Hiba Qasas

So why does peace break down when we do everything we think we're supposed to do?

The answer I kept coming back to was not ideology.

It was power, politics and incentives.

And for the broader public, it was legitimacy and trust.

Without these, a peace agreement becomes a lid on a boiling pot.

It looks calm until the pressure finds the weakest point, then it erupts.

And I think we've seen a trend where war and violence is becoming more and more the choice.

We're living in one of the least peaceful moments in modern history.

We have the largest number of conflicts since World War II.

I have spent the last four decades in the reality of conflict.

As a child, as a mother, and as a professional.

And I'm not the exception.

One in four people today are living the reality of conflict.

We are living in an era where war and violence are becoming the reflex, the choice, not the last resort.

What we've been witnessing with Iran is just the most visible example, because it's been sending shockwaves well beyond its borders in energy prices, in trade routes disruption, and in political polarization.

And sadly, even when wars end and when agreements are signed, violence often returns within five years.

Over the course of my international career with the United Nations,

I noticed something that should not be controversial, but still is.

We have overly bureaucratized peace.

We've built an entire industry around it, with a familiar Western liberal model and a familiar toolbox.