Peace Theories & Quest for Peace: A Cross-cultural Perspective

Out of the plethora of peace theories, two stand out in particular: (a) the Kantian democratic theory of peace, which argues that peace depends on a league of democracies, and (b) the liberal economic theory of peace, that a free, open world market conduces to peace. In this essay, concrete examples are cited that would raise doubt on the validity of these theories. It then proceeds to examine whether culture would make a difference on the incidence of war. In this light, the Westphalian system of states is compared with the historical Chinese “tribute system” qua an inherent system of international relations. One distinct difference is found in the much lower incidence of wars in the latter system, as David Kang’s study identified that in 5 centuries (1368-1841) the Chinese tribute system had only two interstate wars within its circle of members, not counting the wars initiated by external, ex-regional Western powers. And, the religious wars that plagued the West were never found in the Chinese tribute system. In search of an answer to this almost incredible record of low incidence of war, this essay finds that the Confucian culture, with its emphasis on harmony and harmonization of opposites, in contradistinction to the teachings on conflict in Abrahamic cultures, seems to hold the key to an answer. If so, culture, rather than institutions (such as democracies, open world market, etc.) deserves to be seriously considered as a relevant factor contributing to peace. Most importantly, culture as such can be taught and disseminated, including through the classroom.