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Contributions from
the Column
Media
On Peace on Earth
Land Reform in Namibia and Southern Africa
History of Social Anthropology
HIV/AIDS – a Practioners Guide
10/2005 |
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Peace: A legacy
Dieter Senghaas:
Zum irdischen Frieden
(On Peace on Earth).
Frankfurt, Suhrkamp 2004 , 307 pages,
11.00 Euro, ISBN 351812384X
This book is not meant to be another contribution to the exegesis of Kant’s moral theory. Nonetheless, Dieter Senghaas consciously follows the tradition of Immanuel Kant. In the title, the Bremen-based expert on peace and conflict reflects Kant’s essay entitled “Zum ewigen Frieden” [On Perpetual Peace], published in 1795, and its vision of world citizenship. Senghaas leads his readers through the cracks of the modern world, past its economic, social, cultural and political divides, its asymmetries and dilemmas. On over 300 pages, he questions anything and everything he encounters, keeping his focus unwaveringly on the question of what constitutes peace today and how we can achieve it.
The author, who has dedicated his life’s work to the issue, places the interrelationship between peace and economic development firmly at the centre of his analysis. When considering the crass distortions in the world, he says that “it is impossible to understand the changing nature of today’s security dilemmas without an awareness of the development dilemmas which preceded them”. Therefore, “a policy of equality in the distribution of wealth is the minimum requirement for social peace both within individual communities and between societies”.
Senghaas leaves the reader in no doubt that “the constitutional conditions needed to build lasting peace on a policy of common sense” are well-known. As in earlier works, he expresses his latest “insights and suppositions” in the form of his “civilisational hexagon”. In simple terms this model expounds certain definite requirements for peace. These include setting up a monopoly on force, constitutional control, social justice and the democratic participation of citizens as well as a social climate in which a culture of non-violent conflict resolution can flourish. These dimensions provide the pillars on which civilisation can be built for people to coexist peacefully.
However, apparently simple solutions often seem impossible to put into practice. Peaceful change requires that “all the players, at all levels, display adaptability and a willingness to learn”, writes Senghaas. This is all the more so in view of the dramatic social upheavals occurring world-wide and encompassing all areas of life. As constructive skills cannot be instilled by force, the “only alternative is to convince people by communicating effectively with them”. For the participants this task can be painstaking and agonising, constantly demanding fresh effort as well as the correction of errors. The issue is further complicated by the frequent need to break new ground, change direction or introduce solutions against the will of those affected. The history of enlightened Europe, the model case of democracy, is full of such examples.
Although the author is aware of the risks and weaknesses of his model, he is nonetheless convinced that the human race only has a long-term chance of survival if it levels out the worst inequalities and injustices. Even if humankind cannot solve all problems, it must reduce them. This is certainly a “task for the century” – which again sounds a little like Immanuel Kant. Or a legacy.
Volker Dieckmann
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