Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-lj6df Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-09T03:31:47.310Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

10 - A Role for All of Us?

Smart Idealism, Global Public Opinion and International Support for Peace

from Part III - Give Peace a Chance!

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 August 2024

Dominic Rohner
Affiliation:
Université de Lausanne, Switzerland
Get access

Summary

This chapter stresses the importance of smart idealism, and outlines how global public opinion – and all of us – can play a crucial role. We cannot simply rely on our politicians to “do the right thing,” as either of the two components of smart idealism may be missing. Ideological bias may result in policies falling short of being smart or failing to be idealist, namely when politicians’ incentives are distorted. Electoral terms typically of four years result in a bias towards short-run policies (at the detriment of the lengthy, but crucial task of building peace), and often there are personal benefits for politician when cutting shady deals with despots. To get the incentives right, public pressure must ensure that the reelection chances of our politicians crucially depend on fostering peace at home and abroad. If voters care about this, then politicians will as well – whether out of intrinsic motivation or just to get reelected. As shown in this chapter, recent evidence highlights that scrutiny and attention from the world press and the public at large is a powerful rampart against repression.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Peace Formula
Voice, Work and Warranties, Not Violence
, pp. 151 - 166
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

  • A Role for All of Us?
  • Dominic Rohner, Université de Lausanne, Switzerland
  • Book: The Peace Formula
  • Online publication: 31 August 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009438322.013
Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • A Role for All of Us?
  • Dominic Rohner, Université de Lausanne, Switzerland
  • Book: The Peace Formula
  • Online publication: 31 August 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009438322.013
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • A Role for All of Us?
  • Dominic Rohner, Université de Lausanne, Switzerland
  • Book: The Peace Formula
  • Online publication: 31 August 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009438322.013
Available formats
×