soviet Union itself lost control in the country and was banned following an abortive coup attempt in
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fl fl fl fi fl August 1991. This in turn led to the formal dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991, the independence of its constituent republics, and the collapse of communist governments across much of Africa and Asia. The United States was left as the world's sole superpower.
After World War II, counties, got together and formed the United Nations, Its goal mainly to maintain peace in the world. The United Nations usually plays a vital role in con ict prevention through diplomacy, good of ce relations, and meditative ways to work their way out of a problem along with their counterparts. Special envoys and political missions in the eld are two of the tactics used by the Organisation to bring peace. These tactics effectively delay con icts or cease minor disruptions in global peace. However, sometimes peacekeeping becomes hard to manage due to tenacious opposition. In the case of the cold war, the sheer number of disagreements formed between the two powerful countries overwhelmed the power of the UN thus resulting in the UN being rendered useless during the course of the war. In a nutshell, the UN has capabilities within its rights to stabilise a con ict, however, its power can easily be neglected as soon as major superpowers that have vast in uence step forward. This ultimately makes the UN a rather effective peacekeeper just lacking the ability to do much to change the outcomes of major political or military uprising that threatens global stability
Glossary 1. Berlin Blockade- The Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, road, and canal access to the sectors of Berlin under Western control. In response the allies organised the Berlin airlift to deliver important supplies. 2. Hungarian Revolution- The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 was a countrywide revolution against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic and the policies caused by the government's subordination to the Soviet Union (USSR). 3. Suez Crisis- The Suez Crisis was an invasion of Egypt in late 1956 by Israel, followed by the United Kingdom and France. The aims were to regain control of the Suez Canal for the Western powers. Israel's primary objective was to re-open the blocked
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fl fl fi fl fi fl Straits of Tiran. After the ghting had started, political pressure from the United States, the Soviet Union and the United Nations led to a withdrawal by the three invaders. 4. Berlin Crisis of 1961- The Berlin Crisis of 1961 occurred between 4 June – 9 November 1961, and was the last major European politico-military incident of the Cold War about the occupational status of the German capital city, Berlin, and of post–World War II Germany. The Berlin Crisis started when the USSR issued an ultimatum demanding the withdrawal of all armed forces from Berlin, including the Western armed forces in West Berlin. 5. Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962- The Cuban Missile Crisis, was a 35-day confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union, which escalated into an international crisis when American deployments of missiles in Italy and Turkey were matched by Soviet deployments of similar ballistic missiles in Cuba. Despite the short time frame, the Cuban Missile Crisis remains a de ning moment in national security and nuclear war preparation. The confrontation is often considered the closest the Cold War came to escalating into a full-scale nuclear war. 6. The Iron Curtain- The Iron Curtain was the political boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The term symbolises the efforts by the Soviet Union (USSR) to block itself and its satellite states from open contact with the West, its allies and neutral states.
