In search for peace in the world

1. The global situation, as we see it today, is filled with various complexities that nations are routinely finding themselves in one conflict or the other. As the occurrence of conflicts between countries were reducing after the Cold War period, the international environment was confronted with a new challenge of internal conflict which manifested in various forms and dimensions.The menace of terrorism, insurgency, economic and political instabilities, ethno-religious pogroms, human induced environmental disasters, intra state displacements are some of the outcomes of the perennial conflicts that threatens world peace.
2. Conflicts are permanent features of life which we must live and cope with and resolve from time to time. While conflict brings about change, change also brings conflict. A poorly managed conflict could become violent or destructive, which could hinder peaceful co-existence, social harmony, economic growth and national peace and security. No nation that seeks to develop can do without conflict. It is how the nation responds and manages it that makes the difference.
3. The great issues regarding how communities and nations ought to live in peace have always been settled through conflicts. While the natural purpose of any conflict is for parties involved to produce a set of results that would enable them to enjoy peace, but most of the time the cost of such results is usually more than what the result is worth.
4. The unending Israel and Palestine conflict which started in 1947 because of the United Nations partition, supported by the United States and Britain, which left 57% of good land to Israel and 43% of poor land to the Palestinians. Till date, Palestinians have no nation and suffer from poverty and displacement. It was these frustrations that spilled into extremism and militancy that seemed to have defied acceptable resolution.
5. In the same year of 1947, the British India was also partitioned into India and Pakistan along religious lines which evolved into large scale violence that resulted in millions being displaced. That violent partition has created a lifelong hostility and suspicion between both countries, which has plagued their relationship till today. The Jammu Kashmir conflict has seen both countries engaged in frequent battles for the control of the region. The unending situation has bred the Kashmir insurgents who are now clamouring for autonomy.
6. Since February 2022, we have witnessed the continued Russian-Ukraine war which has virtually ruined the latter, a country that was the largest producer of wheat in the world. NATO allies, up till now have not been able to bring the warring parties to dialogue. The pronouncement of President Trump of USA’s discontinuance of financial support for Ukraine, and his overture to President Putin has further created a seeming confusion among the allies.
7. Africa too has had its share of intra and interstate conflicts which negative impacts have retarded peace and development. From Angola’s struggle for power, Burundi and Rwanda’s genocide, the fratricide wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone, to the ongoing conflicts in Sudan and Southern Sudan, Democratic Republic Congo, and the resolved Nigeria-Cameroun territorial disputes among others. Although some of these conflicts have abated, the destructions, scars and the losses are still apparent.
8. Since independence, Nigeria has witnessed several seasons of conflicts both at the community, state and national levels. Each time these conflicts occur they bring calamities of monumental effects that often shake the country to its foundation. The post-independence political crisis in the Western Region that evolved into the military take-over of government and the subsequent Civil War in the East, the various ethno-religious battles in the North to the environmental and resource control militancy in the South-South. Today the conflicts have metamorphosed into banditry, terrorism, agitations for state separatism, herdsmen/farmers clash, kidnappings, pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft etc. These are evidence that no part of Nigeria has been spared the unpleasantness and harsh realities of conflicts.

WHAT IS PEACE?

9. Peace is a complex and multifaceted concept that is perceived differently by nations, communities and individuals. Everyone wants peace, and everyone understands it as a kind of order that is generally accepted. Achieving peace in the world is a complex and continuous process that requires efforts at all levels.
10. Generally, peace is not only seen as the absence of violence, but a situation that embraces justice, equality and harmony. The peace a nation enjoys within the international community is dependent on the actualization of its national interests, which denotes a common goal that benefits its citizens.
11. Peace does not just exist. It is the product of conflict, dispute, or war. Peace is derived when one or more parties in a conflict change their commitment to the kind of peace that would bring mutual satisfaction without violence. It is a tacit agreement between a supposed winner and loser.
12. To bring about world peace, Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter provides the stabilizing instrument that ensures that international law and order will subsist to bring to bear public order. The notion of the international law means that the law which governs nations is the law which is imposed on the nations by the society of nations, such that the nations obey the law. In other words, when a nation is a signatory to an international law, it becomes binding on that nation. However, the veto power in the hands of the five permanent members of the Security Council has always made it difficult to implement when they see adherence or compliance with the law as conflicting with their national interests.
13. Despite these constraints, the UN has been able to bring about modest peace efforts through the implementation of Article 43 of the UN Charter which provides for the contributions of armed forces by nations to be put at the disposal of the UN for the purpose of monitoring international peace and security. Nigeria has done well in this effort. Until the Boko Haram insurgency surfaced, we were the 4^th largest troops contributing nation to the UN Peacekeeping Forces.

THREAT TO PEACE

14. Peace is fragile, and it can snap at the slightest infringement. Several factors can bring threats or even war to a seeming peaceful international or domestic environment. These include aggressive international quest for access to resources, unresolved border disputes, terrorism, ethno-religious differences, poor governance, social unrest that are engendered by economic disparities, inequality, poverty, social injustice etc.

SUSTAINING PEACE

15. While sustaining world peace may seem like a mirage, progress can be achieved if positive approaches are embraced. At the international level, dialogue between nations, promoting non-aggression pact rather than resorting to war must be encouraged. Nations must provide strong support for the United Nation and other regional peace bodies to mediate international disputes and invest in peacebuilding efforts and post-conflict rehabilitation. Peace in international relations should focus more on promoting interstate cooperation, free trade, addressing climate change and resources that contribute to conflict, and compliance with international law to guarantee world stability.
16. At the national level, the governments must ensure sustainable development that benefits the various communities, reduce poverty and ensure fair opportunities for the citizens. To reduce inter-ethnic and inter-religious tensions, dialogue must be encouraged to reduce misunderstanding, and fair access to justice system to resolve problems peacefully must be assured.

CONCLUSION

17. The search and sustenance of world peace is a precarious but continuous pursuit. It demands deep commitment by all nations to support the United Nation’s Peacebuilding initiatives, promote international cooperation to address common challenges, tackle underlying drivers of conflict, and strengthen governance that will provide meaningful development programs for the citizens to end poverty, hunger, disease, and social injustice.