Is the world becoming more peaceful?
Optimists such as Steven Pinker in his best-selling book The Better Angels of Our Nature say yes. Many researchers are less sure.
In a recently published book, Only the Dead, Bear Braumoeller suggests that this optimism was premature.
Braumoeller shows that the world of wars between great powers may not at all be a thing of the past and that the recent peaceful period we have lived through may simply be a part of the normal ebb and flow of armed conflict that we have seen throughout the ages.
The post cold-war period is, Braumoeller shows, not really any more or less violent in terms of wars between countries than we would expect from any other period. In short, he finds no indication that mankind has become more peaceful or better able to control the dogs of war. When wars break out between countries today, they remain just as likely to escalate into devastating world wars has they were in the past. So, what stands between us and peace? In this seminar Braumoeller will present his book and discuss how we can move towards a truly more peaceful world.
Following Professor Braumoeller's presentation, Håvard Mokleiv Nygård (PRIO) will moderate a conversation including Liv Tørres, Director of the Nobel Peace Centre, and Scott Gates, Professor of Political Science at the University of Oslo.
A light lunch will be served.
