MIB Global Chat on World Peace Day: What did I learn.

Resuming the MIB Global Chat on World Peace Day: How well off are we today?

In the past, war was considered something between state actors, so as long as there was no conflict between different countries, it could have been considered a peaceful time. Today, the concept of peace seems much more complex because we have non-state actors, state actors, proxy state actors, terrorism, and high rates of violence within the same country. So, we can say the meaning of peace has been in constant transformation and adaptation to the characteristics of the time.

Nowadays, it is considered a very subjective concept and can vary from person to person, but when thinking about a more realistic and achievable approach to the meaning, it can be said that today it is perceived as the absence of violence that takes human lives. Therefore, nowadays we cannot speak of peace as the mere absence of conflict because disputing is an intrinsic and inevitable aspect of social development. Throughout history, humanity has been constantly transforming itself and transforming its beliefs, values, perceptions, among others, so we can say that peace is a social construction that can be adopted and adapted in different ways to meet everyone’s needs.

For a better understanding, we can mention the theory of Emmanuel Kant who states that we must take a look at the expansion of concepts such as democracy, economic interdependence, and the establishment of international institutions, as the three fundamental pillars for the construction of a rational peace. Today, we can see the intervention of different international institutions that have carried out tasks to allow countries, governments, and peoples to be part of the construction of peace. Furthermore, these institutions make society more visible and also play an important role in escalating conflicts.

An important aspect that must be taken into consideration in order to achieve a better state of peace would be the change in the perception of governments towards the security they have in the international system. It would be better to allocate the resources invested in security and military forces to education and to comply with the international agenda. In this way, different societies would be empowered to make better decisions not only with their government, but also in the way they interact with the rest of the world.

Consequently, we can be positive about future developments. An example of that is that as soon as you bring people with different characteristics together (backgrounds, believes, country of origin, skin color, professional experiences, among others) and give them a shared task, it is likely that they are going to start working together without conflict. That leads us to believe that conflicts and wars are usually between governments or larger state entities but very often not between the people themselves.

In conclusion, it can be said that we live in a relatively peaceful world in which different people live more than ever on the basis of tolerance, respect and mutual understanding. Nowadays, humanity has been building a path towards a more sustainable and more peaceful world.

Master of International Business (MIB)