Guest Editor’ s Note
Dr Waiel S H Awwad Journalist and South Asia-based poliLcal analyst
21st century warfare has made conflicts more dangerous and devasta * ng with technological advances concentrated mainly in the military field, resul * ng in the development of more sophis * cated and deadly weapons that have the poten * al to lead to mass destruc * on. This scenario stems from a uni-polar world poli * cal system characterised by power disequilibrium and US hegemonic power viewing it as an opportunity to lead the world even by force. It poses several challenges for diploma * c approaches to end conflicts and prevent them from occurring, partly due to the lack of an efficient UN, and the nature of par * es to the conflicts— states that seek to preserve their sovereignty and impose law and order on one hand, and on the other hand, armed groups backed by external powers to achieve their poli * cal ends through proxy wars.
The art of diplomacy is an essen * al skill that enables a state to secure its poli * cal objec * ves without the use of coercive force, propaganda and some * mes, ' carrots ' or‘ s * cks’ to achieve a seQlement. A country ' s diplomacy should thus be designed to strengthen op * ons for peaceful coexistence. Media * on is necessary in complex conflicts and disputes where mistrust has existed for long among rivals. Media * on is designed to end conflicts and civil wars. Key ques * ons here are: who is to be mediated with— the terrorists or those who back them? And, who would guarantee the terrorists’ compliance with what is agreed? It is important to note that third party interven * on should be impar * al and neutral.
Examples cited in the essays in this edi * on illustrate instances where different mediators with varying mo * ves have played construc * ve roles, each from their own perspec * ve based on certain mandates, past experiences, and rules of engagement to bring an end to conflict. Nonetheless, they failed to find sustainable solu * ons for reconcilia * on in some cases of conflict, such as: Israel- Pales * ne, the Arab-Israeli conflict, Syria, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and India-Pakistan-China to name a few. Ul * mately, innocent civilians end up paying the highest price in most conflicts and usually, peace or non-peace is achieved at great cost.
So, what are the methods that could be employed to prevent escala * on especially when it becomes imminent and inevitable? Some countries use back door mul * lateral and bilateral diplomacy, while others seek to deploy ' hearts and minds ' diplomacy, to ease tensions and address high stakes in conflicts. What will be the empowerment granted to such tracks? Although preven * ve diplomacy has not been successful every * me, it remains the best approach to manage military conflicts.
Today, we live in a world of con * nuous crises and there is a dire need to erect pillars of peace and reconcilia * on. Building consensus to seQle disputes peacefully necessitates mul *-level engagement and understanding of conflicts and interdependence. Domes * cally, there is a need for building the na * on-state, governance, and strong ins * tu * ons while maintaining state sovereignty. In the interna * onal sphere, there is a need to remember Dr Kenneth Waltz ' s notable observa * on that“ in wars there is no victory but only varying degrees of defeat.” i