Does the Reality of War Not Prove That the Kantian Idea of Perpetual Peace Is Idealistic - Essay Example

Does the reality of war not prove that the Kantian idea of perpetual peace is idealistic? A situation of perpetual peace refers to the existence of harmony, calmness and peace existing in a certain specified region or area. The subject of existence of perpetual peace was particularly made clear by a German Scholar known as Immanuel Kant. It was clearly brought out in his essay, “Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch” which was published in the year 1975. The concept of perpetual peace has been adopted in various modern forms that include politics, conflict and peace resolution initiatives. According to the philosopher, there is always a period in which a nation enjoys the relative benefits of a peaceful co-existence (Forst 132). Peace promotes the development of various sectors of the economy. It facilitates the existence of a healthy business environment that contributed to the growth and prosperity of a nation and the economy. The existence of peace is also dependent on the various forms of governance employed by the political leaders in that specific land. Dictatorial forms of governments were always marked with various upheavals and unrests among the public. However, democratic and aristocratic states promoted the existence and spread of peace thereby leading to prosperity. Perpetual Peace is not just an ideology but it is achievable if a nation understands its core values and cultures. The world has been marked by various wars and conflicts that have contributed to the making of a broad history. These wars and conflicts have left behind many casualties who were witnesses of the great unfolding of the events. The wars have left masses of graves behind, the tensions and unrests within various countries have been heightened. It has made many people believe that the world will never be a peaceful place to exist in. Some have resorted to believe that the situation will one day change to be one where people can freely interact without war or segregation. The politicians have been left to come up with policies that they presume suite the best interest of the country and the economy. They have been left to make decisions for the local citizens without consultation of what they need (Fine 154). They have been left to determine when a country will go to war and when the country will have peace. These situations have made kit clear to the citizens that the reality of war proves the fact that Kantian idea of perpetual peace is idealistic rather than being practical. Various opinions by the political theorist suggest that war exists in various forms based on the various activities and treaties that various countries engage in with the various neighboring nations. The citizens of a particular nation experience the effects of the various wars that are experienced by majority of the nations in various forms. In most cases, it is always the civilians who are on the receiving end as opposed to the people who contributed to the commencement of the war. The particular research study is therefore going to review Kantian’s view concerning perpetual peace (Bailey 130). It is also going to review the various descendants or principles that arose from his views on the ideology of perpetual peace with an aim of establishing whether its achievement and experience in a country that has been in constant war and conflicts. The research is also going to highlight the importance of perpetual peace and some of the practices that countries should adopt in order to maintain peace at all times Immanuel Kant and his Views on Perpetual Peace Immanuel Kant divided his views about perpetual peace into two distinct parts. The initial preliminary articles comprised of measures that should be adopted wit haste with the aim of restoring peace in a particular warring country. The principles suggested are: 1. A peace treaty between two warring parties is considered null and void if there is an unresolved matter that would cause war in the future between the two parties involved in the signing of the treaty The principle aim of signing various peace treaties was ton permanently end various forms of hostilities that were prevalent between the countries that were involved in the signing of the treaties. The possible occurrence of future war ad conflicts is always unknown by one of the parties. It is always in secret by one of the parties that is involved in the treaty. It is also recognized that if a peace treaty is signed by countries who are tired of wedging wars against each other and have not settled the issue that led them to be at constant war with each other, then the treaty is regarded as being made an signed in bad faith (Dallmayr 144). Such a treaty seizes to hold ground since any issue addressed by either of the parties whether in consent of the other party may result in war in the future. The elements that led to the signing of the treaty contradict the essence and purpose of the peace treaties. 2. There is no independent state, whether large or small that shall be ruled by another state either through exchange, donation, inheritance or purchase The particular view states that a state or a country shall not under any circumstance exist as a property owned or possessed by individuals or a group of people. It defines a state as comprising of people who have various cultures, beliefs and practices. They do not fall under the authority of any person who seeks dominion over the land. The view also acknowledges the fact that a state bears history which gives it a sense of belonging and pride in existence. The views however acknowledges the fact that through a common and majority vote by the representatives and the citizens of a particular country, they may decide to merge with another state but still maintain their form of leadership and governance. The particular aspect is different from the forceful acquisition or possession since it involves the consent of majority of the people who reside in the specific country. Europe was particularly affected by this particular view, propagated by various family alliances that existed (Fine 147). There was absence of involvement of forces that defined the territories since the agreement was mutual between the members of the families that took dominion over the lands. At that particular time, majority of the states in Europe were monarchy states with royal families seeking dominance. 3. There will be a total abolishment of the existing standing armies during the engagement of perpetual peace agreements The presence of standing armies in any state sent a message of preparedness for war t the neighboring countries. The view argued that it was difficult to achieve a state of perpetual piece if the other party in the peace treaty always kept the army troupes on standby in the case of occurrence of war. The presence of the armies always sent a shill of fear to the country that is involved in the peace treaty (Folleasdal & Maliks 21). Because of the action, the other party retaliates by also deploying soldiers to be on the stand by. They begin to compete according to the number of soldiers they have. These actions send the countries to be at a constant state of tension hence not benefiting from the peace treaty. The concept is however different from the concentration of military forces at the borders to safe guard their citizens against foreign attacks (Fine 147). However, the view acknowledges the fat that war can be caused by the difference in the economic status of the warring nations as opposed to the power obtained from alliances and the various armies. 4. National debts should not be an external source of friction between states that are indebted of each other The view acknowledges the fact that it is normal for countries to seek national or foreign aid from other countries in times of crisis. However, the main purpose of seeking domestic aid by various nations is to improve the country’s infrastructure, enhance their medical services and create various forms of settlements for the internally displaced, refugees and other homeless persons. However, disputes normally occur when a country is to pay back the debt that it has borrowed. The sum of money borrowed is always large which cannot be delivered in one time but in different phases (Follesdal & Maliks 127). Various countries may impose taxes and other forms of levies on the moneys it has borrowed making the debtor uncomfortable. The treasure or money fights is always a situation that does not promote perpetual peace since the creditor expects a lot from the debtor. The creditor ignores the financial capabilities of the debtor and therefore ripples the operations of the debtor. It therefore puts their relationship at jeopardy and may on instances result to war. There needs to be a situation of perpetual peace that does not lead to the countries being in a state of bankruptcy 5. No state, whether by force or by mass action, infringe and alter the constitution that governs another state The view claims that its allies should respect the constitution of any state and no state is permitted to alter ay content in the particular document. The view however acknowledges the fact that in as much as the constitution of a particular country or state does not promote war between members of the individual state, then the other countries should respect the laws stipulated in them. However, if the constitution wages and promotes war, then the international community is at liberty to preview the contents of the constitution with the main aim of suggesting amends by the country (Follesdal & Maliks 48). 6. Acts of hostility shall not be permitted by any tate during war. It would make attainment of perpetual peace impossible and it may exist in the form of deployment of assassins, incitement to treason, breach of capitulation and the use of prisoners to fight wars. In the event that two particular countries engage in war, there should be clear and open means through which the war is conducted. The clear means makes it possible for the nations to be able to attain peace without various look backs. It forms a basic element for attendance of perpetual peace without the promotion of violence and other crimes against humanity. These laws and views are objective measures put forward by Immanuel Kant to help see the various factors that should be considered if perpetual piece is to be charged form being idealistic to being natural (Mikalsen 302). John Rawls explanation about the Negative Surrogate People of Foedus Pacificium John Rawls agrees with the various argument put forward by Kant that the world government is global regime that is unified and has its distinct set of laws and various means of law enforcement. He acknowledges the fact that the existence of peace prevails if the countries effectively enact policies that prevent people from seeking autonomy and political freedom. Rawls also accepts Immanuel’s thesis on the matter of democratic peace. Rawls puts forward that the attainment of peace is something that should be common and adopted by various societies. Rawls believes that well-ordered and organized countries will not engage in battles, conflicts or wars with one another (Mikalsen 305). He attributes highly organized groups as ones, which will come up with various structure sand policies that focus in the growth areas of the economies of these particular countries such as trade, security and finance. Rawl proposes a model of perpetual peace where he states that ease can only be gained and maintained in the world if it is divided into various territories. Each territory left to form its independent policies and govern itself. He insists on the existence of boundaries as a way of fostering governance hence peace prevails. The people in the various established stated form the government and they tend to differ in various opinions when compared to other states that exist in the world (Mikalsen 310). Rawl attributes the state of war and the existence of perpetual peace to the decisions people make. He argues that a country whose people are keen on prosperity may promote various forms of activities that generate income. For the activities to function optimally there needs to be a peaceful co-existence between the particular state and within he people. The art of war distort various operations hence leading to the staling of the economy (Mikalsen 312). Rawl also recognizes the role that various international body’s play in relation to international relations. The world presently is governed by various non-governmental originations that are responsible for the maintenance of peace and stability in the region. The global aim of majority of the international organizations advocating for peace, according to Rawl, is to foster economic growth and relations between the neighboring nations (Mikalsen 332). Cosmopolitan point of View According to Rawl, he puts forward that there is need to distinguish the rights exercised by the states from those exercised by the citizens of the particular states. The various attributed of equality and freedom is attributed to the cosmopolitan interaction as the various dogmas and dialogues initiated during various forums for the purpose of prosperity and peaceful coexistence (Mikalsen 342). He also propagates and explains the essence of the lives of people concerning the various political stands experienced in majority of the states in the world. Rawl reviews Human Rights as being a key and fundamental element in the existence and occurrence of perpetual peace in a certain area or locality. Jürgen Habermas points out on Positive Ideas Habermas bases his arguments on the importance of having a reformed united nations, which is a superior fact to Rawl’s belief of the power and influence of people in the society. He puts forward that pie should be the first element that human beings should seek before satisfying any other basic human want or need. He further argues that the quest should be in accordance to the post-Westphalian order development (Bailey 51). It also acknowledges the various contributions and impacts portrayed by the cosmopolitan law, founded on the rights of various citizens in the world. The cosmopolitan laws therefore guarantee the citizens to live in a peaceful co-existence with one another. The cosmopolitan law also limits the power of the specific sovereign states. The view contradicts the opinions of Kant who claimed that perpetual peace might be achieved if a model, which seeks a balance between the states sovereign rights and the individual’s cosmopolitan rights, is effectively adopted. A body regulates and constantly monitors the powers and jurisdictions exercised by both the members. He also suggested on the need for the United Nations to seek dominance worldwide and have an army to command. This would assist in creating and establishing peace between various warring states in the world. In my view, Kantian’s view of perpetual peace is not idealistic in plight of war. It is possible for many nations to foster perpetual peace, which is essential for prosperity in many sectors of the economy. Perpetual peace characterizes a particular state as being stable and promotes varies international relations. Scholars and theorists John Rawl, Immanuel Kant and Jürgen Habermas have developed various theories that aim at conceptualizing the idea of perpetual peace (Forst 69). Various perceptions have attributed peace to the sovereign state while others attribute it to the individual governed by the law of persons. Various states should use their powers and those vested to them by their constitutions to propagate piece and sign various peace treaties to enhance a peaceful co-existence. In the case of occurrence of war, the countries should always fight with an aim to reconcile as opposed to broadening the enmity gap. Various fair methods should be adopted during the particular time so as not to result in other forms of conflicts. Works Cited Andreas Follesdal, Reidar Maliks. Kantian Theory and Human Rights. New York: Routledge, 2014. Bailey, Tom. Deprovincializing Habermas: Global Perspectives. New Delhi: Routledge, 2013. Dallmayr, Fred. "Cosmopolitanism: in search of cosmos." Ethics & Global Politics (2012): 171-186. Fine, Robert. "Cosmopolitanism and Natural Law: Rethinking Kant." The Ashgate Research Companion to Cosmopolitanism. (2011): 147-161. Forst, Rainer. Justification and Critique: Towards a Critical Theory of Politics. New York: Wiley, 2013. Mikalsen, Kjartan Koch. "Kant and Habermas on International Law." Ratio Juris (2013): 302-324. Read More