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Prithvirajsingh Thakur
Chandmari, Near Church,
KHAMGAON- 444 303
(Maharashtra)
Cell: 9881721193
Email: prithvithakur1@rediffmail.com
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World Peace and International Understanding

An Essay
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O wonder!

How many goodly creatures are there here!

How beauteous mankind is! O, brave new world,

That has such people int!

This exclamation of joy that Miranda gives is not altogether unfounded. The world is a beautiful

place and man, the most sublime creation of the Almighty. Since unknown eternity, mans quest

has been to lead a better life, to live with peace, to prosper and to make this world a better place

for the posterity. However, man has not always been successful in these efforts. The story of

humankind is a story full of love and hate, of joys and sorrows, of madness and sanity, of the

sacred and the sinister and of the hallowed and the horrific. It has been an eternal quest for man

to achieve peace and to live in harmony with the other human beings under the blue canopy. Man

cannot live alone. It is a natural instinct in human beings to reach out to other humans and forge

enduring emotional bonds called relationships.

It is this urge that has led to the birth of nations and civilizations and thus was also born the

struggle among the nations and the much talked about Clash of Civilizations. Thus men learned

to fight- first, for food, then for land and then for wealth and still later for pride and sometimes
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just for the sake of fighting. Then, there was felt a need for something called peace, something

called understanding and for peaceful co-existence among men. Man learned to fight early but

learned the futility of fighting rather late. But when he did learn this, the more sane and wise

among men started to work for achieving peace and understanding among Gods children. Then

the seers and the prophets, philosophers and politicians, artists and artisans started in their own

ways and in their own rights to promote peace and understanding in the world. It is true, that the

role of the artists, prophets, seers and philosophers has been more vital and significant in the

ensuring peace and harmony among men, than politicians. Nevertheless, we should have a look

at the efforts of the statesmen for championing world peace and international understanding. Let

us cast a cursory glance over the major conflicts and peace initiative in modern history and thus

try to understand the present.

The French Revolution in 1789, was a milestone in the history of humankind. For the first

time, there was a championing of the dignity and importance of man as a man and the

proclamation of the values of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. However, soon, the steam went

out of this revolution and there arrived on the scene of Europe, a man who wished to establish

the military supremacy of France in entire Europe. He was none other than Napoleon Bonaparte.

There was much bloodshed and upheaval during the Napoleonic wars. However, after

Napoleons final defeat, the nations of Europe felt the need to restructure Europe to ensure

lasting peace.

The Vienna Congress of 1815 may well be treated as a first collective international effort

towards securing world peace and the promotion of international understanding. Prince

Metternich was the man who took the initiative for this congress and almost all the major

European nations participated in it. The Congress decided the fate of Europe after Napoleon and
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once again, worked to correct the balance of power in Europe. However, the Vienna Congress

cannot be termed as entirely successful in her efforts. There did remain some discontent- chiefly

in Italy, over the redrawn borders of Europe. This, eventually, led to Italys participation in First

World War against England, France and Russia along with Germany and Turkey. The First

World War is rightly viewed as a needless conflict- one that can have well been avoided. Not

only did it lead to a massive and unprecedented destruction and loss of lives, but is also sowed

the seeds for Second World War. The victors treated the vanquished with utter disdain and

humiliation. Defeated, humiliated and crushed, Germany yearned to avenge its two million fallen

men and the extremely humiliating terms that it was put to during the Treaty of Versailles.

Italy, though on the victors side, felt neglected and cheated by the allies as she was denied her

due share in the victory.

Thus, the Second World War was only a logical fallout of the first. The Second World War

proved to be scores of times more devastating and sinister than the first and the loss of human

lives was five times as much. Racial hatred and genocide wrecked havoc and left wounds that

were never healed. The atomic bomb proved to be the most horrific invention of the Second

World War and has kept the world under the shadow of a nuclear conflict ever since.

In the post-war world, world peace and international understanding still remained a distant dream

because of the Cold War between the two new superpowers the USA and the USSR and their

respective allies. Though the world has not yet seen a third world war, the latter half of twentieth

century, has nevertheless been full of armed conflicts and arms-race. The Cuban Missile Crisis,

the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Indo-Pak and Sino-Indian conflicts, the Russian invasion

of Afghanistan, the Iran-Iraq War and the two Gulf Wars- all have made serious dents to the

prospects of a perfectly peaceful and safe world.

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The United Nations, born after the Second World War to ensure and promote world peace and

international understanding has not always been successful in achieving its goals. It has been

many a times, a puppet in the hands of the big five (i.e. the five permanent members of the

Security Council).

The last decade of the 20th century has witnessed the rise of another terrifying ghost which is

unprecedentedly more harmful and devastating than wars. It is terrorism. Terrorism in many

places of the world has been a result of the rivalries and expansionist policies of the two super

powers.

The ever-burning Israel-Palestine conflict in West Asia has continuously been a thorn in the flesh

for the world.

The Russian invasion of Afghanistan and the role played by the CIA in supporting the Mujahidin

gave rise to outfits like Al-Quida and the Taliban. After the Russo-Afghan War, these outfits,

aided by Pakistan as a part of its state policy, turned their guns towards countries like USA and

India. This has been a major hurdle in securing an enduring peace and understanding in the

contemporary global scenario. The 9/11 terror attacks changed the dynamics of world politics

forever.

Throughout the last century, the Cold War threatened the prospects of world peace. However, the

world was bipolar. This ensured balance of power and acted as a deterrent against wars. In this

the present unipolar world, it is no longer so and the situation has completely changed.

The world post-1990 is a different world. The changes in the lives of human beings have never

been more rapid and all-pervading. After 1990, the world saw the end of Cold War with the

downfall of USSR and the Iron Curtain. The winds of globalization and free market
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economy have led to close economic and cultural ties among different nations of the world. This

has been aided by an unprecedented and rapid growth and spread of information and

communication technology. Now, it is not possible for any nation to live in isolation or to harbor

expansionist ambitions or to engage in a military conflict with other nations. All the world is

becoming interconnected and interdependent very rapidly. The example of North-Korea shows

how a country can suffer due to self-imposed isolation and a totalitarian regime.

Let us now cast a glance at Indias role in promoting world peace and international

understanding. India has played a key role in championing and ensuring world peace and

international understanding. India founded and led the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)

successfully and prevented herself and other newly independent Third World countries from

becoming puppets in the hands of the two superpowers.

Indias policies of never being an aggressor and of the no-first-use of nuclear weapons has

shown the world that India is a responsible military and nuclear power and is sincere in her

efforts to live in peace and harmony with her neighbours and with the world at large.

India has always been a key player on the stage of international affairs. Even before becoming

independent, India had quite clearly stated what its foreign policy would be like. We have

always stood and been vocal against all sorts of colonialism, oppression, totalitarianism and

grouping of nations against each other. India, after independence, adopted the policy of Non-

Alignment and chose not to get involved in the Capitalist versus Communist rivalries. Non-

Alignment, soon became popular among the newly independent nations and many African and

Asian countries voluntarily embraced the policy of Non-Alignment under the leadership of India.

NAM has also proved to be a forum for close cooperation and resolving of disputes among the
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Non-Aligned nations. NAM has proved to be a balancing power and has been instrumental in

stopping the Cold War from assuming the shape of a Third World War.

India has always given great importance to the relationships with her neighbours. Promoting

peace, stability and development in the subcontinent have always been priorities for India. From

the pivotal role played in the formation of SAARC, to the recent attempts by the Modi

government to reach out to the neighbours, Indias sincerity for improving ties with her

neighbours is very vividly and clearly reflected. Indias handling of border dispute with China in

the last fifty years has been mature and sophisticated. Though the solution is yet to be reached,

both the countries have managed to avoid armed conflict and are inching towards a satisfactory

solution with the cultural and economic ties flourishing at the other end.

The Road Ahead: Prospects of World Peace and International Understanding in the

future:

Whether we like it or not, it is quite obvious that the world today, cannot afford a third global

conflict. Every nation under the sun has to understand that in the age of extremely sophisticated

nuclear weapons, warfare has become infinitely more critical, complex and devastating. The

youth of today, wants economic and socio-cultural development. They want better and secure

future for themselves. This is not possible without peace. History has always shown that peace

comes only with democracy, pluralism and tolerance. The recent Arab Spring that led to the

toppling of many corrupt totalitarian regimes, has shown that with all its faults and weaknesses,

democracy is the future and it is no longer possible to suppress the voice of the people in this era

or globalization and information technology revolution.

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Leaders and their governments do owe great responsibilities towards their peoples and the sooner

they understand this, the better it will be for all of us. Recent electoral mandates in India and

elsewhere have shown that the people (particularly the youth) want good governance, peace and

a better quality of life. It is no longer possible to ignore or suppress these genuine and just

demands. No country can, therefore, think of disturbing world peace. Even the people of the

USA have come to understand and are making their government understand that their role of a

global supercop who has the license to invade and bomb any country under the name of saving

democracy and fighting terrorism, is no longer appreciated. Iraq is a burning example of this

interventionist approach.

Thus, the world has finally arrived at a stage where the only solution to bilateral and other

problems goes through peaceful negotiations and the only way to survive and prosper goes

through democracy, tolerance and mutual respect and understanding.

The sooner we understand and implement this, the better it will be for us and for the generations

to come. Let good sense therefore, prevail everywhere!

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