AMED – Prof. Mario Novelli has said reducing conflict resolution processes solely to disarmament is insufficient, stressing that the root causes that give rise to conflict must be properly addressed.

 

No legal steps have yet been taken by the state as part of the Peace and Democratic Society Process. The process, described by the government and its ally the Turkish Nationalist Movement (MHP) as a “Terror-Free Turkey”, has largely focused on the disbanding of armed groups rather than addressing structural issues.

 

Prof. Mario Novelli of the University of Sussex, who has spent years studying conflict resolution in different countries, said durable peace depended on confronting the underlying causes of conflict.

 

‘INEQUALITIES ARE THE CAUSE OF CONFLICT’

 

Novelli said silencing weapons is important, but noted that most conflicts stemmed from injustice and inequality. He said the idea of positive peace required not only addressing the consequences of violence, but also understanding the roots of conflict itself.

 

He said: “We need to ask what lies beneath conflict and how these issues can be addressed. If we accept that violence is the result of inequalities, then unless those inequalities are resolved, we may find ourselves facing the same situation again in five, ten or twenty years.”

 

Novelli argued that the Kurdish issue is fundamentally linked to democratic inclusion. “It concerns the right to speak one’s own language, to preserve and demand recognition for one’s culture. It is also about creating a society in which people can make their voices heard and participate both nationally and locally,” he said. 

 

‘FOCUSING ONLY ON DISARMAMENT IS A COMMON MISTAKE’

 

Novelli said one of the most common mistakes in peace processes was limiting them to disarmament or economic development alone, without tackling the deeper dynamics driving conflict. Drawing on his research in post-apartheid South Africa and Sierra Leone, he said material conditions often remained unchanged even after violence declined.

 

“In South Africa, there was never a sufficient transfer of real power,” he said, adding that many Black South Africans remained marginalised in housing and living conditions.

 

Speaking about Sierra Leone, Novelli said people acknowledged that violence and police repression had decreased after the conflict, but many felt their everyday lives had not materially improved. “I think this is why such countries remain vulnerable to falling back into conflict,” he said.

 

‘POSITIVE PEACE GOES BEYOND THE END OF VIOLENCE’

 

Novelli stressed that social injustices must be addressed seriously. “Simply opening the economy or ending violence is not enough,” he said and added: “Negative peace is the absence of violence. Positive peace means not only ending violence, but also addressing the reasons why conflict emerged in the first place, which are often rooted in inequality.”

 

HE DESCRIBES THE COLOMBIAN EXPERIENCE

 

Novelli, who worked in Colombia for five years, said one of the country’s most significant achievements was recognising social diversity and allowing different communities to express themselves alongside the peace process. He noted that Colombia’s current government included historically marginalised groups and that the country’s president had himself once been a guerrilla fighter.

 

“We saw a transformation in levels of social violence and at the same time some real material gains for communities,” he said.

 

‘THE PROCESS MUST INCLUDE ALL VOICES’

 

Reflecting on lessons from Colombia, Novelli said peacebuilding required time and broad democratic participation. “The process must be opened to all voices, whether they were silenced through weapons or political exclusion,” said Novelli and added: “Peace cannot only be built by those with weapons or political power, but also by ordinary people shaping their own lives.”

 

He pointed to the Colombian concept of “territorial peace”, which encourages communities to strengthen their own capacities and participate in shaping local agendas. According to Novelli, peace processes must function both from the top down and from the bottom up.

 

EMPHASIS ON DIALOGUE

 

Novelli said every country had its own conditions, but argued that all conflicts emerged from identifiable causes. He said: “Families do not send their children into conflict for no reason. There have been many deaths, and there are reasons underlying all of this.”

 

Rather than criminalising such issues, he argued they should be openly discussed through dialogue aimed at political compromise. “Nobody gets everything they want, but dialogue can open the door to the political compromises that are necessary,” he said.

 

‘CULTURES MUST BE EMBRACED’

 

Novelli said long-term solutions required recognising diversity, embracing different cultures and ensuring communities could speak, learn and live in their own languages. He stressed that the nation-state model based on a single language and culture did not provide sustainable solutions: “There is no contradiction between national unity and cultural respect and diversity.”

 

He also stressed the importance of education systems recognising linguistic and cultural diversity, rather than serving as tools of assimilation.

 

“Kurdish children need to hear their own stories, histories and experiences alongside national narratives. They must also be able to speak and express themselves in their own language. That is their right,” said Novelli and added: “There can be no legitimate justification for creating a society in which children can no longer speak their mother tongue with their parents and grandparents.”

 

MA / Berivan Altan-Mujdat Can