Ending Wars in Times of Uncertainty: Moral Leadership, Memory, and the Cost of Peace

Abstract

In our era of ‘liquid modernity,’ ending wars requires more than ceasing hostilities—it demands ethical frameworks that address the deeper wounds of conflict. This article examines how peace processes frequently abandon those who sacrificed most, creating narratives of betrayal that undermine future stability. Using Poland’s post–World War II experience as a case study, it demonstrates how prioritizing geopolitical expediency over justice creates lasting damage to international order. Drawing on Zygmunt Bauman’s concept of liquid times, Anne Applebaum’s work on memory and abandonment, and Jonathan Sacks’s vision of moral leadership, the article argues that sustainable peace requires attention to dignity, inclusion, and truth and proposes a framework for ethical peacebuilding. Without leadership rooted in ethical responsibility rather than political calculation, the end of war becomes merely the suspension of violence—not the beginning of genuine peace built on restored trust and shared futures