War or Peace?
War is presented as an integral part of human
society. There are wars for territorial expansion, wars of resistance, punitive
or wars of revenge, wars for liberation. Some wars are fierce, aimed at
annihilation of the enemy. Some are wars of attrition, much like the sieges of
the past, aimed to exhaust the adversary's capability to fight, depleting
resources and morale.
Wars seem easy to start, but few know how
to negotiate the peace. While there have been many truces, there have been very
few successful peace treaties.
The oldest surviving peace treaty was the Treaty
of Kadesh, signed around 1259–1269 BC between Egypt and the Hittites to end a
war that lasted two centuries to gain mastery over the lands of the eastern
Mediterranean. The treaty was honoured until the end of the Hittite empire 80
years later.
In Europe the Peace of Westphalia, signed
in 1648, ended over 100 years of wars, and established borders of sovereign
states. The treaty lasted for over 150 years.
The Misaq-e Medina (Charter of Medina) in
622 AD, the Treaty of Najran, 631 AD and the Pact of Umar 637 AD, are three
examples of peace treaties in early Islamic history. Non-Muslims living under
Islamic rule were given religious freedom, protection of their property and
places of worship. They paid a tax (jizya) for this protection and were exempted
from military duty, in return for loyalty.
Under the Pax Mongolica (1279–1368) the
dreaded Mongols replaced their “surrender or die” policy with administrative
stability. The Mongols recognized that trade brought in more wealth than war
and plunder. They protected the Silk Road, allowing for unparalleled cultural,
technological, and diplomatic exchanges, and over a period of time were seamlessly
absorbed into the religion and culture of the lands they occupied.
Anthropologist, Douglas P. Fry, argues that
war is not intrinsic to humankind. The Indus Valley Civilization, lasting over
2,000 years is considered one of the most peaceful, with little to no evidence
of war or organized conflict. Fry has identified 74 communities today that have
never experienced war. The Semai people of Malaysia living in mountain
rainforests do not even have a word for war.
At the height of colonialism, voices for
peace became louder. French lawyer, Emile Arnaud coined the term ‘Pacifism’,
and helped established the International Peace Bureau in 1891. Pacifism was not
merely the absence of war but a proactive commitment to creating a peaceful
world. Some years after he wrote “War and Peace”, Leo Tolstoy’s 1893 “The
Kingdom of God Is Within You” became a seminal work in the pacifist movement,
profoundly influencing Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violent resistance.
Gandhi, associated with Satyagraha or non-violent protest, in turn influenced
Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and the many anti-war movements from
the 60s onwards. Francesco Goya’s 1820s Black Paintings brought home the brutal
horrors of war in shocking graphic expression.
Yet the voices that keep war alive have
been louder. USA achieved peace after a brutal civil war, and the European
Union chose peace after centuries of war. However, while these countries established
peace within, they continue to wage wars in other countries, and develop
increasingly lethal weaponry and war strategies. They fed the Cold War, ensuring
the world stays divided. Any country that was different was designated as a
potential threat, to be neutralised culturally and/or militarily. Countries across the world are pitted against
one another and persuaded to panic buy military equipment.
Violence is glorified in cinema, street
talk, or disguised as corporate ambition.
3 billion people play video games with an average age between 18 and 34,
with war games topping the list.
The insanity and irresponsible recklessness
of the US attack on Iran at a time when the world is sickened with the genocide
in Gaza, is a consequences of normalising violence, dressing it up as
bravado.
Who pays the price? The haunting image of a
distraught man holding the severed hand of a schoolgirl in Iran is a tragic
symbol of who truly pays the price of war.
Until the rhetoric of violence is expunged,
and peace is not seen as weakness but strength, humanity will continue to
mistake destruction for power.
Durriya Kazi
March 7, 2026
Karachi
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