Media beats the war drums

On the eve of 2012, in an agitated and perplexing world, it is rewarding to read the optimistic assessment of Professor Joshua S Goldstein that the media drumbeat of war and violence does not represent the direction of history, and that we can give our children the greatest gift of all: a more peaceful world. However, in order to avoid the risk of keeping this humanistic objective on the list of wishful thinking, robust political and diplomatic efforts are needed to give real tangibility to the universal principles of non-use of force and peaceful settlement of disputes. The strict observance by the 193 member states of the United Nations of all fundamental principles of public international law would be a valuable contribution to promoting lasting peace during our era of global and unprecedented vulnerabilities.

Ioan Voicu

Bangkok