BENGALURU: The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war epitomises the tragic backsliding of peace as the guiding value of international relations. At a virtual seminar organised jointly by RV University (RVU) and Rotary Club (Rotary International E Club of Bangalore 3190 District) on peace and conflict prevention and resolution, attended by academics and strategy experts from India and overseas, the panelists raised serious concerns over the mindless death, destruction and population displacement from Ukraine.
Vice-Chancellor, RVU, Dr YSR Murthy pointed out that there are significant gaps in international laws to address emerging challenges to peace and called for legal codification to address these gaps. “Cyber warfare and lethal autonomous weapons like killer robots have immense potential to derail international peace and security. There are serious gaps in the international legal framework and humanitarian laws to handle these emerging challenges,” he said. He also voiced concerns about nuclear weapons landing into the hands of terrorists and non-state actors. “With some countries acquiring the technology to shoot down satellites, weaponisation of outer space is a serious challenge,” said Murthy.
Chairing the first panel discussion on the role of educational institutions in promoting peace, Prof Stephen Marks from Harvard University said the Ukraine crisis reveals the “tragic backsliding of peace as the guiding value of international relations. The international system is witnessing, through the violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a member state, a tragic rejection of the core understanding of peace dating back to the founding of the post WWII global system,” he said.
On the role of the United Nations in prevention of conflict and ensuring global peace, former head of Peace and Security Section, United Nations University, Tokyo, Prof Vesselin Popovski said the “UN needs to focus on understanding not only the key drivers of conflicts, but also the conditions for durable peace”.