Week 5

This week, one thing that really struck me was the idea that conflict can actually positively influence a country's development. I had only ever thought about it in terms of negatively impacting development through creating poverty-ridden war zones and displacing citizens. However, while these are definitely undesirable consequences, sometimes in the case of revolutions and civil wars, violence is unfortunately necessary to effect social change and/or replace a harmful regime. Violent conflict is not the only way to instill these advancements, but depending on the political and social situation of a country, they can be the fastest or most effective. I think that it is important for development professionals to see the whole picture and what is being fought for, rather than just trying to bring peace without considering what the consequences might be for the country's development in ending a conflict too soon.

Additionally, prior to this week, I had never heard of peace curriculum. I was very impressed at the ability that instituting these programs in schools can have in teaching both students and educators how to have more positive and effective interactions with each other. It seems like this kind of curriculum could be useful anywhere, regardless of whether or not there has recently been conflict. However, I can definitely see where it would be most immediately helpful in places that have just come out of (or are still involved in) violent struggles, particularly those that are driven by strife between races or ethnic groups. This is a very effective way to reach a number of people at once in an effort to end discrimination and create more productive ways of solving problems.