Page 10 - global peace an islamic perspective

|
Global Peace – An Islamic Perspective ACET– Global Peace Project

Theories of peace

Islam is a religion that promotes peace, not violence, and the purpose of this book is to

demonstrate this by outlining the core elements of Islam. This requires us to first look at what

is meant by peace.

Historically, academics and philosophers have pondered on the idea of peace and ways to

obtain peace, leading to complex theories and guidelines. The most basic theories of these,

Realism and Liberalism, form the foundation of international relations theory, which explains

how nations interact. Realism and Liberalism both work to explain aspects of humanity and

how these affect our relationships, and to provide guidelines for maintaining peace.

Both of these theories have many complex parts within their respective schools of thought.

Here we look at what constitutes the basic ideology of each theory, how they provide a
definition of peace, and their guidance on how nations can obtain peace on a global level.

REALISM

The central assumption at the core of Realism is that people are self-centred and self-seeking;

that each person cares most for his or her own life. This assumption leads to a strong desire

for survival, with fear being a constant motivator for each action. Individuals who live with a

realist ideology use all their tools and resources to ensure their own survival.

At an international level, Realism recognises that there is no global governing body, and thus,

each nation is responsible for its own security. This self-centred ideology means that nations
[3]
are always looking for ways to protect themselves, and that the greatest sense of security

comes from being the strongest nation, able to defend against any att ack.

With this perspective, the only way to achieve peace and security is to gain power. If a nation

has the strongest military, or the most allies, no other nation will want to attack it, for fear of

being weakened and defeated. In this perspective, when each nation is afraid of other nations,

there can be an absence of war, and therefore, peace. Thus peace in this framework is defined

by an absence of war.

This free publication has been compiled by ACET–Global. Please feel free to use and distribute it as an original version without changes.

5