Global Health Diplomacy as a Tool of Peace

There is no question that peace and health are inextricably linked. War affects human health through the direct violence of military arms and through the structural violence that leads to major interruptions of the socio-economic systems people use to address their health needs. Those disruptions are compounded by natural disasters and manifold vulnerabilities that force countries to divert economic resources from health services. Clearly war and violence are a public health concern. We argue here that not only can health be a bridge to peace, but as well, what the world is witnessing now is the emergence and growth of health diplomacy which can potentially become a robust medium for strengthening that nexus between health and peace.     

Religion as a Source of Peace and Violence

Fleeing persecution in 615, the disciples and followers of Prophet Muhammad found refuge in Africa. In this “First Hijrah,” or migration, they had escaped Mecca and sought safety in Aksum (now northern Ethiopia and Eritrea), the land of an African Christian king. It was a crucial moment in the development of Islam. Africa, a place of many religions, was seen, rightly, as a safe haven.

Like Islam, Christianity had faced opposition and persecution in its early years. The practitioners of both religions knew firsthand what it meant to suffer violence from those who disagreed. How can it be that religions born of persecution are now themselves used for extreme violence? And why, specifically, in Africa today? How can Africans prevent and fight against extremism and what can we all learn from this experience?     

Teaching Constructive Dialogue as a Social Medicine Tool for Peace

The social medicine learning communities of which we are a part comprise individuals from Uganda, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Haiti, the United States, Canada, and Lebanon among other countries. United in an interest to understand and address the social and structural determination of health, learners have spanned a wide range of religious, ethnic, socioeconomic, and racial backgrounds. These diverse social locations have shaped lives in unique ways and given rise to profoundly divergent perspectives on sexual orientation, gender norms, reproductive health, and the role of medicine and health professionals in society among other issues. To navigate these differences and to equip our students with an integral tool for social justice and health equity, we teach constructive dialogue as a tool, amongst many others, for health professionals.     

Seeing War as Criminal: Peace Activist Views and Critical Criminology

A hallmark of critical criminology is its critique of the traditional definition of crime. For decades, critical scholars have proposed humanistic definitions of crime that bring state violence into the purview of academic criminology—although outside of critical criminology this is a matter of great contentiousness. This study investigates the views of those involved in peace activism, but not in any way associated with academic criminology, about the application of the term ‘crime’ to war, specifically the recent US war on Iraq. Given that there is no existing research on this subject, the article also examines how peace activists define crime generally and whether they believe those responsible for the war should be regarded as war criminals. Not surprisingly, semi‐structured interviews with 13 anti‐war activists reveal significant support for elements of critical criminological definitions of crime but an unexpected concern on the part of some that the application of the term ‘crime’ to war could be counterproductive in efforts to stop state violence. The rationales for this concern, as well as those for other issues addressed in the study, are largely presented in the interviewees’ own words.     

从“民主和平论”看民主与和平的关系

“民主和平论”认为 :民主国家间没有或很少发生战争 ,“非民主国家”是战争的根源 ,扩大民主是维护和平的必然要求。“民主和平论”并不符合历史事实 ,它是推行人权外交的新干涉主义的理论基础。民主与和平之间的关系是复杂的 :国际社会的和平不仅需要一国内部的民主 ,更需要国际生活中的民主 ;民主只是影响国际和平众多原因中的一个 ,它对和平的影响是有限的 ;“民主和平论”主张建立的和平本质上是建立在不合理的国际政治、经济旧秩序基础之上的西方国家之间的局部和平 ,世界总体和平的巩固和公正、合理的国际新秩序的建立呼唤新的民主