Round The World

New Delhi, 31 January 2025

Cry for Peace

STOPPING THE WARS

By Prof. (Dr.) D.K. Giri

(Prof. NIIS Group of Institutions, Odisha) 

The world is currently caught in the throes of violence between communities and wars between countries. The wars in Gaza and Ukraine surprise the political community and defy the wisdom of negotiators and peacemakers. The United Nations which was created post-Second World War in order to prevent another global war has practically become ineffective. It will remain so until the organs of United Nations are seriously restructured; especially the Security Council which is incapacitated by the veto power of one of the five permanent members. The question staring at the world leaders and political and security experts is how to bring about a peaceful world. 

It is important to note that there are good many peace institutes across the world which are engaged in researching and advocating peace structures. But they have been of no avail as the wars continue unabated, violence within many countries continually happens. It is high time to lay out a global peace manifesto. This is an attempt to do so on the basis of the Indian philosophy, world experience and a new strategy. 

The manifesto may consist of three parts – a peaceful one world, a universal welfare state system and a common security structure. This manifesto is prepared in consultation with Prof. V. Vivekanandan, an expert on social democracy, welfare state systems and Scandinavia. He is the lone Indian recipient of the highest honour of Hon. Doctorate of Social Sciences from University of Helsinki and the Sword of Truth. 

One World is a concept derived from thousands of years of Indian philosophy like the Advaita (Oneness) and Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (world is a family) enshrined in the Vedas and Upnishads. These concepts proclaim the individuality of the humanity and the inhabitants of the earth as a grand family. These priceless gems of ideas were hidden in the scriptures until Shri Shankracharya revealed them to the world of knowledge in the 8^th Century A.D. In modern times, Swami Vivekananda spread this to the wider world. He surprised the world in his address in Chicago in 1893 to the World Parliament of Religions when he addressed the gathering as brothers and sisters. 

But, sadly, today, the world is divided into nation-states who are daggers drawn at each other in the name of national security and in pursuance of negative doctrines like deterrence. Many countries are wasting plenty of their own resources and those of the world which could have been used for the progress and prosperity of poor people across the world. Ironically, on the one hand, the world is shrinking under the impact of communication technology and inter-dependence between countries, on the other, the countries and the world as a whole are getting fragmented. 

In order to repair this fracture, cooperation among the countries should replace the ongoing confrontation. That will happen if people beyond the borders behave in the spirit of solidarity in order to create one world. This spirit has to be backed by a universal welfare system. Arguably, of all social, political and economic systems, experienced in the world so far, the welfare state system is by far the best one. It anchors a humanising peace structure within and beyond the country and operates on the basis of equality without discrimination. It also makes the state, the government and other stakeholders in a country as the authentic guardian of all citizens. 

The welfare state system is essentially a social democratic construct which has the potential to create a new geo-political culture and a new civilisation in the world. Scandinavian countries like Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland have institutionalised the welfare state system during the last nine decades with impressive results. Note that Finland is rated as the happiest country in the world. B. Vivekanandan and the author of this piece had the opportunity to go and stay in these countries to experience their welfare state systems and their impact on the psyche of their peoples and societies and on international relations. 

This system is basically based on well-off citizens paying taxes for the welfare of all, especially those who cannot afford amenities like everyone else. The psyche in those countries is such that people voluntarily come forward to pay taxes without evading them. One of my fairly rich friends in Uppsala told me, “We like to pay our taxes as it takes care of our schools, roads, hospitals and other public facilities meant for everyone”. 

In Scandinavia, welfare system has functioned as an incentive to good behaviour and to promotion of peace among the people. So, cumulatively, the welfare state system functions as a peace structure at the national level which reflects in their foreign policies at the global level. The welfare system engenders a new ethos, conducive to building a peaceful, cooperative and a solidarity-based relationship among peoples, cultures and continents. This system humanises societies and promotes pacifist tendencies in peoples’ interactions. Therefore, welfare system is an imperative for establishing peace in the world. 

The third component of this manifesto could be the common security system which would not only radically reduce the defence expenditure of all countries in the world but also would enable countries to establish a more transparent peaceful and cooperative international relationship. Deterrence which is currently the preferred security strategy by many countries gives a false sense of security and prompts arms race between rivals.

In consequence, many countries waste their valuable resources in defence purchases instead of tackling poverty and backwardness in their countries. The defence expenditure of the world is estimated to be 2 trillion dollars per year. It is important to underline that the merchants of 75% of these arms are just five countries – USA, Russia, Germany, France and China. 

The pathway to common security consists of a few phases. First, curb the arms race by negotiating reduction of arms – nuclear and conventional. Second, the countries should focus on their defensive structures, not increase their offensive capabilities. So common security is not a military doctrine, but a political one since the security of all countries is ensured collectively by positive inter-dependence and international solidarity. Third, common security would make a major resource input for the economic and social development across the world and unfold new forms of international cooperation based on peace, freedom, equality and solidarity. 

The main reason for the failure of League of Nations and the United Nations lies in the fact that they are largely talking shops of international peace. They failed to deter the countries from building of respective war machines in order to fulfil their unfair and illegitimate ambitions to conquer and expand. The current wars are dark examples of such expansionist tendencies. Remember that under the nose of the League of Nations, Adolf Hitler pursued his policy of aggression. In the present epoch, under the very nose of United Nations, China is pursuing an expansionist policy by use of force, which, unless effectively checked, has the potential to ignite a Third World War. 

Finally, the peace manifesto should reconcile the objectives of multilateral organisations like United Nations and those of the nation states. The way to do so is to establish complementary peace structures at national and international level with a unity of purpose. ---INFA 

(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)