Interview with Steve Killelea, Founder of the Institute of Economics and Peace
The recently released 2013 Global Peace Index (GPI) raises the age-old chicken or egg question. Does a country’s economic growth lead to peace for its people? Or do improvements in peace lead to economic growth? This year’s Global Peace Index shows the world has become less peaceful, with a sudden rise in the number of homicides.
Australian Steve Killelea, founder and chairman of the Institute for Economics and Peace, which is based in New York and Sydney, sheds light on the connection between economics and peace and the results of this year’s GPI.
What is the importance of peace for a country’s future?
If you look at the attitudes, institutions and structures that create peace, they also create the same societies, which are economically thriving, environmentally friendly, have strong social policies and adequate economic distribution. This eventually creates the optimal environment for human potential to flourish.
What does this year’s Global Peace Index tells us?
The finding of this year’s index supports the prevailing trends of the last six years, namely: a continuing shift away from nations taking up arms against one another and towards more organized internal conflicts. A key factor associated with this is that the peace gap between countries under authoritarian regimes and the rest of the world is becoming larger. This can be seen with the slowdown of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which are replaced by internal conflicts like in Libya, Mali, Somali and Syria, which recorded the greatest score deterioration in the history of the Index.
How are peace and the economy linked?
Violence directs resources away from productive uses and towards containing violence and the consequences of violence. People do take different actions that are less economically efficient because of violence.
Does a country’s economic growth ensure development and progress?
Economic growth generally does help create peace, security and develops a country. But it depends how economic growth is distributed throughout society. If economic wealth only goes to a few people, peace and security will be impeded.
Has the rise of BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) led to greater human security and peace?
If you look at the BRICS countries, generally their attitudes, institutions and structures are fairly developed in their level of peace. Therefore that means we should see economic pickup in those countries.
For more information on this year’s Global Peace Index visit www.visionofhumanity.org
By Nina Lex, Canada
Photo by Suy Heimkhemra, Thailand
