A seminar titled “The Varieties of Peace: How Is It Conceptualized and Analyzed?” was held within the collaborations of Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU), Cyprus Policy Center (CPC) and EMU Business and Economics Faculty, Political Science and International Relations Department. The opening speech of the seminar was delivered by EMU Political Science and International Relations Department PhD student and CPC research assistant Hatice Savoğlu. Furthermore, Political Science professor Dr. Anna Jarstad from Uppsala University attended the event as a guest speaker.
Dr. Anna Jarstad began her speech by explaining the difference between positive peace and negative peace. Negative peace refers to the absence of armed conflict, whereas positive peace signifies the absence of structural violence and the presence of social justice. To reinforce her explanations, Dr. Anna Jarstad discussed how local peace can be achieved using the example of North Mitrovica and also mentioned her edited book titled ‘Rational Peace Practices’. Jarstad expressed that this book provides a framework for examining peace rationally and explained how the content of the book illustrates how peace at one level can influence another level of rationality. Dr. Jarstad emphasized the importance of asking who is in peace rather than where peace is. She stated that the conditions for the existence of peace include negotiation, non-domination, cooperation, recognition, trust, and friendship. Dr. Jarstad concluded her speech by explaining that peace and war can coexist.
Attended by many, the event continued with a question-answer session moderated by CPC research assistant Hatice Savoğlu. Dr. Anna Jarstad provided answers for the questions, explaining how peace can be achieved based on research experiences by drawing examples from countries with long-standing conflicts like Cyprus.