Citation

Suffla S, Seedat MA, Karriem A. Soc. Change 2010; 40(4): 439-457.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Council for Social Development, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/004908571004000403

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The issue of peace and its drivers is central to erudition on Hind Swaraj and associated texts dealing with liberty, self-rule, world order and social integrity. In this article, we therefore aim to describe a specific articulation of peace, embedded in peace psychology and the Global Peace Index (GPI), which was first initiated in 2007 and subsequently revised in 2008 and 2009. The GPI, which places countries according to their levels of peacefulness, offers insights into the determinants of peace. We explain the origins and scope of the GPI, examine how it expresses peace and assess its usefulness. We suggest specific modification to the three key measures used by the GPI to evaluate a country's peacefulness. Focusing on South Africa, India, Brazil and the United States of America (USA), we recommend that indices of globalisation may be incorporated to enhance the currency of the index. Throughout the article we emphasise human security as a key element of peace.

Language: en