Weltschau

Peace Engineering (PENG) is a new paradigm shift in peace studies that combines science, technology, and systemic thinking to support and promote conflict resolution and reconciliation. PENG includes using STEAM principles, cultural sensitivity, sustainable development, and innovative practices to achieve peace. The STEAM approach integrates Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Maths to solve real-world and social problems. Unlike peace studies, PENG aims to combine engineering and social sciences in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary ways. To achieve sustainability, transparency, prosperity, security, and a culture of equity, or, in other words, peace, PENG has both technical depths as well as STEM, social sciences, the arts, and applied sciences such as law, health, business, and diplomacy.

Ukraine President Zelenskiy’s 10-point peace plan includes peace engineering premises. First, peace in Ukraine requires systemic solutions. To solve a complex conflict system like Ukraine, global-level action is needed. Military institutions and diplomatic, informational, and economic institutions should work together and function efficiently, like engineering. Second, peace-promoting technologies may be applied to satisfy basic human needs such as electric power, transportation, water, and sanitation. Moreover, technology and the internet may help us understand human behaviour through data mining and analysis, education, and health care, as well as public health and environmental problems, precisely nuclear power issues.

Like any conflict, the Russian-Ukrainian War will be ended. The important thing is to talk about the post-conflict peace-building efforts. However, the longer the conflict continues, the harder it is to reach positive peace. Galtung’s idea of negative and positive peace remains valid in peace research. The negative peace of the Russia-Ukraine War is the ceasefire, namely the absence of physical violence. However, positive peace involves the absence of structural and cultural violence. Like any conflict resolution practitioner, I also have a sincere desire to end the bloodshed, human suffering, and destructive war against the beautiful country of Ukraine. I believe in Gandhian non-violence and Tolstoy’s nonviolent ideas. Like any peacemaker, I prefer a win-win solution to a zero-sum game. To voice peace is not only for the people affected directly by the conflict. The current conflict has terrible consequences for the global economy, including price hikes, disruptions in reaching food supplies and other products to international markets, and changing global stability. Putin’s repeated threat of nuclear Armageddon is also justified in ending the conflict. The negotiation theory suggests that rational actors should do it to reach a compromise. The real question is whether Putin is a rational actor or not. Ukraine’s ultimate goal is very logical: to restore its internationally recognized borders and to protect its freedom and sovereignty, as well as the identity and dignity of its citizens. Putin’s objective is only rational for themselves, with distorted facts and fake news perceptions. Russia wants to erase the Ukrainian citizens and identity, to occupy Ukrainian territory, to label the Ukrainians as “Nazis”, and to make the rest of the free citizens of the Ukrainians despotic leader’s (Putin’s) subjects. How can we reach a compromise between these two different positions? How can a mediator or third party find a middle ground between democratic and liberal Kyiv and the totalitarian Putler regime of Moscow? This is not a traditional international conflict based on territorial interests. It is also identity-based conflict and irrational leader’s obsessions—the historical myths such as the Third Rome and the centres of Russians.

Moreover, the imperial fantasies of Russia and the Soviet Union have been echoing in this conflict. In short, it is a very multi-party, multi-caused, multi-level, and multi-complex conflict. The resolution of this conflict is also complicated, and classical peacemaking templates may not be applicable. The more conflict continues, the more difficult it is to resolve. The naive peace proposals and mediation attempts are not taken seriously by Ukrainians because they are in an existential conflict. When Putin denies Ukraine’s right to exist, it is futile to talk about peace. As a result, only 8 percent of Ukrainians support direct negotiations with Russia. Eighty-five percent oppose this. Ukrainians still believe in victory against Russia-95 percent. For me, the most critical response is about reconciliation. Only 4 per cent think it will happen within a few years. Thirty-three per cent believe it will occur within ten or more years. Fifty-eight per cent responded that it will never happen.

(https://www.cidob.org/publicaciones/war-ukraine-peace-talking-versus-peace-making  )

It may seem to be too early to talk about peace, truth, and reconciliation early since there has been an intense war going on in the western part of Ukraine. Is it early? Maybe. Because conflicts usually involve intense emotions. When Ukrainians’ husbands, fathers, brothers, sisters, mothers, wives, children, and seniors have been lost because of war, some people do not want to talk about forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace. For many Ukrainians, especially those who live in Russian-occupied territories, it is very early to talk about reconciliation with Russia. It may fall dead ear for veterans of the conflict, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and many Ukrainian refugees all over Europe and beyond. But we must start the reconciliation process, even if it seems impossible. There is also a need for reconciliation, not only with Russia but also within Ukraine. Many Ukrainians may have supported or kept silent about the Russian invasion, but they have helped Russia. In my opinion, like many other conflicts, such as the Rwanda conflict, intra-reconciliation is needed. Like South Africa, where the Peace and Reconciliation Commission played an essential role in building post-Apartheid South Africa, the same processes will be required to construct post-war Ukraine. The Ukrainian government has been working on rebuilding the country, buildings, schools, hospitals, roads, bridges, airports, etc. However, we should also build the psychology of the Ukrainian people through peace and reconciliation. After the war, trials may be needed for the top leaders and decision-makers. But to rebuild the country again requires a reconciliation process. The lower-level people who have been involved in supporting Russian invaders may come forward, tell their sins and cooperative acts, ask forgiveness, and then re-integrate into Ukrainian society. Peace Engineering and Peace Lab may help with this process. In short, negative peace may come soon to Ukraine, but Ukraine has a long road ahead to positive peace. Hopefully, the post-conflict future may involve positive peace initiatives such as reconciliation, forgiveness, and post-peace building initiatives.