Promotion of Peace through International Institutions - Research Paper Example

Promotion of Peace through International s The promotion of peace through international organizations has beenamong the most used cornerstones of world peace since the beginning of the twentieth century and this has been mainly because of the fact that these organizations tend to have a lot of influence over the areas within which they have operations. It is for this reason that whenever there are any crises which might have an effect on peace; international organizations such as the United Nations are often called upon to spearhead activities which might lead to possible solutions for the crises. The ability of international institutions to become active participants in the promotion of peace is mainly based on the fact that most of their work is conducted globally. In addition, because of their activities, it is normal for international institutions to develop relationships with the various governments and peoples with whom they work and this helps in a big way to promote the interests of peace across the globe (Hafner-Burton and Ron 360). Most international organizations receive massive funding from philanthropists, governments, and other well wishers and this funding is normally provided as a means of developing projects, especially in conflict prone areas, which will ensure the promotion of peace. Global peace is one of the most sought after objectives among a majority of the world population, but while this may be the case, it has become extremely difficult to achieve it without the help of international institutions. Most of the projects which have been designed to promote peace are more often than not run by international institutions because it is they which have the ability to reach areas across the world that require their services. Thus, international organizations are indispensable in the promotion of world peace and it is because of their existence that the majority of the world has achieved the peace it enjoys today. While many international organizations declare that their activities contribute to the wellbeing of the people and the achievement of the development goals of developing countries as well as peace, their level of success has yet to be seen in some instances. The economies of the countries, where these organizations conduct their activities, have substantially benefitted from the added contributions to peace that they have received as a result (Moli 40). The activities of international institutions that help to promote peace include their employees staying at the local hotels, buying souvenirs, and doing whatever else that the locals do for fun as a means of achieving better understanding of different people and cultures. In addition, these have increased the amount of foreign income that the local economies receive, hence benefiting the host countries an further tying them to the global economy in such a manner that they cannot willingly conduct activities which might be harmful to global peace. There are times, however, when the activities of some international institutions might contribute to the increase, instead of the reduction, of the problems being experienced in some countries where there are conflicts taking place. This tends to happen especially when these institutions only take part in the processes involved in the promotion of peace for a short duration. The short duration of their work does not provide such organizations with the opportunity to learn more about the local people and the causes of their conflicts. This in turn leads to only a temporary solution to the problem that caused the conflict and this might lead to an increase of the conflict within a few months or years mainly because the international institution tasked with ending the conflict did not do a good job. In such circumstances, it is often quite difficult to trust in the objectivity of international institutions as a means of ensuring that permanent peace in conflict areas is achieved. Most international institutions are based in the Western world and are often dominated by people from these countries and these individuals often believe that the entire world should pursue their culture of democracy and individual rights, a factor which has not served them well when dealing with international crises (Delahunty and Yoo 6). These international institutions fail to understand the root causes of the problems being experienced, instead, those tasked with bringing an end to conflicts normally end up keeping the negative point of view which is common in their home countries. In such situations, international organizations have a negative impact because they create an environment where certain stereotypes are reinforced instead of being banished. It is, therefore, essential for those international institutions which want to get involved in the promotion of peace, to become well informed about the countries, in which they will be working so that such misunderstanding does not arise at any time during their operations. This requires that those who work for these institutions should be qualified people who are able to assess the problems at hand, and deal with them appropriately. Those who work for international institutions have to be well versed in the problems which affect people on the ground so that when they are called upon to intervene for the purpose of ensuring the promotion of peace, they are able to deal with the situation at hand according to the local context (McAuliffe 104). It is essential that all the solutions for conflicts should be put in place in a manner acceptable by all the parties involved and not be imposed according to western beliefs as has been the case in many recent conflicts all over the world. The need to ensure peace under democratic government at a global level should not be an excuse for not bringing all parties in the conflict on the negotiation table. This has been seen in the Syrian war where the Assad government has largely been sidelined and labeled a dictatorship yet it still has the support of a majority of the population. In most circumstances, it has become the norm for governments to promote the activities of international institutions because they see it as a means through which more resources can be made available for development projects in places which have the potential for conflict. Since it has been found that most conflicts arise in regions which are underdeveloped, the increase in development aid and initiatives through international institutions has been found to be necessary in ensuring that they remain peaceful. However, it has been pointed out by others that the way development projects are conducted by international institutions undermines the local communities among which they have chosen to conduct their activities. It has been stated that while every need that the employees of these institutions as well as those who they support at a political level are well catered for, the needs of the local people tend to be given second priority. What the local people need to improve their lives so that they can achieve peace is never considered, and it is extremely rare for them to be asked. Instead, the ideas of these institutions are given prominence, something which works against the good of those who are supposed to gain from these ideas (Reimers and Chung 506). When one comes to consider this aspect of international institutions being promoters of peace, one cannot help but notice that the local people tend to be used as publicity stunts rather than human beings who deserve much needed help to ensure that they live in peace and prosperity like so many others in the world. These kinds of initiatives by international institutions have been found not to be effective in the promotion of peace since most of them fail to recognize the urgency of the situation involved on the ground. Thus, while international organizations have been tasked with the development of ideas and initiatives which will ensure the promotion of peace, some of them normally fail in their mandate, leading to widespread suffering in some areas because of conflict which could have easily been resolved. There are certain instances where individuals in conflict areas take advantage of the humanitarian aid and donations from international institutions for their own benefit. Most of these people tend to be those with political power who take advantage of their positions in society to gain access to any form of humanitarian aid and instead of giving it out for free as is required, either sell it or give it as rewards to their supporters. This results in the lack of influence of international organizations over the situation on the ground because the aid that they provide might be seized by political leaders to strengthen only one side of the conflict over the other. It has been noticed that in countries where the activities of international institutions in the promotion of peace are prominent, those who run such institutions such as orphanages tend to put children from these orphanages in areas where inspectors from these organizations are likely to pass. This is to ensure that these children get the attention of the international institutions which are likely to become potential donors. It has therefore become the trend for orphanages in conflicts areas to become businesses for certain individuals, who use their influence to create links with international institutions. Through these institutions, they are able to secure a lot of funding from international donor organizations and as a result, despite having enough funding for improvement, are kept in environments which are dilapidated so that more funding can be provided. This not only undermines the promotion of peace by international institutions, but it also shows how such a good thing has been exploited by others for personal gain. The plight of the children involved in such conditions of conflict is not considered, and this has turned the promotion of peace by major international institutions into just another business. Most international institutions work hand in hand with locals to ensure that their initiatives for the promotion of peace are not only carried out at an international level, but at the regional and local level as well. These initiatives have enabled local people in areas of conflict or potential conflict to become active participants in peace programs designed to help them improve their lives for the better. The ability of individuals to work hand in hand with international institutions to promote peace in their home regions has provided them with the opportunity to come together with their rivals and create forums for dialogue concerning the way forward for their communities and political divides (Nzongola-Ntalaja 185). However, the conflict concerning the participation of international institutions in the promotion of peace arises because of the fact that most of the projects and initiatives that they develop are unsustainable. In addition, those local people who choose to participate in these projects tend to be those who have some free time in their hands and want to help others. While this may be the case, it has become important for them to make sure that they consider the projects, which they wish to participate in, before getting involved in them. They have to consider whether such projects are beneficial to the community which they wish to serve, as well as whether, by getting involved in such projects, they might be denying qualified local people the opportunity to work towards peace. Furthermore, it is also important for international institutions to ensure that their projects for peace contribute entirely to the local economy, and to do this, they have to avoid bringing their own supplies with them, and instead attain all their supplies locally, unless they are not available in conflict areas. It is extremely vital that they consider only participating in projects which are much needed by the local people and avoid those which are not useful to the latter. International institutions are among the most reliable agencies for the promotion of peace all over the world and such institutions, such as the United Nation, the African Union, the European Unions, and the soon to be formed Eurasian Union, have clearly stated mandates. Within these mandates is the ensuring of peace within their jurisdictions and these institutions has worked towards the furtherance of the initiative for peace all over the world. Most of these institutions have developed projects which are not only designed to protect their interests in the rest of the world, but also to ensure that there is a universal peace that is conducive for conducting business, as is the case with the European Union. While in most cases, these projects have become a reality, it has become important for these institutions to ensure that the projects in which they are involved have adequate funding for completion. In addition, it has become extremely important for the local people to be involved from the very beginning so that they can provide their opinions as well as be able to complete the project even after the role of the international institutions to promote peace in their regions has been completed (Smith, Cahn and Ford 587). Such attention to detail will surely make the initiatives that have been brought about by international institutions to promote peace most successful to get involved in. Not only will these institutions be able to collect valuable date concerning how they solved conflicts, but they will also be able to help the people among whom they will have spent their time. In this way, their aims and objectives will be achieved, making possible the advancement of communities in those countries which have conflict areas. Moreover, the data collected in the resolution of conflict is very important because these institutions are able to use it when attempting to do the same thing in other conflict areas and as a result, there will likely be a better means of promoting peace than when the process began in previous conflict areas. The discussion above has focused on the promotion of peace through international organizations which has been among the most used cornerstones of world peace since the beginning of the twentieth century and this has been mainly because of the fact that these organizations tend to have a lot of influence over the areas within which they have operations. In addition, while many international organizations declare that their activities contribute to the wellbeing of the people and the achievement of the development goals of developing countries as well as peace, their level of success have yet to be seen in some instances. It has also been found that most international institutions are based in the Western world and are often dominated by people from these countries and these individuals often believe that the entire world should pursue their culture of democracy and individual rights, a factor which has not served them well when dealing with international crises. Moreover, in most circumstances, it has become the norm for governments to promote the activities of international institutions because they see it as a means through which more resources can be made available for development projects in places which have the potential for conflict. In addition, most international institutions work hand in hand with locals to ensure that their initiatives for the promotion of peace are not only carried out at an international level, but at the regional and local level as well. Works Cited Delahunty, Robert J., and John Yoo. "From just War to False Peace." Chicago Journal of International Law 13.1 (2012): 1-45. Hafner-Burton, Emilie, and James Ron. "SEEING DOUBLE: Human Rights Impact through Qualitative and Quantitative Eyes." World Politics 61.2 (2009): 360,401,216. McAuliffe, Pá. "UN PEACE-BUILDING, TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE AND THE RULE OF LAW IN EAST TIMOR: THE LIMITS OF INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSES TO POLITICAL QUESTIONS." Netherlands International Law Review 58.1 (2011): 103-35. Moli, G. Poyya. "PROMOTION OF PEACE AND SUSTAINABILITY BY COMMUNITY BASED HERITAGE ECO-CULTURAL TOURISM IN INDIA." International Journal of Humanities and Peace 19.1 (2003): 40-5. Nzongola-Ntalaja, Georges. "Implications of the 2012 U.S. Election for U.S. Policy in Africas Great Lakes Region." African Studies Review 56.2 (2013): 185-91. Reimers, Fernando M., and Connie K. Chung. "Education for Human Rights in Times of Peace and Conflict." Development 53.4 (2010): 504-10. Smith, Ginger, Andrea Cahn, and Sybil Ford. "Sports Commerce and Peace: The Special Case of the Special Olympics." Journal of Business Ethics 89 (2009): 587-602. Read More