Peace: A World History by Antony Adolf (Polity Press)
“Must be a very short volume,” a cynical friend remarked on hearing of this book. At 285 pages one cannot really call this a short book — though, given that it purports to be a world history, it could be argued that this is all too short.
As a scholarly (but nonetheless accessible) work, the book tries to look at the notion of peace in history as much as events in the history of peace. (“Dodging the point,” the cynic is heard to say.) Here Adolf (“Unfortunate name for a writer on peace,” the cynic sniggers) highlights three forms of peace — individual, social and collective — and tries to show how these notions have informed both war and the pursuit of peace in world civilisation.
In this respect the author tries to go for a broad sweep rather than focused case studies — he tries to include everyone, everywhere and, at all times, even though it is often (inevitably) superficially. He is clearly more familiar with some places, some communities at some times — and here his writing becomes quite insightful.
What is striking in his approach is a far more subtle understanding of peace than many other authors have. Peace is not simply the absence of war (or strict pacifism) but the establishment of conditions for peaceful coexistence. The result, though not overlooking classical peace movements, is an attempt to show how conditions for peace can be generated through domestic and international law, through mediation and conflict resolution, as well as through processes that try to promote alternatives to war.
His final chapters focus on the present and the debate over peace and globalisation, both as a source for peace and for conflict. Unlike both the naive optimism of Fukuyama (“the end of history”) and the bleak pessimism of Huntington (“clash of civilisations”), Adolf sees both potential and threat in the global era — the potential for global solidarity and participation in democratisation and the complexities of establishing peace in an age of transnational terrorism.
In the conclusion he proposes an even more nuanced approach to peace based on Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs, read both individually and collectively. Peace is closely linked to personal and social well-being. Physical (what he calls corporeal) peace (such as health, nutrition and shelter) leads to sanctuarial peace (minimal harm from state and persons), which leads to socioeconomic peace (such as reduction of discrimination and wealth disparities) and finally to (personal or social) inner peace, which feeds into more effective global peace. (I see my cynic stiffen noticeably.)
In fairness to my cynic this is perhaps a utopian vision, but one that might be pursued with a healthy dose of realism. Certainly, this seems to be Adolf’s agenda in his careful account of how peace has been tried down the centuries.
Despite its often sketchy detail, this is a useful book, particularly in its conclusion. It is easy to read and might well be helpful to teachers in schools, undergraduates at universities and to NGOs involved in conflict resolution.