Rabia Mustafa
António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, believes that, in an era of rising tensions, peacekeeping remains a proven and cost-effective way to restore stability and hope. However, he also emphasizes that peacekeeping requires consistent political support and reliable financial resources.
What is particularly interesting about this statement is the Secretary-General’s assertion that peacekeeping is a “proven and cost-effective” means of restoring global stability. This naturally raises an important question: how is peacekeeping proven as cost-effective than conflict itself?
The statement deserves some speculation. There is a famous saying: “Great nations win without fighting.” The statement is very clear about how truly successful nations fight not against people, but against poverty, instability, unemployment, ignorance, and other social evils. These are the battles that lead nations toward progress and prosperity.
In contrast, history also provides examples of countries that attempted to achieve victory through war and violence. But at what cost? Death, destruction, economic collapse, instability, trauma, depression, and countless other human sufferings became the consequences of such conflicts. War may produce temporary victories, but it often leaves behind generations of pain and destruction. Dare I even explain the long-term consequences of the Soviet-Afghan War, or, in other words, the US-Afghanistan-Pakistan-Russia conflict of the 1980s, whose effects continued for decades afterward? And where? To whom? The region still bears the scars of that conflict: extremism, displacement, weapons proliferation, instability, economic decline, and psychological trauma. Entire generations grew up in an atmosphere shaped by violence and insecurity.
That is why peacekeeping and peacebuilding are not signs of weakness; rather, they are practical and cost-effective investments in humanity’s future. One of the clearest examples is Japan after the Second World War. The war left devastation, destruction, and the ashes of human ego, stubbornness, and madness. Yet Japan did not rebuild itself through revenge. Instead, it chose development, discipline, education, innovation, and economic progress. Today, despite its limited land and natural resources, Japan stands among the world’s leading nations. Its success demonstrates that nations achieve lasting greatness not through destruction, but through peace, resilience, and development.
Relevant to this, the observance of the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers on 29th May is not merely an occasion. It reminds us that peace is built through sacrifice, patience, diplomacy, and collective responsibility. The day honours thousands of military personnel, police officers, and civilians who have served under the United Nations flag in some of the world’s most dangerous conflict zones. It also pays tribute to those who lost their lives while protecting humanity from the horrors of war.
Today, the world is witnessing rising tensions, wars, terrorism, and humanitarian crises. In such an environment, António Guterres’s message becomes even more important. Peacekeeping is not simply about deploying soldiers in blue helmets; it is about preventing societies from collapsing into chaos. It is about creating opportunities for dialogue where hatred seeks to dominate. It is about protecting civilians and giving war-torn communities a chance to rebuild their lives with dignity and hope.
This is precisely why peacekeeping and peacebuilding are far more valuable than war-making. Wars may begin in political calculations, but ordinary people pay the price. Children lose their futures, families lose stability, economies collapse, and societies become trapped in cycles of fear and revenge. Peacekeeping, despite its challenges and limitations, seeks to stop these cycles before they consume humanity completely.
The United Nations itself recognizes that the future of peacekeeping requires global cooperation, political commitment, and investment in peace rather than investment in destruction. This year’s themes, such as “The Future of Peacekeeping” and “Invest in Peace,” reflect the growing realization that sustainable peace is a necessity for human survival. Invest in peace in every sense, invest your time, your energy, your money, your efforts for peace.
History repeatedly teaches us that nations become truly great not by conquering others, but by conquering their own internal challenges. The strongest countries are those that invest in education instead of hatred, innovation instead of destruction, and human development instead of conflict. Similarly, many countries that once suffered devastating conflicts later realized that reconciliation and peacebuilding were the only paths toward sustainable progress. Peace does not erase history, but it prevents history from repeating itself. World War II taught Europe the true value of peace and the catastrophic consequences of war. Today’s Europe stands as an example of reconciliation and cooperation, where countries with open borders live peacefully together after millions of lives were lost during WWII.
Perhaps that is why great nations truly win without fighting. Their greatest victories are not measured in destroyed cities or defeated enemies but in educated citizens, stable societies, economic progress, social justice, and human dignity. In the end, peacekeeping is not only the responsibility of the United Nations or governments; it is a collective human responsibility. Because when peace survives, humanity survives with it.
