3 Peace as the capacity for non-violent handling of conflict
Conflicts, whether at individual or global level, may be handled in many different ways – some constructive, others destructive. Violence and war are very costly strategies to ‘solve’ a problem. They not only kill, injure and maim people, but also leave both perpetrators and victims with deep-seated psychological problems, as demonstrated by the high rates of suicide and psychological disorders among war veterans.
Violence is not a natural or intrinsic state of being for humans, according to the Seville Statement on Violence (UNESCO 1986:2). Written by an international team of specialists for the UN, it argues against theories which suggest that the roots of aggression and war are embedded in human biology. Instead it suggests that just as ‘wars begin in the minds of men’, peace also begins in our minds. The same species that invented war is capable of inventing peace, and the responsibility to do this lies with each of us.
Strategies to handle conflict constructively can be learned. Indeed, this capacity can be developed if peace is ‘a capacity to handle conflicts with empathy, creativity and by non-violent means’ (Galtung 2002:8). How can this peace be developed? All levels of education and training, from kindergarden to continuing professional education, could include knowledge and awareness of how conflicts can be handled non-violently; understanding how to listen empathically to oneself and others; and skills in creating new, peaceful realities.
This capacity can transform a conflict situation to one of cooperation, as shown in the conflict between Ecuador and Peru in the 1990s. The two countries had a long-lasting land dispute over a remote, uninhabited mountain area that lacked any profitable natural resources. For historical reasons, both countries claimed this land, and the subsequent violent conflict caused the deaths of thousands of young soldiers. When both sides agreed to search for a non-violent solution, Galtung suggested that they could own the land jointly. The area is now a natural park under UN control, owned by both countries; the war is over and Ecuador and Peru work together (Galtung 2004).
We can end this lesson by concluding that peace is not merely the absence of different types and levels of violence (‘negative peace’), but also a state of individual and social harmony, and a capacity to handle conflicts with empathy, creativity and by non-violent means. Unlike negative peace, ‘positive peace’ is about constructive handling of conflict, and building peaceful structures and a culture of peace.