Strategies for World Peace: Peace Research and Peace Movements

Peace is not an esoteric word. It has philosophical underpinnings and real world connotations. In a nuclear era with the latest, and manifest, conflicts which may end in total war, peace becomes a deceptively complex word. Peace Research and peace movements become dualities which are necessary strategies for world peace. As a scientific compilation of data and meaning methodology, they are a comparatively new phenomena but in terms of some kind of a movement have always been active. Even if only a protest by a minority it has been an ongoing phenomenon. Peace Research and eventually peace movements become part of a social consciousness that is important to achieve a political end—world peace. This paper spells out the meaning of Peace Research, its development and links with peace movements. Some peace movements in different parts of the world have been brought out merely to substantiate the peace research and its concepts. It is by no means exhaustive. A lot needs to be researched and brought out. But one main idea seems amply clear that the world system needs restructuring to absorb Peace Research and peace movements if only to rationalise it, make it viable for both study and activism. So also a change is needed among the “realist†thinking if only to achieve positive and developmental peace, i.e. peace combined with social justice.