Peaceful Means Research Articles

Building a Culture of Peace for Sustainable Socio-Political and Economic Stability in South Sudan

Persistent civil wars, inter-communal clashes, and hostile interpersonal relations have made peace highly elusive in South Sudan; despite numerous local, regional, and international efforts, these instabilities prove resistant to resolution. The endless conflicts have resulted in critical humanitarian crises and social and economic difficulties affecting nearly everyone. The devastating history of violence in the country has entrenched a culture that undermines peace efforts. The article, therefore, explores the root causes of the instabilities, their nature and impact, and advocates for practices such as harmony, reconciliation, the rule of law, and institutional development that foster a Peace culture to break the cycle of violence, ensuring lasting peaceful coexistence and sustainable political and socio-economic stability across the country. Using secondary data from academic articles, and UN reports, the article draws on Émile Arnaud’s pacifism theory, emphasizing nonviolence and peaceful means to achieve peace. Based on the Pacifism theory is the belief that peace is good, that we must work for peace, and that war should be avoided, if not abolished, advocating love, reconciliation, and care as essential values. The article concludes by recommending practices, behaviors, and attitudes that can help various stakeholders develop peace as a lasting cultural norm rather than a temporary fix to achieve enduring stability in South Sudan.

Ukrainian Visions of Peace: (Re-)Shaping Peace through Victory

Abstract How can peace be achieved in Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion of February 2022? In contrast to the impulse of many in the field of peacebuilding to call for concessions through a negotiated settlement, Ukrainian voices have consistently called for support of its military self-defense to achieve peace through victory. Heeding the peacebuilding field’s stated commitment to the principle of local ownership, by which those affected by war should take the lead in the pursuit of peace, this article analyzes Ukrainian articulations of peace at the governmental, civil society, and grassroots levels since 2022. We find that Ukrainians view peace primarily through the lens of victory. Taking these Ukrainian visions of peace seriously, we discuss potential tensions and challenges contained in the notion of peace through victory, including tensions between peace by armed resistance and peace by peaceful means, between the goals of Ukrainian victory and defeat of Russian imperialism, between peace and justice, as well as between militarization and democracy. The article concludes with a call for deeper scholarly and practitioner engagement with Ukrainian conceptions of peace through victory.

Designing a Training Program for the Civil Justice Network: Lower Northern Thailand

Since 2022, the Thai government has been establishing community justice centers nationwide. The Civil Justice Network (CJN) has played a crucial role in facilitating justice in every sub-district throughout the country. However, practical challenges have revealed limitations in the knowledge and skills of CJNs. This article aimed to develop training program guidelines for CJNs in Thailand's Lower Northern Region. The research applied the Action Research (AR) model through a participatory appraisal approach to assess CJNs' actual needs across five provinces. Initially, 400 CJNs were selected via simple random sampling, with 200 chosen for subsequent training. The resulting program, shaped by research, experimentation, and evaluation, recommends national implementations for all CJNs. Specifically, integrating knowledge and skills related to the principles of Restorative Justice, Human Rights, and Conflict Resolution through Peaceful Means will further enhance the effectiveness of the CJN's work.

Fundamental principles of international law as organic laws of global society

In today’s globalized world, international law plays a key role in establishing legal foundations for relations between states and international organizations. The fundamental principles of international law are their own organic laws that enforce the rules of behavior of subjects of international relations, ensure stability and predictability in the international system. These principles are the basis for regulating such important issues as ensuring peace, security, respect for human rights and state sovereignty. The fundamental principles of international law are the basic rules that are mandatory for all subjects of international relations and are included in the general directions of their activities. in addition, they include principles such as state equality, non-interference in internal affairs, sovereign equality, peaceful settlement of disputes, prohibition of the use of force, respect for human rights, etc. These principles form the basis of international relations and are key to preventing conflicts and ensuring justice. The fundamental principles of international law have deep historical roots. The formation began with the first interstate treaties, but the modern understanding arose after the Second World War, when the international community recognized the need to create a clear legal framework to support peace. The UN Charter, adopted in 1945, established the basic principles of international law, which became the basis for the further development of the international system. These principles of international law have an imperative character, which means that they are binding for all subjects of international relations. This provision is due to their belonging to jus cogeny norms, which cannot be changed by mutual consent of the state. The principles that prohibit aggression or genocide are absolute and immutable, independent of nature. Organic laws are laws that establish fundamental norms that have a decisive impact on the functioning of society. In the context of international law, fundamental principles provide the role of such organic laws, after which they adopt general rules for the maintenance of international order. Without preserving these principles, it is impossible to ensure stability and predictability in relations between states. Of course, the fundamental principles of international law decide the role in ensuring peace and security in the world. The principle of non-interference in internal affairs guarantees the sovereignty of the state, preventing external influence on their politics. The principle of peaceful settlement of disputes is to complicate the resolution of conflicts through negotiations or other peaceful means, preventing the escalation of violence. These principles create legal mechanisms for sustainability at the international level.

On Peaceful Means of Dispute Resolution in the Works of Russian Lawyers

The Russian lawyers constructed and theoretically deeply developed the system of peaceful means which remained in the basis and today. Their views concerning commissions of inquiry and constant court were new. Besides deep theoretical development of the specified questions, in a merit of the Russian scientists it is possible to carry their huge contribution on introduction of the scientific ideas to rules of international law, the majority of which are valid and today.

الجهود الدولية في حفظ السلم والأمن الدوليين

This study examines the international efforts made to maintain international peace and security, as many international efforts were made to establish an effective international organization to maintain international peace and security. As a result a number of conferences were held, and efforts were made to establish the United Nations. A large number of countries participated in establishing the Charter of the United Nations. This demonstrates the extent of international interest and the desire of countries and peoples to maintain international peace and security. There are also political, diplomatic, and judicial means to resolve international disputes by peaceful means that can contribute significantly to maintaining international peace and security if it is implemented. Among the results reached by the study are that many international efforts were made to establish an effective international organization to maintain international peace and security. The recommendations include activating the objectives and principles stipulated in the Charter of the United Nations in order to achieve the ultimate goal of maintaining international peace and security.

Local Meanings of Peace: The Politics of Words and Emotional Labor among Civil Society Practitioners in Armenia and Turkey

Abstract Despite their long-lasting work in Armenia and Turkey, peacebuilding practitioners of civil society have an ambivalent relationship with the term peace and refrain from defining their role as peacebuilders. Informed by the anthropological research adopting the local turn in peace and conflict studies, we explore how civil society practitioners in Armenia and Turkey perceive the concept of “peace” (խաղաղություն or khaghaghutyun in Armenian and barış in Turkish) and how they position themselves regarding the meanings they attach to this term. In this paper, we present data collected through semi-structured interviews with civil society practitioners from both countries, investigating the perceptions and practices in the aftermath of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020. We found that the flexibility of the term normalization in comparison to peacebuilding is preferred among civil society practitioners working for the Armenia-Turkey dialogue. We also show that the political context shapes local meanings of the word peace. While in Turkey, the authoritarian regime, restrictions on NGOs, and rise of ultranationalism make open advocacy for peace with Armenia difficult and risky, the war with Azerbaijan firmly structures where and how the word peace can be used in Armenia – even though it is not clear what is meant by it in either case. Finally, our research points out a neglected aspect of professionalism in this context and shows how it requires emotional labor to suppress enthusiasm and hope for peace. We close our paper with a call for further research among the youth and exploration of effective communication, alternative approaches, and terminologies that can foster meaningful dialogue and reconciliation without provoking divisive sentiments.

The Essence of the Ex aequo et bono Method and the Rules of its Application for the Resolution of International Disputes

One of the most important functions of law is the resolution of disputes. However, legal means of dispute resolution, such as judicial settlement and arbitration, are often not chosen by the parties involved in international disputes. This can be explained by several reasons. In legal doctrine, it is a common view that parties avoid legal means due to the binding nature of the decisions rendered, yet this is far from the only reason why parties refuse these methods. In particular, one of the main reasons they avoid legal means is the uncertainty regarding whether the decision based on law will be equitable. There are many grounds for this, as legal norms contained in international legal documents, adopted several decades ago, may not correspond to modern realities. Therefore, the application of such norms can quite reasonably raise concerns among the parties about the potential for an inequitable decision based on them. In such cases, the method of ex aequo et bono may prove to be a practical tool for excluding the possibility of an inequitable decision based on legal norms. Contrary to popular misconception, the use of the ex aequo et bono method does not imply a complete rejection of legal norms. When applying this method, basic legal norms are often used to provide a legal foundation for decisions and to enhance their overall objectivity. However, in the application of the method ex aequo et bono, those legal norms that may lead to an inequitable decision are not applied. In this case, an equitable decision is often determined based on an analysis of the goals and principles of legal documents regulating the relevant issues, including an analysis of the document containing the legal norm whose application could have led to an inequitable decision. Thus, the ex aequo et bono method is a rather flexible peaceful means, combining valuable features of both equity and law. There is a deficit of information regarding the ex aequo et bono method in international legal documents. In particular, the lack of a clear definition, conditions, and rules for applying the ex aequo et bono method presents a significant obstacle to its extensive use in international practice. Therefore, appropriate lawmaking work should be undertaken in this area to fill legal gaps. The goal of the scientific article is to study the legal aspects of the ex aequo et bono method and identify the main problems negatively affecting the practice of its application. The results of the research showed the high practical value of the ex aequo et bono method in dispute resolution, especially in modern conditions when the use of flexible means is becoming increasingly relevant. The article aimed to condense, specify and expand legal knowledge about the ex aequo et bono method and may present significant scientific value for lawyers interested in judicial and arbitration practices; legal scholars; practicing judges and arbitrators; parties with unresolved disputes; as well as philosophers researching the relationship between equity and law.

تسوية المنازعات في القانون التجاري - على ضوء القانون رقم 95.17

Mechanisms for settling commercial disputes have become one of the manifestations of legal and economic thinking at world level, a desired tool for regulating and stimulating national and international trade, and an important and essential factor in increasing the flow of investment and alleviating the burden on the national judicial system, prompting the various countries - at the highest level - to attach great interest to this peaceful means. In this respect, the high speech of His Majesty King Mohammed VI on the occasion of the opening of the judicial year on 29 January 2003 in Agadir affirmed the following: ‘.... Thus, in accordance with Our firm desire to continue working to promote investment and in application of Our directives set out in the letter We sent to Our Prime Minister to this effect, we invite Our Government to continue its efforts to modernise the justice system, by rationalising work, simplifying procedures and ensuring the widespread use of information technology. It is also necessary to diversify the procedures for the consensual settlement of disputes that arise between partners in commercial transactions, by proceeding, with all due speed, to draw up a draft law on national and international commercial arbitration, which will enable our judicial system to meet the requirements of globalisation and economic competitiveness, and to help attract foreign investment’. In his speech on the occasion of the anniversary of the Revolution of the King and the People on 20 August 2009 in Tétouan, His Majesty added that: ‘...At the same time, alternative dispute resolution methods such as mediation, arbitration and conciliation should be developed, alternative sentences should be applied and local justice should be reviewed....’. Then the speech of 14 October 2022, which stated: ‘Today, we are banking on productive investment as an essential lever for reviving the national economy and anchoring Morocco in promising sectors’.

أحكام المسؤولية الدولية وفقاً لقواعد القانون الدولي

The establishment of liability is considered a natural punishment in any legal system, whether through national legal systems, in particular the international community, and responsibility in this case arises, regardless of the person who violates the provisions of national or international law, as a result of the error or unlawful act committed by the offending person, and the cause of damage to another person, which leads to the establishment of responsibility in favour of the latter against the person who committed an unlawful act, or refrained from doing a legitimate act, and the cause of this act or omission is harmful to another person. Based on the foregoing, international responsibility in the face of States and other persons of public international law addressed under international legal rules as a normal procedure resulting from the establishment of international responsibility as a result of violating the sources establishing international legal rules, namely either international treaties, international custom or even general principles of law, where the State that violated the provisions and rules of international law is obliged to compensate the State affected by the wrong or wrongful act, or by restoring the situation to their correct as much as possible, and the establishment of international responsibility in this case is considered an actual translation of the provisions and rules of international law through its practical application on the ground Reality. As a result of international law's keenness to protect the international community and its rights from illegal practices, international responsibility must be established towards any person of public international law who has infringed on the rights of other persons, which has added some effectiveness to the rules of international law, unlike in the past when resorting to the settlement of disputes by peaceful means was almost impossible.

The United States Role of the Occurrence of Violence in Cyprus

Cyprus used to be under occupation of the foreign states for many centuries and sovereignty usually with few exceptions was not transferred peacefully. As it is well known, in the 19th century, use of force in international relations was seen as normal. In the 1878 however, transformation of sovereignty in Cyprus from the Ottoman Empire to the United Kingdom (UK) was by peaceful means. The UK ruled Cyprus mostly in peace until the uprising in 1931. The upheaval of the Greek Cypriots against the UK was to unite Cyprus with Greece (Enosis). The uprising was settled by violence and the constitutional rights suspended immediately. In 1955 when the riot of the Greek Cypriots occurred again this time the UK was successful to get support of Türkiye and the Turkish Cypriots and converted the anti-colonial struggle to the ethnic strife. Clearly, the occurrence of violence in Cyprus in 20th Century begun during the British period but it continued after the colonial period. Although the United States (US) refrained direct involvement to Cyprus problem it assisted to the formation of the Republic of Cyprus by 1960s. During the Cold War conditions, the US had to involve to the Cyprus problem because of two reasons: Firstly, in order to prevent a war between Türkiye and Greece, the two “motherlands” of the Turkish and Greek Cypriots; secondly to stop the violence between two local communities. In Washington DC the US leadership met with Greek and Turkish prime ministers in 1964 and they decided to solve the Cyprus problem forever. In Geneva the US representative had several meetings with the officials of Greece and Türkiye. There, the US former secretary of state offered his plan that included the use of violence for the dissolution of the Republic of Cyprus. The US plan could not be implemented at the time but after 10 years, its spirit became the source of the violence in Cyprus. In this study mainly the role of the US in occurrence of violence in the island will be studied.

Visions of peace: Exploring how Scottish youth understand and define peace

AbstractIn this article, we report on a study that explored how young people in Scotland understand and define peace. A total of 59 young people aged 12–18, from three schools (independent, state Roman Catholic, and state non-denominational) participated in this study. The young people were asked to participate in a peace data walk and, after that, to draw or paint pictures of what peace means for them in their local community and beyond. We utilize a combination of Personal Meaning Mapping, visual content analytic procedures, and visual art coding scheme to analyse the pictures. We drew on Critical Peace Education as an overarching framework to approach data collection and on the Peace Education Curricular Analysis framework to examine the presence of positive peace elements in youth drawings/paintings. Previous research in different contexts suggests that youth find it difficult to conceptualize peace, whereas it appears to be easy to explain war and negative peace (i.e., absence of war). Previous research conducted in Scotland showed that the curriculum focused on the element of wellbeing, with many other positive peace elements being either absent or not well represented. By contrast, youth in our study showed a strong understanding of positive peace, with a particular emphasis on the following facets: peace zone, eco mind, wellbeing, peace bond, and social justice. In our conclusion, we discuss these findings in relation to Scottish education policies and ways of capitalizing on this method of engagement and overall findings to support youth learning about peace.

Dynamics of Islamic Education in Kalimantan: Uncovering the Strategy of Dissemination and Assimilation in the Early Days

It is known that the periodization of the entry of Islam into Indonesia is classified as one of the four major immigration that forms the socio-cultural ecosystem of the Indonesian people, including the spread of Islam in South Kalimantan during that period. After the four major immigration periods, only then did the European colonial nations enter which started from the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and finally Japanese. This study uses a qualitative method with a library research approach. Islam entered Kalimantan in the 15th century A.D.A.D. by peaceful means brought by missionaries from Java. Sunan Bonang and Sunan Giri have students in Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and Maluku. Sunan Giri's composition is called Kalam Muyang, while Sunan Bonang's composition is called Sumur Serumbung. Islamic education in Kalimantan in the course of history has its own pride, with the publication of a person who received the title "Matahari Islam of Kalimantan".

Decoding Pacifism in Contemporary Diaspora Literature: The Anti-War Message in the Novels of Khaled Hosseini and Tahmima Anam

In a world where war and destruction are passions, it is truly important to realize that violation is not the ultimate solution to any problem. The true answer lies in resorting to the understanding of Pacifism. Inspired by Jane Addams as a key proponent in criticizing the war, the researchers use Daniel Diederich Farmer’s approach to show how the theory of Pacifism posits that human interactions should be governed by peaceful means rather than resorting to violence or aggression. It advocates the use of arbitration, surrender or migration as methods to resolve wars. In this paper, the researchers use the qualitative method by comparing the novels of two diasporic authors, Khaled Hosseini and Tahmima Anam, which focus on war's consequences on individuals who are displaced from their homeland. The researchers also compare authors' portrayal of the relationship between war and diaspora in their literary works. Additionally, the article emphasizes the importance of the Pacifism theory by examining examples of marginalized characters in Hosseini and Anam's novels who experience displacement. The result of the study reveals that the theory of Pacifism, which is present in the novels of the select authors, underscores the value of seeking peace and migration as practical solutions.

Searching for Ways of Settling Land Conflicts by Peaceful Means in Cameroon: A Critical Analysis of the Peacemaking Role of the ‘Land Consultative Board’

The regulation of Land tenure systems is one of the main sources of conflicts in Africa and one of the continent’s most difficult realities to pin down. In its 1974 land reform, the Cameroonian legislature sought to strike a balance between traditional norms and modern instruments, between administrative, judicial and customary authorities, in order to establish an inclusive, democratic and peaceful system of land tenure. The establishment of the Land Consultative Board as the regulatory instrument the state planned to use in land matters was projected as the answer to this quest. While the original intention remains laudable - to enable the state, guarantor of the general interest to acquire a local instrument with the appropriate legitimacy and capable of ensuring the peaceful regulation of land tenure. It has to be said that, almost 50 years later, this ambition has not been achieved. The recurrence of land conflicts and the density of disputes reflect the inadequacy of the rules governing land tenure in Cameroon, depriving the board of any real regulatory authority. The central argument of this paper is that the legislator's ambition was not sincere because of the precedence of the administrative authority to the detriment of other actors. The choice of evaluating this working assumption through the theory of the instrumentation of public action is therefore essential. It makes it possible not only to determine the legislator's intention through textual and contextual analysis, but also to observe the interplay of actors around this regulatory instrument through an interdisciplinary approach. Between its structural inability to acquire real autonomy and the barely concealed desire to downgrade custom, its role has steadily diminished along with its influence, though without disappearing. It remains, however, the institutional relic where the philosophy of the “palaver tree,” supported by the practice of non-violence and democratic dialogue, can still survive, as well as the keystone of the entire land tenure system of the country. The analysis of the consultative Board’s peacemaking role through its instrumentation (or its instrumentalisation) opens up new perspectives for understanding the regulation of public action in our so-called Southern countries, especially for decision-makers, donors and any actor interested in the thorny issue of land tenure insecurity.

The Pathway To Peace And Harmony: A Buddhist Perspective

Buddhism has long been recognized as a non-violent, peaceful philosophy and religion. The suggested study aims to illustrate the Buddhist concept of harmony and serenity through a journey. Through the theory of dependent origination, Buddha preached that everything exists in relation to another and so do we human beings and our reactions to others depend on these factors and evils arising out of ignorance. The paper tries to examine the possibility of how global peace and harmony can also be accomplished through this dependency on ourselves as well as others in society. Buddha speaks of various causes of violence especially those arising within the human mind out of ignorance and false understanding of ourselves and our self-constructed world-views. Buddha also gives ways to tackle these violent forces within the individual and without. These have the potential to lead us to the pathways of realization of peace and harmony. Buddha is an exemplary visioner, practitioner and peacemaker; the Buddhist philosophy has contributions to the peace-making process while holding the potential to promote peace and harmony as a way of life through self-examination and self-reflection. In addition to the five precepts, they plant seeds and provide stability and footing for responding to oneself and others with kindness, love, affection, empathic delight, and serenity. This will result in a new way of thinking, believing, behaving, and living. As human behavior changes, the world around shall also respond accordingly and the attainment of peace and harmony becomes a reality. The peaceful means suggested by Buddha and emphasis on a holistic framework for all of mankind and to be practiced every moment of one’s existence, Buddhist philosophy plays a vital role in the peace and harmony-oriented paradigm having a practical outlook and impacting human lives globally.

UNITED NATION’S ROLE IN CONFLICT RESOLUTION: AN ANALYSIS OF PALESTINE-ISRAEL CONFLICT

The main purpose of the establishment of the UN is to ensure global amity and security in the world. The international body is primarily mandated to achieve international peace through peaceful means. It can even resort to the use of force if the peaceful intervention fails to achieve the goals of peace and stability and the issue has potential threats to world peace. The main institutions of the United Nations i.e. General Assembly, the Security Council and the International Court of Justice are responsible for the maintenance of peace and stability in the world. The UN Secretariat acts as the center for coordination for operation of the UN main organs and agencies in different regions in the world. The issue of Palestine is one of the continuing disputes on the UN’s agenda associated with it since its establishment. The perpetuation of the unresolved conflict between Israel and the people of Palestine has raised questions on the role of international peace keeping body in Middle East. Keeping in view the gravity and potential threats associated with the issue, this study critically examined the UN’s role in conflict resolution efforts in the Palestinian- Israeli conflict. Qualitative inquiry was opted in this study that involves employing literature review for data gathering, especially documents of UN related to Palestine. The data was analysed using an inductive approach, which involved the extraction of its concepts from the bulk of specific detail that makes up the database. US being influential member of Security Council, has effectively prevented the United Nations from participating in negotiations regarding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict since 1967 by exercising its right to veto any binding resolutions on the issue. The analysis indicates that the United Nations' involvement in this conflict is restricted to humanitarian aid. The future success of the UN in this conflict depends on a renewed global commitment, impartial involvement with both parties.

Rethinking peace and violence from the favelas

ABSTRACT This article reconsiders peace and security from the perspectives of community leaders, educators and activists in favelas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2019–2020. Through a critical lens, it argues that the urban violence in Rio de Janeiro resembles a form of new wars where the state is a major producer of insecurity. It questions the meaning of peace and top-down pacification processes in a city where the favelas, since their origin, have been considered dangerous areas needing to be pacified and controlled. The article introduces favela peace formation as a concept to describe alternative processes working to reduce the intersectional forms of violence in these communities: non-violent, locally legitimate peace processes working to slowly construct a positive, sustainable peace. To conclude, it discusses how favela peace formation presents a way of imagining peace as ‘care’ instead of ‘order’ in response to the state’s violent peace as ‘control’.

Letter Writing and Legal Consciousness during World War I

Abstract This article explores how ordinary Americans thought about law during World War I by examining 119 letters to Congress regarding charges under the Espionage Act. These letters are a product of their time and shed new light on our understanding of the first Red Scare. This lens of legal consciousness explains how people remain within established modes of engagement, rather than either withdrawing or becoming violent, as is found in the extant literature. Despite opposing goals, the letter writers’ shared master frame enabled them to ‘speak to’ the other side, rather than ‘past’ those with opposing views. This article explains how individuals who opposed and supported seating Berger rallied under the same master frame of Americanism. Yet, the two groups displayed strikingly different legal consciousness. These disparate groups not only conceptualized the law itself differently, but engaged the law as a tool for different agendas. At a time when violence was on the rise, these people eschewed violent means and maintained the most conventional, peaceful means of protest: letter writing. How they managed this was by embracing the law as their key, nonviolent tool.

Guardians or disrupters? Peace discourses and politics in Tanzania

ABSTRACT The African Union declared 2010 the “African Year of Peace and Security,” with its famous slogan “Make Peace Happen.” However, the meaning of peace is contested depending on particular discursive contexts and the purpose that the peace narratives of the dominant political actors serve. This paper interrogates peace discourses in Tanzania. Drawing from desk reviews and key informant interviews, it reveals how Tanzania’s political opposition and civil society actors contest the ruling party’s rhetoric of peace and tranquility. The paper unravels critical perspectives about national peace, particularly how it can be achieved and maintained. The findings reinforce previous research on language, ideology and politics that shows how dominant political parties in Africa reproduce and maintain power through peace narratives. Specifically, the paper adds to the emerging literature on peaceocracy, where political stability and order are prioritized at the expense of democracy.