Fisas Armengol, Vicenç

Revistes Catalanes amb Accés Obert

OPINION 
L E A R N I N G  F R O M  C O N F L I C T  
t the close of the century of communications reduce their death toll. Somalia, Rwanda 
nnd technology, international society has and Iraq, for example, should have taught 
~ io t  yet found the way to stop the spiral of us that it is always a bad thing to sell arms 
violence and destruction surrounding many to unstable countries or countries in open 
of today's conflicts, or of taking prompt conflict; that it is a mistake to send troops 
nction to regulate them positively and guide from different countries which, though 
them towards a solution. intervening under the auspices of the United 
The interna1 nature of today's conflicts, their Nations, are often there for reasons of 
intra-state character and the weight carried strictly national interest; that it is impossible 
by non-military factors such as ethnic, to pacify conflict situations if the social and 
religious or cultural differences, mean that cultural characteristics of the local societies 
traditional systems of regulation and are not taken into account; that urgent 
intervention are no longer the most suitable 
und cause a certain paralysis in the way 
these conflicts are dealt with. Furthermore, tragedies 
such as those of Somalia and Rwanda have shown the 
immaturity of international mechanisms when it comes 
to taking preventive action in the humanitarian field 
and, at the same time, in collaborating in the political 
side of conflicts. 
From this outlook, the nineties can be seen as a 
moment of reflection and a trial to strengthen the role 
international institutions can play in the prevention and 
regulation of conflicts, especially the United Nations, 
and to provide mankind with early warning systems 
making it possible to deal with situations of tension the 
moment they arise and get right to the heart of the 
problem. 
If we cannot avoid conflicts, then we must at least learn 
from them how to prevent their repetition or how to 
humanitarian aid is not enough without 
political measures to steer the situation onto 
new tracks; that greater consideration must be paid to 
human rights in peace operations; that refugees and 
displaced people need adequate protection and 
support, etc. Unfortunately, the lessons are not easily 
learnt and the mistakes are frequently repeated. To 
escape the current cul-de-sac in conflict prevention and 
regulation, we need to improve and strengthen the 
work of the organisations making up the United Nations 
system and stimulate public interest in international 
issues in al1 countries of the world. The media and state 
policy-making centres have an enormous responsibility 
on this point; it is in fact a question of shaping a 
responsible public awareness committed to resolving 
and, especially, preventing conflicts, by acting on the 
causes. 
VICENC F l S A S  P E A C E  R E S E A R C H E R  A T  T H E  C E N T R E  U N E S C O  D E  C A T A L U N Y A  


Learning from Conflict

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Revistes Catalanes amb Accés Obert