What is a just peace?
Together with the Ukrainian activist Oleksandra Romantsova and the historian Jörn Leonhard, we go in search of the conditions for a “just” peace. What future does Ukraine have as a free and independent country? And what about the resilience of Ukrainian society during the Russian war of aggression?
Three years after the Russian full-scale invasion, the longing for peace is great. Most of all in Ukraine itself. In addition to imperial motives, Russia is also pursuing the goal of destroying Ukrainian civil society and democratic values with this war. The sources of resilience and resistance, solidarity and self-empowerment are constantly under attack.
Ukrainian human rights activist Oleksandra Romantsova has been campaigning against human rights violations and war crimes in Ukraine for over ten years. The non-governmental organization Center for Civil Liberties, which she took over the management of in 2017, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022 for its documentation of abuses of power against civil society. Romantsova, who has herself coordinated and accompanied projects for the mobile monitoring of human rights violations and war crimes by Russian troops, knows first-hand about the current challenges for local networks and communities of solidarity.
In his research, historian Jörn Leonhard examines empires, wars and peace processes of the past with a view to the present. He explores the question of which concepts and models of past conflicts can contribute to solutions for the present. What is a “just” peace, how can it succeed and which actors are needed to achieve it?
The discussion will focus on the question of the framework conditions for a “just” peace, on Ukrainian civil society as an actor in this process and on how and with whom Ukraine can develop prospects for the future.
The event is be moderated by Gabriele Woidelko, Körber-Stiftung.
An event in English with simultaneous translation on site.
The video shows the conversation in the original language.
