🌏 Chapter 9 : Peace
✨ Meaning of Peace
- 🕊️ Peace generally means the absence of war.
- ⚔️ War occurs when two countries confront each other with weapons.
- 🌍 Even without war, peace can be absent, as in Rwanda or Bosnia.
- 🚫 Peace can be understood as the absence of violent conflicts – based on caste, class, gender, colonialism, or communalism.
✨ Non-Violence
- ✋ Non-violence means not harming any living being through thought, word, or deed.
- ⚠️ Sometimes, maintaining peace may require force, but war should be the last resort.
✨ Structural Violence
- 🏛️ Violence arising from social structures is called structural violence.
- ⚠️ Examples: Caste discrimination, class divisions, patriarchy, colonialism, racism, terrorism, and communalism.
✨ Types of Structural Violence
Caste-based Conflicts
- 👥 After the abolition of untouchability, privileges of dominant castes disappeared, creating tensions among communities.
Racism
- 🌐 Some races or ethnicities believe they are naturally superior.
- 🇩🇪 Germany (Nazism) & 🇿🇦 South Africa (apartheid) are classic examples.
Patriarchy
- 👩 Women are treated as subordinate.
- 💔 Issues include female infanticide, poor nutrition, dowry system.
Colonialism
- 🌏 Though colonialism has ended, its effects persist.
- ⚔️ Examples: Palestinian struggle against Israeli dominance, exploitation of former European colonies.
Impact of Violence
- 😔 Affects both psychological and physical health of individuals.
✨ Methods to Eliminate Violence
- 🌐 United Nations & educational/scientific organizations promote peace through education, science, culture, and communication.
- 🧠 Peace must be cultivated in human minds.
✨ Can Violence Promote Peace?
- ⚖️ Violence usually leaves destruction, but sometimes it can contribute to planned positive change.
- ✨ Examples: Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela.
✨ Peace and the State
- 🏛️ Every state sees itself as a supreme unit.
- 🌎 For true peace, the state must think globally and respect humanity.
- 🚫 Force should not be used on citizens; democratic governance is key.
✨ Ways to Maintain Peace
- 🏛️ Respect sovereignty of all nations.
- 🤝 Reduce international rivalry and move from economic to political integration.
- 🌐 Promote globalization.
- ⚔️ Adopt disarmament policies.
✨ Contemporary Challenges
- 💥 Aggressive displays by dominant nations (e.g., U.S. intervention in Iraq).
- ☣️ Terrorism & misuse of chemical/biological weapons.
- 🌍 Lack of international intervention (e.g., 1994 Rwandan genocide).
🌍 Peace & Global Security
🛡️ Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones
Even today, there are regions where nuclear weapons are prohibited. These six zones are:
- ❄️ Antarctica
- 🌎 Latin America & Caribbean
- 🌏 Southeast Asia
- 🌍 Africa
- 🌊 South Pacific
- 🏔️ Mongolia
Peace is prioritized in the contemporary world, and a new branch of knowledge called Peace Studies has emerged to promote understanding of global harmony.
🕊️ United Nations (UN)
- 🌐 The UN was established on 24 October 1945 to maintain international peace and security.
- 🏛️ It is an international organization formed after World War II to prevent future conflicts.
- 🤝 The UN promotes social, economic, cultural, and humanitarian cooperation globally.
⚠️ Terrorist Activities
- 🌍 International terrorism has been supported by states like Libya, Sudan, and Afghanistan, and the world community has taken various measures to counter it.
- 🏢 The 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center in the USA remains one of the most destructive terrorist events.
- 🛡️ The UN Security Council appealed for all nations to fully cooperate in combating terrorism.
🏛️ Peace & the State
- 🏙️ To maintain order and harmony in society, a power system called the State is necessary.
- ⚖️ The modern state performs multiple roles:
- 🛡️ Protects citizens’ lives and property.
- 🌊 Provides relief during natural disasters.
- 🏰 Safeguards the nation and its people during foreign invasions.
- 🎨 Promotes progress in arts, science, and the material welfare of its citizens.
