Peaceful Change Flashcards
What are the conceptual questions of peaceful change?
What is peace?
Many definitions can be depicted on a spectrum from negative peace (absence of physical violence) to positive peace (harmony, justice)
What is change?
Timeline: spectrum form shift to evolution
Ontology: Spectrum from material (e.g. distribution of military capabilities) to ideation (e.g. institutions, world order, etc.)
International Order
o Peaceful change in interwar years, i.e. how to accommodate Germany
o Peaceful change during the Cold War, i.e. how to stabilization relations between the superpowers; towards rapprochement (establishment or resumption of harmonious relations) and détente (easing of hostility or strained relations)
o Peaceful change today: How to deal with the rise of China (and perhaps others in the future)?
Functional Order
o Peaceful change in the international political economy: How to make global financial and trade institutions work? What kinds of adaptations are necessary?
o Peaceful change in arms control and disarmament: How to strengthen nuclear arms control and disarmament? How to regulate cyber warfare? How to regulate autonomous and semi-autonomous weapons?
o Peaceful change in global health: How to counter the spread of communicable and non-communicable diseases? How to prepare the world for the next pandemic?
Regional Order
There are different regional interpretations for what peaceful change means:
EU documents formulate an episteme of cooperation and integration. Also: strong association with democracy, rule of law, human rights, and peace.
Bilateral Relations
o Remarkable peaceful change: France – Germany. From arch enmity to friendship and engine of European Integration.
o Recent attempts of rapprochement, e.g. US – Cuba, US – Iran
o Current major challenge: Russia – Ukraine
Transnational Relations
o Challenges to curb transnational terrorism
o Challenges to curb transnational crime, ranging from piracy to human trafficking and drug trade to illicit arms trade.
Intra-State Relations
o Security Sector Reform (SSR),
o Disarmament, Demobilisation, Reintegration (DDR)
o Re-building (more inclusive) state institutions
o Re-building the nation (reconciliation)
