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