With the dawn of the 21st century, the world has shifted from unipolar to multipolar. Now, a single country cannot hold the cart of the world. The powerful nations cannot decide the fate of the weaker states. That is why Darwin, a renowned scholar, once said that the world would not be inherited by those who are powerful, but by those who are most able to change and adapt. Therefore, every global problem requires global solidarity. All the global conflicts can be solved with the help of peace talks.
Not only conflicts but also social issues can be resolved with the help of the ethics of table talks. Moreover, the threat of terrorism can also be countered with the help of peace talks among terrorist outfits. An ample shred of evidence, from Doha talks to COP 28, is available in this regard. However, there are some challenges in the way to the ethics of table talks. These include geopolitical interests and orthodox behavior between states. These challenges can be coped with the role of the UNO and the human-centric approach. In essence, the entire political, economic, social, and territorial dispute can be solved by the ethics of table talks for the healthy future of the world.
Before highlighting why the table talks are the need of the hour, it is imperative to shed some light on the concept of the ethics of table talks. Table talks simply refer to the negotiation. To solve any dispute amicably, it is important to negotiate. Negotiation can be done in any dispute i.e. individual matters, national matters, or global matters. In the 21st century, the multi-polar world requires cooperation. Those nations who believe in power would never lead the world; those who believe in cooperation would become leaders of the world. The coming paragraphs will explain factors that manifest the ethics of table talks to shape the future of the world.
To start with, the ethics of table talks can solve the political instability in any country amicably. The political unrest leads to many other uncertainties. Therefore, bringing every stakeholder to a table is the only way to solve the political dispute among nations. The example that is merits here is Pakistan. The political unrest in Pakistan has been increasing day by day. To solve this, all the stakeholders must be under one banner. The segregation among political parties is further causing other social factors. Thus, the only way to solve this problem is through peace talks among all stakeholders. To cut it short, the table talks about the environment is a possible solution to solve the dispute among all political parties. This will lead to a healthy future for the country and the world.
Furthermore, the environment of table talks can also help in economic stability. The main cause of economic disorder is political disorder. When the political parties are on the same page by engaging in table talks with each other, the economic doldrums can be solved. As mentioned earlier, the political instability can be remedied with the help of table talks. This will ultimately lead to the continuation of the economic projects. For instance, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (LPEC) has severely hit due to political disorder. Therefore, it can be solved when all the parties will sit under one page- & consequently, the economic stability and political stability are correlated with each other. Both problems can be countered with the help of table talks for the healthy future of the world.
The world is a global village. With the changing world dynamics, it is impossible for a single power to resolve the global issues alone. Therefore, the modern problems require global solidarity. An example, worth mentioning here that of change is Climate change – The climate is a global issue. It requires a global solution. That is why Ban Ki Mon once said, “Climate does not respect change who you are -rich or poor. It is the global issues that require global solidarity. Every year, all the countries gather at a conference party (COP). They know that this is a global issue and it requires the global solidarity. This is one of the many examples that illustrate the importance of table talks to solve global issues. To conclude, the culture table talk can help the world to solve global disputes.
In addition to these factors, the role of information technology (IT) cannot be ignored. Everything is overly dependent on technology. The next war lies in technological front. Even in today’s time, the drastic gap technological gap between haves and haves not can be seen. According to the United Nations, “Nearly 3 billion people – or 37% of the world’s population- have never used the internet.” Almost all of them are lies in developing nations.
This gap can be squeezed with the help of table talks among neighboring state. The integration of AI is a new challenge for under-developed nations. Thus, they can take advantage of their neighbors to fulfill their needs and wants. For instance, Afghanistan can take advantage of China in the field of IT by engaging them in different mutual initiatives. To put it briefly, the principles of table talk can help the world to write under one banner in the field of technology.
While the ethics of table talks emphasize open dialogue, mutual respect, and global solidarity, there are significant challenges that hinder these ideals from being fully recognized. The first and foremost challenge is the hostile behavior among the rivalry states. Let us take the example of Pakistan and India. The table talks between these two states are nearly impossible due to the hostile behavior of the Indian government.
Since its inception, Pakistan always tries to normalize its relationship with India. A series of examples can be seen in this regard. On the other hand, Modi’s led government always uses stick policies – strict ones. Therefore, the hostile behavior between countries is one of the major challenges in a way to the ethics of table talks.
Similarly, the geo-political interest is another major challenge in the lackluster performance of table tables. Every country has its national interest. It is connected with other countries in accordance with its national interest. Due to these national interests, one state supports other one in all the matters – either it is in accordance with international law or not. As a result, the culture of peace talks is impossible in this regard. The case study of Palestine – Israel is best fits here. The barbarian policies of Israel have caused a major death toll in the last 12 months. The only possible solution among them is table talks – as mentioned above. It is the core responsibility of the advocate of peace makers – who claim themselves as a pioneer of human rights. However, due to the geo-politics interest, the world’s peace regulators are failed to stop Israel. Not they compel them to shop nor they blame them accountable. The USA and Israel have the same national interest. That is why the USA has never blamed Israel for its barbarian policies. To cut it short, the geopolitical interest is the major factor that hampers the ethics of table talks to solve the global disputer.
After come to know the challenges, one may think that how the world can counter these challenges. Firstly, the role of the UNO is of immense importance. As every country is a member of the UNO, it is easy for the UNO to unite the entire world under one banner. It will not only strengthen cooperation but also solve the disputes among the member states. For instance, the Palestine-Kashmir issue can be solved amicably, if the UNO’s policies will be adopted. The UNO should compel the major rivalries to invite them to table. Thus, the role of the UNO to unite all the countries under one banner can advocate the table talks for the healthy future of the world.
Similarly, the culture of geopolitics interest should be based on human-centric rather than state centric. Every country must adopt the resolution of the World’s Peace organizations to spread peace and harmony. Human-centric approaches should be adopted to counter the brutality of countries. National Interest should be aside when it comes to the brutal killing of innocent children, men, and women. For instance, due to its national interest, over the past 11 months, the president of the USA, Joe Biden, hardly spoke of the tens of thousands of innocent people killed by Israel’s military. He never condemned repeated Israeli attacks on hospitals and medical staff. Thus, this gave Israel a license to carry out atrocities. Therefore, human-centric policies and decisions should be adopted to ensure human rights. To put it briefly, human-centric foreign policies rather than geopolitics-centric would help in shaping the better future of the world.
In a nutshell, it can be said that the ethics of table talks can surely shape the future of the world. In today’s time, the power is of no use; the ultimate solution to solve the conflict is cooperation. The culture of table talks can solve the political instability in any country amicably. The political unrest leads to many other uncertainties. Therefore, bringing every stakeholder on a table is the priority.
Moreover, all the major global issues can be solved with the help of cooperation. Not only it helps in solving global social issues but also ensures equality and among all countries. Moreover, the global security pattern can be strengthened by adopting peace talks with major outfits. However, there are some challenges on the way to the ethics of table talks. Chief among them is hostile foreign policies between rival states and the geo-political interests. Both the above hinder the power peace talks. Therefore, the world needs an intellectual environment where economists, business, bureaucrats can work with synergy under one roof to solve the global issues amicably for the healthy future of the nations.
“The way we talk to each other matters. It is not just about exchanging information, but about building relationships, resolving conflicts, and shaping our collective future.” (Celeste Headlee).
