Silver Coin PEACE AND SECURITY 2009

Peace is the natural state for mankind and war is an exception to that state. Peace is a structural element in a harmonious and happy life. Security for its part provides people with the possibility to trust in the future.

The concept of peace can be split into negative and positive peace. Negative peace is the absence of war while positive peace is the absence of potential structural causes of war.

A dictatorship, for example, that abuses human rights may meet the definition for being in a state of negative peace (no widespread violence) yet fail to meet that for positive peace since, in a structural sense, the dictatorship is violent.

Peace and security occur only when, in addition to war, both indirect and structural violence are removed from people’s lives.

Finland has furthered peace in many ways. President Martti Ahtisaari has been recognized for his practical work for peace, including with the award of the Nobel peace prize in 2008. In his Nobel acceptance speech the vital message was that peace is a matter of will and that all crises can be resolved. War is not an inevitable path from misery to peace and security. Building peace means turning one’s gaze from the past and to the future, and from immediate gain towards long term benefit. You must consider future generations more than your own interests. Peace must not be suppressed in the face of violence, yet forces supporting peace must be controlled.

In a speech to a full session of Parliament Ahtisaari defined peace as follows: peace is nevertheless much more than law and order in society or the absence of war. Peace is a second homeland for those living amidst unrest from which they can draw strength. It is a state of mind in which people can be liberated from despair. Peace reaches the innermost parts of every human being.