Peace Theory Research Articles

The Road to Sustainable Peace: Galtung’s concept of positive peace as a framework to examine post-war reconstruction initiatives in Syria

Premised on Galtung’s theory of positive peace (1969), this study examines whether the Syrian government’s post-war initiatives to reconstruct the education sector aim to promote a culture of positive peace. Data is obtained from semi-structured interviews with twelve participants consisting of senior government officials, teacher educators from a public university and the equivalent of pre-service and in-service teacher training centres within a government-held area. The validity of meaning developed from interview data was also assessed through cross-checking emerging patterns with document examination. Research findings reveal that the government’s current approach to reconstruction is based on a negative concept of peace that aims to bring life back to ‘normal’ as it was before the conflict.

Veblen’s quadripartite response to the First World War

Prior to the First World War, Thorstein Veblen wrote extensively about economic theory, formulating the tenets of an evolutionary and institutional economics, and criticizing the static and atomistic premises of classical and marginalist economics, particularly the marginalist theory of distribution, which, in his view, wrongly saw wealth as a reward for productive human labor, rather than a result of the unproductive conduct of parasitic elites. In this period, Veblen devoted relatively little attention to the topics of war and peace. As well, he held that social-scientific inquiry is disinterested: a value-neutral search for knowledge of empirical facts and the theories that explain them. However, during the War, Veblen, while retaining the economic principles of his prewar writings, increasingly combined his emphasis on economics with greater attention to political and cultural factors. Simultaneously, he abandoned his prior insistence on value neutrality to become an activist critic of the War and of Germany’s role in fomenting and perpetuating it. This shift led him to develop: (1) a policy-laced theory of war and peace; (2) practical proposals for building an international organization to promote world peace; (3) specific measures to alleviate wartime food and labor shortages in the U.S.; and (4) a sweeping plan for postwar social “reconstruction.” As Veblen developed these four sets of ideas, he continued his opposition to static and atomistic forms of analysis as well as his commitment to an evolutionary and institutional approach, which saw economic life, along with war and peace, turning on a divide between productive human beings and unproductive parasitic elites.

The Journey Starts Now: Infusing Peace Education into LO Teaching in South African Secondary Schools

Peace education as part of the school curriculum can transform school functioning by equipping learners with conflict resolution skills. Currently peace education is not part of the existing curriculum in South Africa. Literature indicates that peace education can be appropriately integrated into the compulsory subject, Life Orientation (LO), in South African secondary schools. Informed by Danesh’s integrative peace theory and the extant literature on peace education, a qualitative study explored the possible integration of peace education into LO to assist learners develop conflict resolution skills. Six teachers who teach LO in two secondary schools in the Western Cape, South Africa, which have implemented an extramural peace education programme through the agency of a non-governmental organisation, were purposefully selected. Data were gathered in focus group interviews with the teachers and thematic analysis carried out. Findings of the study highlight the significance of integrating peace education in LO in order to foster a more peaceful schooling environment. Furthermore, aspects of peace education already overlap or complement topics taught in LO, such as respect and tolerance for diversity. Barriers to effective integration of peace education in the LO curriculum are lack of targeted teacher training, rigid curriculum design, teachers’ workload and poor resource allocation. It was recommended that the integration of peace education in LO be prioritised and that the LO curriculum should be expanded to accommodate more explicit themes of peace education. Implementation should be supported through targeted teacher training, attention to teachers’ work schedules, additional teaching time and allocation of appropriate resources.

Strategy Of The Local Government Of Mamasa Regency In Preventing Religious Conflicts To Realize National Security

Managing diversity based on local democracy is a preventive step to prevent prolonged conflicts toward social reintegration. Religious segmentation is used as a way to unravel the political conflicts that previously echoed in this area. Efforts to carry out the representation of religious identity (Islamic-Christian) in each Regional Election event are used as a new political format to minimize the tension of identity politics that can erode the spirit of community togetherness. Representation politics is then manifested in the form of pairs of candidates to occupy the position of regional head until the last twenty years have been institutions that have the ability to maintain unity and unity. This research uses a qualitative approach. For data collection techniques, researchers conduct interviews, observation, and documentation procedures. The theories and concepts used in this study include strategy theory, peace theory, conflict theory, conflict prevention concept, Conflict early Warning and Early Response System (CEWERS) concept, and state defense concept. Based on the results of the study, it can be understood that overall, conflict management carried out by the government, both the central government and local governments, is very poor. Efforts to resolve conflicts only occur at the elite level and do not include people who suffer more and lose more due to conflict. An elitist resolution will only meet the interests and demands of the elite. The demands of the masses that should also be accommodated are ignored. As a form of strategic steps of the local government of Mamasa Regency in preventing conflicts in the administration of government and its relationship with the roots of religious conflicts in Mamasa Regency, some of the descriptions of the steps taken include the Education and Socialization Approach, Increasing the Role of the Religious Harmony Forum (FKUB), Strengthening the Economy and Social Welfare, Fair and Transparent Law Enforcement, and Inclusive Infrastructure and Public Facilities Development.

Using sport to promote the well-being among Latinx immigrants in the United States

Drawing upon the theoretical frameworks of Latino Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) and Sport for Development and Peace Theory, this study seeks to examine the potential of sport participation, physical activity, and community programs as mechanisms for addressing the challenges confronted by Latinx immigrants in the United States. The research is anchored by two primary questions: What social, legal, and economic challenges are encountered by Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients, undocumented individuals, and the broader Latinx community in the United States, and how might involvement in sports, physical activity, and community events help mitigate these challenges. To investigate these questions, an ethnographic methodology was adopted, with data collected over a 13-week period in a predominantly Latinx community in Houston, Texas. The research findings underscore the resilience demonstrated by these individuals in response to the complex challenges within US society and highlight the crucial role of community-oriented sports and cultural programs in fostering inclusivity. The authors provide a comprehensive analysis of the findings and offer recommendations for future practical initiatives centered on community-oriented approaches.

법의 세계화와 한국법의 위상

This article deals with the status of Korean law in the semantic context of the globalization of law. In today’s situation where conflicts between countries are intensifying, questions may be raised about whether it is meaningful to discuss globalization, especially the globalization of law. However, as Kant’s theory of perpetual peace suggests, the world society pursued by globalization could contain the normative ideal of realizing a peaceful human community. Considering this, it is meaningful to handle the globalization of law and the current status of Korean law at this point. In those contexts, this article examines the globalization of law and the status of Korean law. However, since the topic itself is very broad, discussion may be limited in this article. This article deals with globalization in three meanings: unification, pluralization, and conflict. In connection with this, the globalization of law is also examined in terms of unification, pluralization, and conflict of law. Based upon this, the author deals with the status of Korean law. To this end, this article applies a three-stage model to the developing process of Korean law. According to that working, Korean law is currently in a third-stage of its developing process. At this stage, Korean law is not only developing independently, but in some cases is also receiving global attention. However, this article raises questions about whether the independent legal system we have achieved can really become one of the global standards. For that reason, this article mentions the limit of our country’s scale. In addition, this article argues that the current crisis Korean legal science is facing could be a significant obstacle to the development of Korean law.

Leveraging global south sports mega events to advance sport for development and peace theory and practice

AbstractThe article aims to contribute to the relationship between sport for development and peace (SDP) and sports mega‐events (SMEs) as viable platforms for accelerating human development and social change goals at local, regional and international levels. Recently, there has been a notable increase in the number of emerging economies in the global South demonstrating their aspirations to bid and (if successful) host SMEs. The article argues that the SDP‐SME nexus can be strategically utilised to redress some of the criticisms levelled against the nature of deployment of SDP activities, particularly in the global South. Therefore, the article argues for leveraging global South SMEs to advance SDP theory and practice. However, leveraging SMEs by the global SDP field requires a fresh strategic direction. The article employs qualitative approaches by drawing upon data from two roundtable discussions and Fédération Internationale de Football Association World Cup 2022 panel discussions held in New York and Doha. Reflexive thematic analysis was employed to analyse the transcriptions of the discussions. The article is unique in its advocating for the role that global South SME actors can play in advancing global SDP policy and practice that supports southern agency. The article therefore contributes to a more nuanced understanding of leveraging global South SME hosting towards addressing limitations in global SDP praxis.

The Iron Dice: Fatalism and War

Abstract Leaders in international relations often exhibit fatalism, or the belief that events are guided by forces beyond their control. In some cases, fatalism may reflect reality, or be rhetoric to boost support. But there is also an important psychological explanation: fatalism can help leaders avoid responsibility for costly outcomes and protect their self-image. Fatalism is more likely: (1) in regard to bad outcomes versus good outcomes; (2) when war is seen as imminent versus far-off; and (3) in nondemocratic regimes versus democratic regimes. The concept of fatalism is central to philosophy, religion, medicine, sociology, and psychology, but has been neglected by scholars in international relations. Fatalism may be an important cause of war, especially when combined with a perceived window of opportunity. This research contributes to democratic peace theory by helping explain the lack of war between representative regimes. If elected leaders are less prone to extreme fatalism about war, democracies may have more room to maneuver in a crisis. I use case studies of the origins of World War I and World War II to probe the argument.

Was Kant a naive pacifist? (philosophical considerations and the background of the russian-ukrainian war)

The article is devoted to I. Kant's views on the problem of war and peace and the possibility of achieving "perpetual peace" on the basis of the pamphlet "To Eternal Peace" and some other late works of the thinker. In particular, attention is paid to the historical background of the appearance of the work as a certain completion of moral philosophy and philosophy of law in the context of developing one's own project of "eternal peace" taking into account the solution of specific problems of foreign policy at the end of the 18th century. The article examines a kind of Kantian "formula of peace", which claims universal significance. It is laid out in the preliminary and especially in the definitive articles of the imaginary contract. It is argued that it is based on three main principles: republicanism, federalism and the presence of a cosmopolitan citizenship limited to hospitality. These principles are complemented by the so-called "guarantees" of "perpetual peace": the progress of law and the spirit of international trade. The article analyzes apologetic and critical responses to Kant's work and its subsequent interpretations in European philosophy and political thought. In particular, special attention is paid to the interpretation of his work as a "pacifist manifesto". Based on this, it was argued that Kant was one of the founders of secular pacifism. The article reasonably refutes such a position on the basis of its anachronism and inconsistency with the views of Kant himself, who considered "eternal peace" only as a higher normative ideal of foreign policy. The influence of Kantian ideas on the formation of modern philosophy of international relations, in particular the theory of democratic peace (DPT), is indicated. It is indicated that the three main principles of Kant's formula of "eternal peace" found their embodiment in the postulates of this theory. At the same time, it is noted that the practice of implementing DPT in US foreign policy has not always had positive consequences. In this regard, the problem of its application to the analysis of the causes and course of the Russian-Ukrainian war is analyzed. There are different positions on this matter, but based on the latest publications and the real course of events. It is concluded that the "militant" version of DPT can be useful for achieving our victory and a just, fair and worthy peace.

PERMANENT LEGAL STRENGTH (INKRACHT VAN GEWEIJSDE) PKPU PEACE IN BANKRUPTCY LAW

The decision to ratify PKPU peace (homologation) based on its regulations has permanent legal force (inkracht van geweijsde). The nature of permanent legal force is related to whether it can be executed or implemented immediately, so that this decision requires legal certainty by stating that the decision must have permanent legal force. Bankruptcy law regulates differently regarding the permanent legal force in PKPU decisions, the difference being that the permanent legal force does not apply to the entire substance of the case but only to the peace agreement agreement, which can be called limited permanent legal force. Regarding this specificity, the researcher wants to analyze it under the title "permanent legal force (inkracht van geweijsde) of PKPU peace in bankruptcy law". This research uses normative juridical research methods, with the analysis of peace theory, legal system theory and theory of legal objectives with a statutory approach, conceptual approach and case approach and which is expected to have prescriptive value in the future in accordance with its axiology, namely the aim of law is justice

Women and Peace Theory and Civil Conflict Intensity

Do improved women’s descriptive representation in legislative branches and women’s participation in civil society decrease the intensity of civil conflicts? Is the impact of women’s presence in legislative branches on the conflict intensity magnified by women’s participation in civil society, and vice versa? In this study, we aim to expand the constructivist argument that equal gender roles in politics and civil society can bring about less intensive internal armed conflicts. Relying on time-series cross-national data on 151 countries from 1960 to 2016, we demonstrate that the increases in women’s descriptive representation in parliaments and women’s participation in civil society tend to decrease the predicted civil conflict intensity. In addition, we demonstrate that the deterrent effect of women’s descriptive representation is magnified by women’s participation in civil society and vice versa. These findings remain consistent in alternative model specifications with additional women-related control variables.

Introducing public choice in international relations: the Russian invasion of Ukraine

With this article, I present a public choice perspective on Russia’s war on Ukraine. I criticise the realist view according to which Russia’s security concerns, defined by President Putin, prompted the conflict. I argue that realism offers a deficient analytic framework to the extent that it disregards the political and economic structure of Russia and, generally speaking, how the political economy of each case study shapes preferences, strategies and intra-elite relations, which feed into foreign policy formation. Russia is a government-controlled economy and society; a key property of Russia’s political economy is the dependency of key socio-economic actors and groups on the regime’s survival. This landscape pre-empts the expression of genuine feedback and dissent from society, and explains why Putin’s decision has faced very little disagreement and resistance. Given the previously close economic ties between Russia and Ukraine, this article also challenges capitalist peace theory for its blanket assertion that dense economic relations would provide a strong disincentive for countries to resort to war. Instead of talking about capitalism generically, we can discern varieties of capitalism, as they condition state–society relations differently. In Russia, the value that key socio-economic elites assign to their relationship with Putin outweighs the costs they are experiencing from the conflict and the external sanctions. Developing a public choice perspective in the study of international relations focuses on the preferences and strategies of the leadership and of domestic elite-level actors within the aggressor state, and invites attention to the power asymmetries that characterise their relationship.

Predictors of Islamic Religiosity in Youth who have Early Madrassah Education

The theory of lived religion proposes that people who are socialized by their early education system about religious beliefs have a stronger commitment to practice religion. At the same time, the integrative theory of peace argues that higher religiosity can play an instrumental role in peacebuilding within a nation. The aim of this study is to understand the relationship between early Madrassah education and Islamic religiosity in university students, measured under five domains of (i) beliefs, (ii) commitment, (iii) intellectual experience, (iv) intrinsic values, and (v) practice. Using a quantitative methodology, a sample of 152 youth were sampled from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. We found that that Pakistani youth show high Islamic religiosity in two sub-domains of beliefs and commitment, but that they show low Islamic religiosity in in three sub-domains of intellectual experience, intrinsic values, and practice.

How Ukraine’s Just War Challenges Just Peace Theory

Theologians from various religious traditions have spoken out recently in favor of the just peace theory as a replacement for the traditional just war theory. This new theory severely limits the possibilities for nations to wage just wars. However, since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing conflict, the academic debate on just peace theory has fallen silent. The necessary self-defense of Ukraine shows how replacement of just war with just peace faces major problems. Besides pragmatic problems, the just peace theory has important theoretical problems from a Roman Catholic point of view. This essay deals with those problems and offers an alternative.

‘Undivided’ city in a divided society: explaining the peaceful coexistence of Albanians and Serbs in Kamenicë/Kamenica, Kosovo

ABSTRACT The goal of this paper is to examine which factors have influenced interethnic relations between Albanians and Serbs in Kamenicë/Kamenica, which is significantly less hostile compared to other towns in Kosovo. Utilizing a multi-method research approach, we find these factors include historical-demographic, geopolitical, institutional, economic and cultural factors, as well as the work of the members of the international peacebuilding and peacekeeping missions deployed in the municipality of Kamenicë/Kamenica in June of 1999. Based on our findings, the concept of local-local hybridization is proposed as the main theoretical contribution to the theory of hybrid peace. This concept entails long-lasting interactions between ethnic groups in a local (post-conflict) community under different social circumstances and factors that affected their coexistence, whereby this must be supported by peacebuilding and peacekeeping activities adapted to the aforementioned concept if peace is to be sustained.

Trauma of Conflict Victims and Criminal Prosecutions in Nigeria: Discourse on Post-Conflict Transformation

The aim of this paper is to examine the pursuance of criminal prosecutions after a conflict in healing the trauma of conflict victims to rebuild societies. In most conflict situations, there are different types of victims, thousands of people lose their lives, displace, rape, torture and detain or forcibly disappear. While other people will continue suffer from Trauma of Conflict Victimization. Therefore, the lack of accountability, criminal justice, rule of law can lead to widespread violation of human rights and crime against the law. This paper is qualitative in context, nature, and structure; hence Library Research method and content analysis were adopted and carried out to review the data acquired and evaluate the studies originality. The paper adopted theory of peace making criminology to understand and explain the process of healing conflict victims’ trauma in post-conflict transformation situations. The study revealed that, in some cases such as Kenya, Nigeria and South Sudan conflict, the crimes under international law and other serious human rights violations and abuses were committed. The findings also revealed that prosecutions of war criminals and human rights abusers will promote peace and prevent conflict victimization. Furthermore, Post-conflict transformation contain peace building and requires the development of rules, norms that transform potentially violent actors in to non-violent actors and support political, economic, social and military measures and structures aiming to redress the root causes of conflict. The study recommended that, post-conflict policy efforts should focus on peace building, because that is how the warring parties could be settled, negotiation can be facilitated with the armed groups, and the victims could be empowered and compensated. The paper also recommended that the rule of law should not only serve the rights of dominant social groups while leaving other minority groups behind in the post-conflict settings and international institutions should take into cognizance such issues as the entitlements of groups that are vulnerable to marginalization and discrimination- minority groups, women and children, internally or internationally displaced persons and refugees- in a conflict setting or a country.

Can trade and security alliance help reduce interstate war?

This study explains how the gap between theory and empirical research hinders scientific progress in the area of international political economy. To demonstrate this point, I use Chen's Extended Dependence Theory, which challenges liberal peace theory but fails to provide supporting empirical evidence. Chen contends that it is not trade dependence between two states that fosters peace but a challenger's trade relations with the defense-pact partners of the target. Although Chen criticizes liberal peace proponents whose primary concern is how to deter war, his empirical analysis is confined to how to decrease (fatal) militarized disputes short of war. I argue that for his theory to succeed, it must be validated against the most severe and intense form of conflict. Using statistical tests and substantive significance, I uncover no peace-building effect, with regards to war, attributable to Extended Dependence. It appears that the Extended Dependence variable exhibits a ceiling effect. Future research should explain why economic ties and security institutions fail to work together to lower the risk of the most destructive form of conflict.

Predictors of Islamic Religiosity in Youth who have Early Madrassah Education

The theory of lived religion proposes that people who are socialized by their early education system about religious beliefs have a stronger commitment to practice religion. At the same time, the integrative theory of peace argues that higher religiosity can play an instrumental role in peacebuilding within a nation. The aim of this study is to understand the relationship between early Madrassah education and Islamic religiosity in university students, measured under five domains of (i) beliefs, (ii) commitment, (iii) intellectual experience, (iv) intrinsic values, and (v) practice. Using a quantitative methodology, a sample of 152 youth were sampled from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. We found that that Pakistani youth show high Islamic religiosity in two sub-domains of beliefs and commitment, but that they show low Islamic religiosity in in three sub-domains of intellectual experience, intrinsic values, and practice. The results also suggest that females and youth from KPK have greater Islamic religiosity, and that youth with greater spiritual values make higher financial contributions to the religious organization. The study concludes with key recommendations, some of which include the need for Madrassah.

Is Sustainable Peace in Ukraine Possible? Contributions of Quality Peace Theory

Is Sustainable Peace in Ukraine Possible? Contributions of Quality Peace Theory

Media, Security Challenges and the Future of Nigeria: A Theoretical Overview

Security issues in Nigeria have of recent attracted global attention. The country now faces security threats from insurgent groups and bandits including the unknown gunmen that operate in broad day light almost unhindered. These have resulted to massive loss of lives and properties with devastating effects on the economy of the country and freedom of movement. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the challenges posed by the unfolding threats from these enemies of the nation building and how the mass media in Nigeria could help in saving the country from this mess. The study employed literature review method and anchored on the Democratic Peace Theory. The review reveals that Nigerians depend so much on mass media for accurate and timely information about the happenings in the society; the traditional roles of the mass media in any society which are to inform, educate and entertain are so crucial that Nigeria can hardly progress meaningfully without these channels of mass communication; that although the mass media are faced with a lot of challenges in the fight against insecurity in Nigeria, they have significant influence in fighting the menace; the media have not been fully utilised in addressing the security challenges in Nigeria. Based on the findings, the study recommends among others that the government should adopt dialogue and communication based approach in addressing security problems facing the country instead of relying solely on the use of force and stiff measures; Journalists in the media industry should utilise the mass media as agents of social change, and in spite of all odds redouble their efforts in setting agenda for public discussion on the best ways to salvage the country from the quagmire of insecurity; government officials and other relevant authorities should periodically organise media security summit for members of the public to contribute their quota on how to achieve attitudinal change and secure the country from collapse, security agents should work with intelligent information to avoid being victims of insecurity.