GST 222 - LECTURE 1 - CONCEPTUAL DEFINITIONS OF PEACE AND CONFLICT

Who are actors?

Actors are entities that participate in or promote international relations

" Peace is a state of mind that is felt as a result of the actualization of certain stated human desires"

Johan Galtung

Who described peace as an "umbrella concept"

Johan Galtung

Who is the father of peace studies

Johan Galtung

Which school of thought believe that interdependence will engender peaceful coexistence and international trade is necessary to promote interdependence

Liberalist school of thought

Conflict is a clash, confrontation, battle or struggle

Nwolise (2003)

Positive peace exists when

people are interacting non-violently and are managing their conflict positively with respectful attention to the legitimate needs and interest of all concerned.

If conflict is well harnessed, it could serve as a

powerful tool for progress

Negative peace is

the absence of violence. When, for example, a ceasefire is enacted, a negative peace will happen.

What limits the occurrence of conflict

1) Creation of harmonious domestic political structures 2) Introduction of acceptable international regimes, laws and norms

The maintenance of a state of tranquility is obtained through

1) Erecting of regulations 2) Outlining of punishments

The meaning of peace has been shaped by (Richmond, 2008)

1) Historical events/past events 2) Ideologies 3) Peculiar regional circumstances

What brought about the establishment of the League of Nations after WWI and the United Nations Organization after WWII

1) Idealist notion of a world void of war 2) Promoting disarmament 3) Right of self determination for all men 4) Presence of a world government to ensure order and proper distribution of scarce resources

Conflict emanates as a result of

1) Misunderstanding 2) Man's superiority complex 3) Failure to compromise 4) Failure to reconcile ideas, beliefs, cultures and interests

What's the purpose of GST 222

1) Promotion of peace 2) Management of conflict 3) Prevention of conflict 4) Reduction of conflict

"Peace is both a gift from God and an effort by the people to achieve it, individually and socially"

Bansikiza (2004)

Peace is a gift from God and effort by the people to achieve it, individually and socially

Bansikiza, 2004

Conflict is the simultaneous occurrence of two or more mutually antagonistic impulses or motives

Chaplin (1979)

Objectivist approach

Conflict emanates from the social and political structure of the society

What is conflict

Conflict is a state of inward (intrapersonal) or outward (interpersonal) disorder or strife

Conceptualising conflict

Conflict itself is not evil. It arises from the process of seeking sustainable progress and satisfaction. Conflict can be conceptualised from two approaches 1) Objectivist approach 2) Subjectivist approach

Idealist school of thought

Heraclitus and the Pythagorean philosphers saw harmony as the ultimate principle of state existence.

Hobbesian State of Nature

Hobbes argues that the state of nature is a miserable state of war in which none of our important human ends are reliably realisable. Happily, human nature also provides resources to escape this miserable condition

Which school of thought are the most ambitious group in seeking international peace

Idealist school of thought

Conflict is the breakdown in the standard mechanism of decision making

March and Simon (1998)

Conflict is as a mismatch between social values and social structures

Mitchell (1981)

Peace as put forward by the idealist is unattainable. Chaos and man are inseparable

Morgenthau, 1949

Peace is power balance and stability

Morgenthau, 1949

____ is the absence of any mutually agreed hostility

Negative peace

____ only rules out the existence of a deliberate violence between groups and states but considers the need for occasional revolts, protests, demonstrations et cetera

Negative peace

____ is a feeling of internal serenity as a result of external stability

Peace

_ and _ are concerns that continue to occupy the minds and actions of state and non state actors in the international system

Peace and conflict

____ is a condition of order conjured by respect for human socio cultural diversity

Positive peace

____ is filled with positive content such as restoration of relationships, the creation of social systems that serve the needs of the whole population and the constructive resolution of conflict

Positive peace

Which school of thought described international relations as a hobbesian state of nature

Realist school of thought

"As simple as the word "peace" may seem, providing a clear cut definition for it in the study of International Relations seems more demanding. Historic events, ideologies and peculiar regional circumstances have shaped the meaning of peace"

Richmond (2008)

Peace is a property of human nature

Sabine, 1973

Conflict is a situation in which two or more human beings desire goals which they perceived as being obtainable by one or the other, but not both; each party is mobilising energy to obtain a goal; and each party perceive the other as a barrier or threat to that goal.

Stagner (1967)

Who are state actors?

State actors are ruling governments of a state or country

Conflict emanates from the tugs and pulls of different definitions of what is right, fair and just

Stedman (1991)

Marxist school of thought

The condition of peace in the international system is dependent on the realities of the global political economy. To the Marxist, peace is only feasible when there is justice and equality in the distribution of resources.

Realists School of thought

The realists argued that life is solitary, brutish, nasty and short, and life is the survival of the fittest. They asserted that since resources are scarce and unevenly distributed, man must struggle for survival

Who are non state actors

They are the influential organizational or even individuals having the potential to influence the actions of state actors but are not allied to the state

Liberalist school of thought

They are very optimistic. They believe that peace is attainable in situations of cooperation and shared norms rather than the quest for power and security. They are OPTIMISTIC REALISTS. They believe that peace is not achievable but they see peace as something to be aspired for

Idealist school of thought

They believe that peace is attainable. Plato and Socrates argued that utopian peace is only found in an ideal form. They argued that man, by nature, is not violent; man is a peace lover. He will always want to keep peace with his neighbour but cases of probable violence, social and political norms, regimes and organisations could inhibit such.

Why is peace unattainable to Morgenthau

This is because there is an absence of a legitimate government authority to regulate and enforce agreements between states and other actors and also the prevalence of the determination of state units to protect their identities and achieve their outlined national interest by all possible means

Subjectivist approach

This says that apparently differences and incompatibility of goals cause conflict. Conflict is primarily over values and values are ultimately dependent on parties' perception

Conflict is a social situation in which a minimum of two actors strive to acquire at the same moment in time, an available set of scarce resources

Wallensteen (2002)

Conflict is the struggle involving ideas,values and limited resources

Wilson and Hanna (1990)