Are humans ready for peace? The view from attachment and human system theories

Abstract

The wars between Russia–Ukraine and HAMAS–Israel have challenged democratic nostrums that violent conflict can be resolved by other means. This paper uses human systems theories to try and answer the question: are humans ready for peace? A scoping review includes international relations, attachment, epigenetics, reproductive competition, group processes, life history, terror management, psychoanalytic and crowd psychology. The material is organised using Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model. Findings suggest humans are no more innately aggressive than they are cooperative. Based on the history and environment of early hominids the fundamental human social system remains that of the tribe, but the intensity and ferocity of modern warfare developed with the nation state. Culture, religion and political ideologies are late additions to human development but hard to change. Conversely gene expression (epigenetics) is actually more responsive to environmental change. Wars will decrease when there is a reproductive advantage in peace. The most promising policy is a global initiative to promote girls’ education. Not that women are any less aggressive than men, but females invest more in protecting their children and with female empowerment so males are more involved in childcare. Both sexes will have a greater investment in resolving conflicts without recourse to war.