February: peace, security and social democracy

The Munich Security Conference happened this month, an international gathering where state security policymakers and thinkers come together to discuss pressing issues in the global security architecture. In its wake, President Trump will request from the US Congress a significant boost in the military spending of his country that ranks highest among the world’s top military powers.

And while we await the latest trends on the global arms sales for 2016, how can we remain convinced that peace is possible in the face of an expected reversal of the slight decreasing trend in global arms sales since 2011 and rising Russian and European arms sales reported for 2015?

In these times when the world is in the grip of new frontlines in cyber, maritime and geopolitical warfare, it’s important to tell the stories of what has and can be done for the prevention and peaceful resolution of conflicts by those for whom freedom, peace and justice remain core values of political action and a future where democracy is possible.

"A durable and equitable peace system requires equal development opportunities for all nations," Willy Brandt, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and former German chancellor was quoted once saying. So, for this issue we reached out to FES staff, partners and friends who have led work on sustainable peace and conflict resolution. Here we bring you their insights.

Read on and engage!

Your FES Connect Editorial Team