Peace and Conflict
Introduction
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Peace is the essential condition for achieving a truly sustainable world. Only in conditions of stability and security can human rights be fully protected, sustainable economic development be fully implemented, and the environment be protected and restored.
At the beginning of the 21st century, however, more than 60 low and medium-intensity wars are raging around the planet – roughly double the average number during the Cold War. Concurrently, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, multiplying acts of terrorism, and increasing numbers of “rogue” states have redefined both the nature of war and the concept of security.
These trends pose very real threats to the futures of both developing and industrialized societies. Conventional armed conflicts – which are primarily intrastate in scope and geographically limited to developing regions – damage the environment, disrupt economies, and shatter societies. Civilians suffer most drastically from current forms of warfare, which may include ethnic expulsions and even genocide as deliberate strategies.
Terrorism or “asymmetric” conflict – multiplied by the likely use of weapons of mass destruction – threatens not only massive civilian casualties in developing and industrialized regions, but also destruction of the financial, information, and technological infrastructures that underpin modern societies.
Theoreticians of war point to many different causes of conflict, but resource scarcity – exacerbated by population growth, inequity, and environmental destruction – is the most common flashpoint. Most wars today are over access to or control of water supplies, farmland, forests, fisheries, or valuable commodities like coffee, diamonds or narcotics.
Poverty, ineffective governments, natural disasters, disease, and access to arms are additional conditions that increase the probability of overt conflict. Societies divided into particular classes and religious or ethnic groups are more likely to succumb to civil strife, and those clashes may well spill over into other areas, targeting for revenge groups or nations perceived to be helping the opponents of any given faction.
These realities help explain why military spending constitutes a significant percentage of most national budgets. Developing nations prepare to battle neighbors for resources or internal opponents for political power, while industrialized nations gear up to maintain control of economically important resources, or support friendly governments that provide access to those resources. Of course, this direction of resources toward military preparedness means they are not available to mitigate the very economic and social conditions that underlie conflict.
Despite this grim news, there are many causes for hope. Both personal and policy solutions can reverse many of the above-mentioned trends. At the local level, emphasis on education and multicultural awareness has made subtle inroads into social divisions. Regional, international, and non-governmental organizations whose primary purpose is the curtailment of war have mediated many potential conflicts.
“Globalization with a human face” – reoriented to alleviate poverty and support social health, good governance, human rights, and environmental protection – holds the potential to mitigate many social, economic, and political causes of conflict. Increased interdependence – fostered by balanced, pro-environment and pro-labor trade – will make overt, interstate conflict more damaging than beneficial, and thus make it a less viable means for states to achieve policy ends.