Contested Meanings
Name the three main terms/concepts in unit 4 that are difficult to set out their definition satisfactorily.
Peace, Conflict, and Violence.
Galtung defines violence as ____________ deprivation
Needs
Identify 5 phases (in order ) of conflict escalation according to Ramsbotham et al.
Difference, contradiction, polarization, violence and war
What is the main characteristic of peace?
Peace is the absence of violence (Negative Peace).
According to Galtung, positive peace is achieved by the removal of _____________ and _____________
Structural and Cultural violence.
Identify 4 phases (in order ) of conflict de-escalation according to Ramsbotham et al.
Ceasefire, Agreement, Normalization, Reconciliation
What type of violence is described by the statements below?
Violence as an event.
Violence as a process or a framework that institutionalizes violence.
Violence is a way of thinking.
Direct Violence
Structural Violence
Cultural Violence
What are the ABCs of the Galtung Triangle?
Attitudes, Behaviour, Contradiction
What is the definition of non-violence in Global Politics?
Non-violence is a philosophy of not resorting to violence as a response to conflict or as a method for overcoming barriers to achieve greater equality. Examples - Friday For Future, Orange Revolution, Occupy Wall Street etc.
Why is the term peace considered a multi-layered concept?
It represents a condition of harmony, justice and cooperation at varied levels:
Peace occurs where justice prevails, rights are respected and individuals can express themselves without fear of retribution. It involves equal access to resources, social services and opportunities for all.
Peace means the absence of war or violent conflicts between nations.
Peace signifies a state free of civil strife, with a government that ensures the safety, rights and well-being of its citizens.
Why do some conflict theorists see conflict as a good or necessary thing?
Constructive conflict is important and necessary. It is how we test ideas, put pressure on our tightly held ideals and how we ultimately progress as a society.
For instance, Federal Decree-Law No. 41/2022 (Personal Status Law). Created a civil, non-sharia framework for marriage, divorce, guardianship/custody and inheritance for non-muslims. It provided foreign workers with the option to apply their home country law - no-fault divorce, greater gender equality etc. The MNC employers pushed for the reform. The reforms were intended to improve UAE’s attractiveness for expatriates, international talent and investment.
What is the rationale for non-violence as an approach?
Principled non-violence, grows out of an ethical or religious foundation
Strategic non-violence, taking a non-violent approach because it is the most effective tool to achieve one's desired outcomes.
Woman Life Freedom -2022 illustrates both aspects of these approaches to non-violence.
What are some critiques of Galtung's ideas of peace?
“Negative peace is quite desirable and, in some situations, could be thought of as an incredible achievement”. For instance, the signing of the 2016 agreement between the Colombian government and FARC. It ended a large-scale armed conflict that lasted for over 50 years. The FARC laid down weapons, combatants demobilized, and the movement transformed into a legal political party. The agreement allowed civilians to live without the constant threat of guerrilla-state clashes. Achieving negative peace is itself a huge, meaningful human rights accomplishment.
“Peace as the absence of violence inaccurately suggests that peace cannot exist alongside violence” For instance, the USA is peaceful but the narrow reading ignores continuing direct violence - gun deaths, police killings, entrenched structural violence (racialized legal processes, socioeconomic exclusion).
Enacting positive peace as social justice results in a norm to enforce justified international intervention in sovereign states (R2P) and might lead to risks of neocolonialism. For instance, intervention in Libya 2013 and Iraq in 2003 and 2014.
Galtung believes that peace theory is intimately connected with conflict theory, especially in the context of _______________ (explain your answer)
Negative Peace.
Even after ceasefire, the underlying conflict remains, how it is managed determines lasting peace. For instance, the cessation of hostilities agreement signed in November 2022 between the Ethiopian Federal Government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) created Negative Peace but the underlying political and ethnic conflicts over autonomy, power-sharing etc. remain unresolved. Ethiopia continues to experience tensions, sporadic clashes etc.