Conceptualizing the Geopolitics of Peace

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Ph.D. Student, Department of Human Geography, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.

2 Associate Professor, Department of Political Geography, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

10.22054/jrgr.2024.76717.1060

Abstract

Peace has always been one of the most important concerns of mankind and was considered a high value throughout history. Any ruler who established peace in a certain territory was known as a powerful ruler. With the formation of the concept of geopolitics in international literature, war was recognized as a tool for gaining the power, and the rulers believed that they could establish peace after the war. From the classical point of view, the concept of geopolitics is associated with competition, conflict, and war, and peace is considered an abnormal phenomenon. But from the point of view of modern geopolitics, peace is considered a phenomenon that does not create a conflict of interests to create the power and security of countries. Geopolitics of peace is a new concept that does not have a comprehensive definition, and this research aims to find a proper definition of this term by examining the ontology and epistemology of the geopolitics of peace.
The main research question is that: “What is the geopolitics of peace”. It has been assuming that the geopolitics of peace is a type of positive peace that has geopolitical characteristics that are implemented at different levels of a country and include transnational and international dimensions. This research has been carried out in terms of the integrated nature of the descriptive-analytical method using library data and observing the humanistic geopolitical approach. The research method is of a qualitative type with a descriptive-analytical approach in terms of the fundamental goal. Also, the data analysis strategy is inductive. The method of data collection is library-documentary and reading books, scientific articles and also internet resources.
In accordance with the findings of the research, it can be claimed that the Geopolitics of peace means international policies adopted by governments, agencies, actors, organizations and international institutions that are used at local, national, regional and global levels. In accordance with the geopolitical conceptualization of peace study that was carried out in this research, peace refers to the following meanings and phenomena; Existence and preservation of territorial integrity and absence of threats. War and attack from other countries, absence of any kind of structural, organized, governmental, individual and social violence. Preservation of people's lives and the existence of justice and equality among all types of people without discrimination. Survival and continuation of the social system at sub-national, national and transnational levels. Maintaining and improving the vital resources of the country, these resources can include natural or human resources. Absence of foreign threats to the goals, national and vital interests of the country. Absence of any feeling of personal and social threat from any side towards the citizens. Maintaining citizenship rights and dignity of people regardless of occupational, economic, racial differences and the like. Providing the basic needs of the nation. Absence of any kind of racism, the humiliation of ethnicities, and races, and conflict over such issues at the sub-national and national level. Absence of organized corruption at sub-national and national level. Maintaining the human dignity of citizens at the local, international and national levels. Respecting the basic rights of citizens, social, political, economic, and religious freedom of every citizen as long as it does not harm the freedom of others and is within the framework of human ethics and customs and without insulting another person or society. The existence of democracy and the right of free elections of citizens for the fate of their political future. Feeling the need and dependence of the government and the government on the people in all political, economic, social, cultural and similar matters. The existence of free media.

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