International Journal of Political Science and Development
 

International Journal of Political Science and Development

Vol. 3(3), pp. 152–158, March, 2015.  

DOI: 10.14662/IJPSD2015.022

ISSN: 2360-784X

Research Paper

The concept of peace remains notoriously difficult to define and evaluate in contemporary states’ socio-political dynamism. Its difficulty is, among other things, related to manifold perspectives it makes for. This article has then selectively pursued Galtung’s peace perspective to operationalize the conceptual immensity and come up with viable peace evaluation maneuvers. The prime purpose of the paper is to explain and evaluate the nature and mannerism of negative and positive peace in the contemporary Ethiopia, popularly post 1991. Methodologically, considerable scholarly literature and national documents were explored and discussed through both descriptive and critical discourse approaches. Personal observation was also used as a supplementary tool in the entire appraisals. The finding of the entire reviews recognized that the contemporary Ethiopia has relatively marked a promotable national development and transformation than ever before; however the quest for peace is still overlooked and demanding greater attention, especially the positive version of peace as Galtung prompted to ensure. The findings by far found out that the nature of negative peace, which is popularly manifested by absent of internal destructive conflicts, armed clashes and potential fear of violence, has seemingly analogized with a snake under a glass that meant potentially at risk, actually latent, and not yet fully realized in the contemporary Ethiopia. Furthermore, the conclusion made from the details shown that there have been nascent politico-democratic systems and structures, uneven and multidimensional economic inequalities, social injustices, persistent poverty and perilous environmental changes. All these, without doubt, have mounted structural, cultural and ecological violence that eventually lessened positive peace to its worst platform. In a nutshell reveals, the nature of positive peace in contemporary Ethiopia, more severe than the negative one, seems tacit, insubstantial and insignificantly realized. At the end, hopes for holistic (negative and positive) peace in the country shall therefore rest on the success of the ruling regime itself to properly manage the heating destructive internal conflicts and potential violence, and responsively reassure all-rounded justice (political, social, economic) through enforcing comprehensive socio-political policies, peace frameworks, and pro-poor development strategies.

Keywords: Positive Peace, Negative Peace, Galtung’s Peace Perspective, Contemporary Ethiopia, Evaluation.

 

Cite This Article As: Girmay Abraha (2015). Evaluating the Nature of Peace in the Contemporary Ethiopia’s Socio-Political Dynamism: A Galtung’s Peace (Negative and Positive) Perspective. Inter. J. Polit. Sci. Develop. 3(3): 152-158

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