Many theorists and practitioners of International Relations believed that with the end of the Cold War decisive peace would descend etching a new global order of enhanced cooperation and conciliation and a world system devoid of conflicts and contestation. However, in less than a decade since the dawn of the 21st century the world has again plunged dramatically and new forms of insecurity, clashes of civilization, military armament and power, terrorists-triggered violence have become endemic.
Not surprisingly, peace-building studies has become an expanding field of study and practice all over the world with a host of researchers, scholars and policy-makers engaged in analyzing the causes and consequences of conflicts and in finding ways and means of resolving them peacefully. Towards this objective, efforts are also being made to revisit the ideas and strategies bequeathed by great thinkers like Mahatma Gandhi.
This edited volume entitled WORLD PEACE AND GLOBAL ORDER: GANDHIAN PERSPECTIVES, first of its kind,is a rich collection of research-based studies on a variety of themes of relevance to contemporary International Relations by a galaxy of social scientists, specialists and scholars. The range of issues focused in the volume is not only comprehensive but also pertinent to present socio-political and economic situation in the world. Contributions in the volume not only offer new insights on specific issues of critical importance to India but also shed enough light to capture graphically the contours of the evolving global order. Admittedly, WORLD PEACE AND GLOBAL ORDER: GANDHIAN PERSPECTIVES PUBLISHED by Indira Gandhi National Open University's newly established Centre for Gandhi and Peace Studies is a very welcome and valuable addition to the existing literature on frontier disciplines such as Peace Studies and International Relations. The book no doubt will appeal to the general reader seeking fresh perspectives on the Gandhian philosophy and of its vital importance to the study and research in International Relations. |
