Roots of conflic, viol and peace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Roots of conflic, viol and peace - Essay Example In the effort to bridge this gap, peace paradigms such as power politics and world order were developed. The power politics paradigm, which is dominant in matters of international relations, stipulates that there is an absence of universally acceptable values that would serve all international actors. Power politics in characterized the use of threats by one nation to the other, be it military, political and/or economic (Wight, Bull and Holbraad, 2002). It is as a result of the absence of prevailing international government that renders international politics unpredictable and volatile, with nations perpetually changing alliances. The end result is an exposure to violence, insecurity and power imbalance. According to the power politics peace paradigm, it is imperative for states to engage in the implementation of policies that would effectively serve their national objectives construed as the acquisition of military strength and material power with the aim of deterring and compelling other nations. A nation that is known to possess material and military power is less likely to be expos ed though the acquisition of such rises serious moral and ethical issues. This means that states have no alternative but to attempt to steer away from international humanistic values that are pegged on the trust and good will of nations. The lack of a common and unified moral standard that can be used as the guiding point for international cooperation means that states are left with no alternative but to strive and compete against each other in the quest to attain the perceived security providers (Gandhi Marg Magazine, 2002). The basic idea, therefore behind power politics is that for peace to prevail, people must be prepared for war. The implicit being that the human competitive aspect predisposes the world to violence and it is through the forceful implementation of order, peace is attained. While power politics is not entirely indifferent to issues such as environmental degradation and poverty, it has been criticized for advocating for a moral minimalism approach, meaning that the world has been condemned to a self help attitude, with the stronger nations overpowering less empowered nations (Wight, Bull and Holbraad, 2002). On the hand, the world order paradigm stipulates that peace can be attained through the power of law. It calls for the development of sustainable cooperation among states, inter governmental organization and non governmental organizations. The proponents of world order consider the power politics approach as a recipe of inevitable disorder. They future insist that human have both the potential to be selfish and otherwise and if they so choose, human can cooperate for the sake of the greater good. According to the proponents of the world order, international cooperation is critical in the decentralization state centered international relations models that have completely failed to secure the general interests of human beings. The fact is the world is basically a global village due to immense technological advancements. Issues such as peace, poverty, disease, human rights violations, environmental degradation, disease and weapons of mass destruction, are a major concern to people across the divide. It is for this reason that the world order stresses the on the possibility of humans to choose to cooperate. It also