We can wish for peace in a sentence and return at once to the familiar division of good people and bad people. The wish sounds generous. Its boundary is revealed by whom it leaves outside.
A possibility for peace has to include people whose views, actions, or interests we oppose. Inclusion does not mean approving harm or abandoning accountability. It means that a lasting settlement cannot be built as though the other people will simply cease to exist.
The words themselves do not end violence. Safety, negotiation, justice, institutions, and patient repair are matters of action, often under severe constraints. A declaration is useful only if it helps orient us toward that difficult work.
A season of goodwill can draw attention to the question, but the question is available on any day: what would it take to address conflict while keeping every person within the field of concern?

A declaration of peace begins to matter when it includes people we disagree with and points toward sustained work.

We can wish for peace in a sentence and return at once to the familiar division of good people and bad people. The wish sounds generous. Its boundary is revealed by whom it leaves outside.

A possibility for peace has to include people whose views, actions, or interests we oppose. Inclusion does not mean approving harm or abandoning accountability. It means that a lasting settlement cannot be built as though the other people will simply cease to exist.

The words themselves do not end violence. Safety, negotiation, justice, institutions, and patient repair are matters of action, often under severe constraints. A declaration is useful only if it helps orient us toward that difficult work.

A season of goodwill can draw attention to the question, but the question is available on any day: what would it take to address conflict while keeping every person within the field of concern?

A Wish for Peace Has to Include the Other Side