Dr. Johan Galtung is the founder of peace studies and has been working in the field for more than 50 years, yes 50 years! He is 79 now and still teaching and traveling. For more information on him you can go to www.transcend.org.
We had a very small group of about six professors from local universities and about ten to fifteen students. It was an ideal size for having a group discussion about on going international conflicts and what we as peace scholars can do. We are going to solve little just talking to each other in isolated workshops. To an outsider, such a group may seem too idealistic or not a part of the reality based community. I think a part of that is we do not talk enough with the community we live in. There is also an anti-intellectual streak running through America now. Some people perceive collages and universities as being arrogant and elitist. “He may have a PhD but no common since.” Some in the universities think most people cannot begin to understand what they are talking about. Personally, I disagree with both viewpoints. What good is study if it is not shared with the community?
Let me share some of what I goy out of the workshop yesterday. There are solutions to many on going conflicts but they are not usually easy or simplistic. A good first step is listening to the other side’s legitimate interests. The United States in Afghanistan for example, has a legitimate interest in not having a sanctuary for terrorist groups to plan and launch attacks on US interests around the world and the US itself. Afghanistan has a legitimate interest in self-determination. What type of arrangement can be made to meet these goals? All sides in this conflict have many interests some more legitimate than others and that also has to be sorted out. A key to conflict resolution is realizing the other party may have some good points. Also, each side needs to acknowledge it’s own faults and mistakes. Fighting will not stop until both sides are ready.
As of this writing the USA is fighting three wars; “The War on Terror” (WOT), Iraq and Afghanistan. We talked a lot about Afghanistan and as Dr. Galtung sees it we (the US) have five options:
1. Victory- Extremely difficult given the fact that for each person killed spawns anywhere from 10 to 30 new fighters.
2. Defeat- The US will not allow this to happen. Outright defeat is almost out of the question.
3. Withdraw- then declare victory- This will smell too much of defeat.
4. Conflict Resolution – work out some kind of settlement everyone can live with.
5. Become Irrelevant – The fate of Afghanistan is determined by the Afghanis, and her neighbors, mainly Pakistan.
The same five options I think can be applied to Iraq as well. Both Iraq and Afghanistan are constructs of the old British Empire. The borders were drawn on maps with no input from the peoples actually living in these regions. Neither is interested in a strong central government. A good possibility for a government may be a federation of some kind. The WOT is being fought all over the world in places like the Phillipines and Samollia. This is an interesting case because it may be war with out end. Defending ourselves from attacks is a legitimate goal. Some so-called terrorist organizations may have legitimate points as well but it is difficult to see how this will end. What are some other ways terrorism can be eliminated?
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