Pluck, luck and peacemaking

Mac Ginty, Roger

Abstract

It is very difficult to stand up for peace in relation to Ukraine. In Russia, those who have publicly opposed Putin’s war on Ukraine have been silenced through imprisonment or being beaten off the streets. In much of Europe, there is significant consensus around supplying weapons to Ukraine and strengthening NATO. Those who ask questions and dissent from this view have been accused of being ‘traitors’ and pro-Russian. Those who suggest negotiations or ceasefires (in advance of Ukraine regaining its lost territory) have been criticised.Footnote1 Feminist voices, like Cynthia Enloe who has long-criticised the malign impact of militarisation on society, are very much on the margins.Footnote2 Among the very many casualties of the war on Ukraine has been some sort of middle ground that can identify the wrong of the Russian invasion but remain sceptical that NATO – a war-orientated organisation – is the answer. Nuance seems to be lost in the headlong rush into binarized positions of good and bad, right and wrong. For many European commentators, peace seems to be the militarised victory of one side over the other, and the route to peace seems to be fighting to the last Ukrainian.

Citation

Mac Ginty, R. (2023). Pluck, luck and peacemaking. Peacebuilding, https://doi.org/10.1080/21647259.2023.2247721

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 28, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Aug 23, 2023
• Publication Date: 2023
• Deposit Date: Aug 31, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 31, 2023
• Journal: Peacebuilding
• Print ISSN: 2164-7259
• Electronic ISSN: 2164-7267
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/21647259.2023.2247721
• Keywords: Political Science and International Relations; Safety Research; Development
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1727427