the traditionally accepted political definition of peace and the very word itself comes from the influence of the ancient romans who defined peace, pax, as absentia belli, the absence of war.
in the modern nation-state world, peace has often been understood as the absence of international war between two or more state-organized armies. however, constraining the concept of peace to the absence of international war ignores the relevance of civil war, internal genocide, terrorism, and other violence. since world war ii, wars between states have decreased while violent internal conflicts increased. since 1992, however, internal conflicts have decreased though there are still numerous and problematic intractable conflicts. present day sudan, as an example, is not engaged in a war with another sovereign state. however, few would deny that what amounts to genocide is taking place in its darfur region.
peace therefore, in the sense of the absence of hostilities, is best understood as the absence of violence between groups, whether they are part of a state apparatus or not. johan galtung, a very influential peace researcher, calls peace understood simply as the absence of violence "negative peace." it is labeled as such because although direct violence is not taking place, the points of conflict, which can lead to violence, are not necessarily resolved.
和平鴿在哭泣就在戰爭狂魔吞噬着伊拉克的時候，在一張報紙上，我看見一幅“極不和諧”的新聞圖片：一個疲憊不堪的美國兵坐在沙地上，眼神痴木，大概在遙望大洋彼岸的家鄉；一架大炮炮筒直指烽煙滾滾的遠空。就在這硝煙瀰漫的戰場一隅，棲息着一隻和平鴿！奇怪的是這隻白羽紅嘴的鴿子靜靜地立着，凝然不動，似乎在蔑視那槍林彈雨那瘋狂轟炸那呼嘯而過的導彈……
它累了，它一定剛剛飛遍這戰火燃燒的國土，俯瞰過一幕幕驚心動魄的景象——
龐然大物航空母艦在藍色海灣來回遊弋。b52轟炸機的陰影籠罩在寧靜的天空。爆炸的火光此起彼落撕破了天鵝絨似地的夜幕。失去父母的嬰兒撕心裂肺地哭喊。到處是鮮血，呻吟，屍骸，廢墟……
我凝視着這隻勇敢的和平鴿，心靈在痛苦地抽搐，在汩汩地流血！我彷彿變成了這可愛的鴿子，負載着自己的悲傷和憤怒，飛旋在硝煙瀰漫的伊拉克的土地上，目睹那人類的悲劇……
傷心欲絕的老奶奶抱着死去的小孫女，她茫然地看着天空悲號着——啊，和平鴿在流淚！
小男孩伏在媽媽的屍體上嚎哭着，那碧藍的眼睛裏充滿了驚恐和茫然——啊，和平鴿在控訴！
衣衫襤褸的難民們離鄉背井，扶老攜幼，奔波在漫漫黃土路上——啊，和平鴿在祈禱！
人類最早期文明的象徵巴格達博物館17萬件珍貴文物遭到浩劫——啊，和平鴿在吶喊！
啊，你一定是從畢加索爺爺的畫板上飛出的那隻和平鴿！哦，你從萊茵河畔的白色別墅飛來，還是從藍色多瑙河的優美旋律裏飛來；你是從古老的萬里長城上空飛來，還是從密西西比河岸的廣場上飛來？在那些灑滿了和平陽光的國度裏，你一定看見一幅幅幸福和諧的畫面：年輕的爸爸媽媽推着嬰兒車緩緩走在花間小徑上；小學生揹着五顏六色的書包奔在上學路上；老人們漫步在林間聹聽婉轉的鳥鳴……
啊，和平鴿！我看見你潔白的羽毛有些凌亂，你的胸脯微微喘息，你一定在目睹文明古國慘遭戰火的浩劫時，才傷心欲絕，從心裏流下了淚珠！從你沉靜悲傷的目光裏，我知道你跟我一樣在遠望在思索——是啊，在浩茫無際的大宇宙裏，我們居住的地方不過是個小小的地球村，那五大洲就是我們安居樂業的住宅小區，那三大洋就是家門前三個藍色池塘，膚色不同的民族原本就是親如手足的一家人啊！可為什麼要同室操戈，自相殺戮呢？為什麼要讓鮮血、屍骨、廢墟和數不盡的噩夢充斥我們的家園呢？
啊，和平鴿，你帶上畢加索爺爺的殷切希望在炮火中無畏飛翔吧，在五大洲的藍天上自由的翱翔吧！飛吧飛吧，我的鴿子，我的心伴隨着你，風雨裏你從不退縮從不迷航！我相信，終有那一天，在和平的陽光裏，青綠的橄欖枝一定會插遍地球村的每個角落！