The metaphor "Belfast and Jerusalem" presents a
paradigmatic argument that reality, in all its manifestations, most
discernible in its social-historical realm is inherently conflictual, and
that accordingly optimistic prognostication of a peaceful international
system is doomed to refutation.
The end of the cold war, followed by the Middle East
process, the achievement of the Northern Ireland Storement agreement – all
staged against the backdrop of globalization – have allured writers and
politicians like Shimon Peres into false conviction that a new era of
universal disarmament has been ushered in.
With reference to Belfast and Jerusalem, both
historically and figuratively, as cities haunted by chronic disputes, this
article takes an opposite view. On the factual level it first quotes some
recently published data indicating that while the superpowers have reduced
the arms race, disarmament is far from becoming a universal trend.
It then explains why globalization, although
apparently introducing an era of universal co-operation, will not, ipso
facto, eliminate the fundamental causes of social and international
strifes but may even aggravate them.
Spells of international cooperation and uniformity
are but indications that certain structures of conflict have exhausted
themselves and that the international arena is resetting itself for the
continuation of the normal flow of history.
