PIR Quotes № 5, 2024. “If there were world peace, it would also be dangerous …”

PIR Quotes

“If there were world peace, it would also be dangerous …”

The question of the nature of peace and its role in international security is far more complex than it may initially seem. Peace is traditionally seen as the ultimate goal; however, achieving it can cause unexpected risks and threats to the established security architecture. For military institutions oriented towards confrontation, peace is not only the absence of war but also a challenge to existing defense strategies, necessitating a radical overhaul of approaches and adaptation to a new reality where it is not always clear who or what poses a threat.

This idea was once discussed by the Swiss playwright and novelist Max Frisch.

“If there were world peace, it would also be dangerous. Why do we need the Cold War? If there were genuine peace and the clear picture we have of the enemy were to fade, the billions approved for defense spending would be put in jeopardy. That is why our army chiefs don’t believe in peace research. Their thinking is realistic — not world peace, but rather only the absence of war saves the Swiss army from abolition.”

Max Frisch,
“Switzerland Without an Army?”, February-March 1989

Key words: Max Frisch; History

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F4/SOR – 24/11/12