PEACE RESEARCH: DEFINITION AND CHALLENGES

Comments on the seminar given by Professor Peter Lawler.

In this Intercultural Seminar, Professor Peter Lawler introduced us to his criticism of Peace Studies and the usual way of approaching Peace most peace scholars have.

Peaces Studies were started by Johan Galtung who, probably based on his scientific background, tried to set the notions of peace and violence in a strict way. Thanks to his research in the field we now use terms like Structural Violence, Direct Violence, Negative Peace or Positive Peace... Peace Studies have taken especially the notion of Positive Peace as their main interest, developing several instances of literature in which theory related to it is given.

However, it is a fact that Peace Studies have distanced themselves to the study of national and international structures, the ones that might be causing the structural violence, in order to define their incompatibility with the concept of Peace. Peace has become an ethereal term used by everyone without the necessary reflection in order to determine what it is and, above all, what it is not. Therefore, contradictions in the possible realization of Positive Peace are present all the time.

Some peace students and scholars might, for example, consider peace as the coexistence of different kinds of people, as stated in their religious beliefs. However, they might not consider necessary to include in this coexistence, the elements not included in their religious precepts, like homosexuals, transsexuals, or even women. This originates a set of big contradictions that put forward the necessity for a previous internal prospection which is not usually done in Peace Studies.

Taken from a post-structuralist point of view we might assert that Peace Studies must question themselves all the time. We know of the notion of Imperfect Peace, we know Peace is a process and not a final stage. Therefore, we must keep moving and changing. And change does not occur if we set absolute truths.

It is therefore necessary for Peace Students and Scholars to question the status quo of everything they consider as true, even their own religious beliefs, in order to foster the necessary evolution of Peace Studies towards a real eradication of structural violence. All what's left, further elucubrations about a "union in diversity" that no one can materialize or make concrete, is pure literature.

VISIONS OF CONFLICT IN LATIN AMERICA

NEGOTIATION MODELS

Comments on the Intercultural Seminar given by Susana Cavazos.

In this seminar we were presented the Harvard model for Conflict Resolution.
This way of negotiating presents the innovations of focusing on interests and not on facts. In this way, we will focus on interests and not on territories, wealth or other material things that might be the origin of the conflict. Negotiation will be based on looking for creative ways to accomplish both parties needs-interests the best way.

Negotiation will be based on identifying each other’s interests and educate or involve one another about them, in order to find suitable solutions for both. That is why this model focuses on negotiation and creates a comparison between Competition and Cooperation and states that a key factor for a long term-standing conflict resolution is trust.

Here we have an interesting video with the creators of this model:

MEDIA AND NON-VIOLENT STRUGGLE

Comments on the Seminar given by Cynthia Boaz.

In this seminar we were introduced to the way non-violent struggles are represented in the media. The Mass Media are a key part in the modern world for creating what we consider a Culture of Peace. In this way, usually for the Mass Media are not worthwhile to be reported or if so, their representation is as unaccountable and ineffective movements.

Otherwise, these movements might be represented as not so non-violent, taking out their credibility and usually taking out credit to their aims and means. That is why it is necessary to carry out a selection of the information we get in terms of conflicts and their resolution and rely on the information provided by alternative media.

Some of the alternative Media resources related to conflicts commented in the seminar and others I can recommend are the following:

Democracy Now

If Americans Knew

Aljazeera

Common Ground News Service

Corresponsal de Paz (in Spanish)

Peace News

Non-Aligned News Network

THEATRE OF THE OPPRESSED

Theatre of the Oppressed is one of the theatre varieties created by Brazilian playwright and political activist Augusto Boal.



Here is an interesting interview with Augusto Boal a year before his passing away for Democracy Now.

Xavier Giró Martí, “La Comunicación de los Conflictos y la Paz”

El papel de los Medios de Comunicación en la posible resolución de conflictos y la paz es un elemento clave al que no se suele prestar atención. El Periodismo de Paz nació hace algunos años como iniciativa por parte de los profesionales de la Comunicación para poder dar a conocer la información de los conflictos de una manera objetiva y con la finalidad de resolverlos y llegar a la paz.

Durante el seminario de este miércoles, el periodista Xavier Giró nos ha presentado las bases del Periodismo de Paz y el Periodismo de Guerra. A continuación podemos ver clasificadas sus características:

PERIODISMO DE PAZ	PERIODISMO DE GUERRA
Explora la formación del Conflicto	Enfatiza el Terreno de la Confrontación y considera la confrontación como algo inevitable
Todos deben Ganar	El objetivo es ganar. Cualquier avance del otro es una derrota para nosotros (aunque sus consecuencias no nos afecten)
Da voz a todas las partes, promoviendo empatía y comprensión del otro.	Basado en la dicotomía Nosotros-Ellos. La palabra no tiene lugar en la información presentada.
Ve el Conflicto Armado como problema.	Ve al “otro” como problema
Humaniza a todos los bandos.	Deshumaniza al bando contrario.
Preactivo: informa antes de que estalle la guerra.	Reactivo: Espera a que haya violencia para informar
Enfatiza todos los efectos de la guerra.	Enfatiza sólo aquéllos efectos visibles de la guerra.
Expone las falsedades de todas las partes.	Expone las falsedades de otros. Encubre y colabora en las falsedades de los “nuestros”.
Enfatiza el sufrimiento de todos.	Enfatiza “nuestro” sufrimiento.
Señala a los grupos que trabajan para la paz.	Señala a los miembros de las élites que trabajan por la paz.
La Paz debe ser el resultado de la no-violencia y la búsqueda de una solución creativa al conflicto.	La Paz es la victoria de los nuestros y un cese del conflicto armado.
Subrayan las iniciativas de paz	Obvian las iniciativas de paz, mientras no sea posible la victoria.
Enfatiza la sociedad y la cultura de pacífica.	Enfatiza los tratados, las instituciones, la sociedad controlada.
Se preocupa por la reconciliación, la reconstrucción y la resolución real del conflicto.	Una vez terminada la violencia no se preocupa más por el conflicto.

Simplemente con abrir las noticias de periódicos recientes podemos observar la manera en que generalmente se habla de los conflictos, que desgraciadamente suele tener más que ver con el Periodismo de Guerra. Es frecuente, además, que periodistas y medios acaben especializándose en conflictos y guerras, lucrándose a partir de ellos. En conflictos como el de Palestina-Israel y otros, que levantan pasiones a uno y otro lado (pasiones, puesto que no se suelen hacer análisis objetivos y desde un punto de vista de construcción de paz) existen casos paradigmáticos de medios y personajes mediáticos que desarrollan carreras profesionales de periodismo de guerra para y gracias a la existencia de estos conflictos, sin que mucho les importe la posible resolución de los mismos.

En el siguiente vídeo podemos ver una entrevista al ponente en el Seminario de Comunicación y Cultura de Paz, en la Universidad de Málaga:

Adjunto a continuación algunos medios de comunicación alternativos, que presentan la información de una manera más cercana al Periodismo de Paz:


Democracy Now

Common Ground News Service

Corresponsal de Paz

Peace News

Non-Aligned News Network

Es un hecho, como hemos ya apuntado, que el Periodismo de Paz puede ser contrario al actual concepto de Medios de Comunicación, que supedita el contenido y la forma a la ideología, afinidad e interés económico del medio que informa. De esta manera, ya se trate de un medio público o privado es difícil encontrar objetividad e interés por un periodismo de paz, que siendo menos sensacionalista venda menos y siendo más objetivo pueda no agradar a los accionistas o socios de conglomerados empresariales que participan del medio. Como ejemplos interesantes están el documental Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land, sobre el trato que recibe el conflicto de Oriente Medio en los EEUU, o esta recopilación de vídeos, en tono humorístico, sobre las revoluciones árabes y la manera en que se informó al respecto en algunos medios norteamericanos.

Simulation of a UN-Security Council meeting Escalation in Kashmir – Should the UN intervene?

Comments on the Intercultural Seminar led by Benedikt Grösse-Jäger and


Model United Nations (MUN) is an authentic simulation of specific UN organs, committees or conferences such as the General Assembly or Commission on Sustainable Development. In MUN, students step into the shoes of ambassadors of UN Member states to debate current issues on the organization's vast agenda.

In this case we were presented to a supposed escalation of conflict between India a Pakistan because of the deployment of Indian forces in the area of Jimmu-Kashmir. In this way, we were divided into groups that represented different countries present at the UN Security Council. We were given certain objectives and also certain hidden objectives that we had to defend in front of the others as well as to find alliances before this defence. The process of finding a resolution was done according to the reality of facts, with certain countries having veto to the resolutions proposed.

The experience was interesting, especially in the way it gave us the chance to experience what it means to be in representation of a country and, what is most important, of interests and decisions that might not correspond with your personal ones.

http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/int/modelun.htm