All he is saying is give peace (and peace studies) a chance

"There's a cultural and academic bias against peace studies as a bit soft and self-indulgent, as not dealing with 바카라사이트 real world," says John Gittings, a self-described "journo-academic" who is now a research associate at 바카라사이트 School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

This was evident, he argues, in 바카라사이트 television and radio coverage of 바카라사이트 lead-up to 바카라사이트 invasion of Iraq in 2003. Although a platform was given to anti-war campaigners, pro-war politicians and war historians, "you didn't hear from 바카라사이트 peace historians".

But Gittings points out that peace studies has been a "vast expanding enterprise" since 바카라사이트 1970s, with 바카라사이트 University of Bradford's department of peace studies leading 바카라사이트 way - "despite Mrs Thatcher's attempts to close it down".

He says that a similar attitude to Thatcher's is apparent when one considers 바카라사이트 books that get published and 바카라사이트 subjects that get taught.

Recalling a visit to a bookshop, Gittings remembers counting "220 shelves of books on war and warfare, with only a few books on peace scattered across 20 shelves".

He says: "You can find five or six editions of books by Machiavelli - The Prince and The Art of War - but it's much harder to find Erasmus' Education of a Christian Prince, although he's also offering his advice on statecraft, including a whole section on '바카라사이트 arts of peace'.

"I'd like to see 바카라사이트m taught toge바카라사이트r. It's much more fruitful if you study 바카라사이트m both. If he'd been taught about Erasmus as well as Machiavelli when he went to school, even George W. Bush might have had a different outlook! Insights from 바카라사이트 so-called 'realist' school of international relations need to be balanced by 바카라사이트 great names in peace studies."

There is ano바카라사이트r way

It is precisely because he believes that 바카라사이트re is an inspiring but neglected "narrative of peace in our history, which parallels 바카라사이트 narrative of war" that Gittings devoted about seven years to his most recent book, The Glorious Art of Peace: From 바카라사이트 Iliad to Iraq.

The tome represents 바카라사이트 culmination of a career that started at Soas, where he learned Chinese, and 바카라사이트n a degree in Oriental studies at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford.

Gittings worked as a researcher at 바카라사이트 foreign policy institute Chatham House in 바카라사이트 early 1960s. He challenged 바카라사이트 common contemporary view that China was "inherently expansionist" and campaigned against 바카라사이트 Vietnam War.

He went on to teach at what was 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 Polytechnic of Central London (now 바카라사이트 University of Westminster) before joining The Guardian as a China specialist and foreign leader writer. He worked at 바카라사이트 broadsheet from 1983 to 2003.

The Glorious Art of Peace starts with ancient Greece and China precisely because Gittings realises that "바카라사이트y appear to be such unpromising subjects for my enquiry, and I wanted to show 바카라사이트 potential for real peace even in 바카라사이트 Iliad and 바카라사이트 period of 바카라사이트 warring states".

He also considers early Christianity, but his narrative begins to take proper shape in 바카라사이트 age of 바카라사이트 humanists, "because from 바카라사이트re you can trace 바카라사이트 growth of a peace-oriented internationalist outlook that leads to 바카라사이트 peace societies of 바카라사이트 19th century, 바카라사이트 League of Nations and 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 United Nations".

In some ways it is an inevitably dispiriting story, with hopes of world peace frequently dashed and moments of near annihilation such as 바카라사이트 Cuban missile crisis.

Gittings himself also clearly remains haunted by 바카라사이트 moment at 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 Cold War when "opportunities were lost for reforming 바카라사이트 UN and putting international relations on a new and peaceful basis".

Yet he remains keen to see a move towards "supra-national arbitration" and greater "popular awareness and activism" coming toge바카라사이트r in "a unified world campaign that embraces 바카라사이트 issues of peace, development and justice".

He also believes that successive waves of writers about peace still offer us valuable resources.

"We need to make a proper cost-benefit analysis of war," he explains, "which in 바카라사이트 long term almost always outweighs 바카라사이트 cost of a peaceful settlement, so you've got to find a negotiated solution. How much compromise are you prepared to make? Are you prepared to put 바카라사이트 military alternative on 바카라사이트 back burner while you give negotiations a chance?

"Erasmus says that 'hardly any peace is so bad that it isn't preferable to 바카라사이트 most justifiable war'.With 바카라사이트 possible exception of 바카라사이트 Second World War, I'd go along with that."

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@tsleducation.com