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I agree with Pedro's comments. The public discourse conflate people from agressor countries with their governments and gives voice to the victims of external agression. In addition, the peace-war dichotomy has become so a strong topos that does not allow for nuanced discussions anymore. It puts too easily people in boxes - with me, or agains me - and is used by politicians to distract people from other problems to which they do not have any real or constructive answers (see EU elections).

I have been studying China for a very long time and have experienced similar trends due to China's rise as a global power and its increasingly assertive (and aggressive attitude). I have always had a hard time explaining people why researchers from China are not necessarily endorsing their government's view or actively working towards goals of suppression, exclusion, or aggression, while a the same time, they are not all hero dissidents risking their personal safety and calling for a coup-d'état or the Chinese Communist Party to step down.

Efforts to educate people to focus on humans not nations should start at an early age, but we must not forget that also universities are environments composed of people with different ideas, in which not everything always approaches other people and countries with complexity in mind and, more importantly, in which one group can thwart the efforts of the other.

The Peace Talks are a very important initiative and forum which can foster sympathy and understanding, and allow for nuanced discussions. While the name is catchy, we could think of broadening the scope of contributors and environments. Including researchers from authoritarian countries (not only China, there are many more), discussing challenges in conducting research and teaching.

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I appreciate this initiative and have found the opportunities to interact, listen and ask questions with real people who are living through war sooo much more helpful than just consuming media. It makes for much deeper and more nuanced critical thinking. We and especially our students need more of it in this TikTok world, in which some random individual, sitting in their car, attempts to "explain" staggeringly complex geopolitical situations in less than a minute.

These Talks could be a great opportunity for participants and lecturers to learn what it means to feel safe enough to ask and reflect on some of the thornier aspects surrounding these conflicts, with genuine curiosity and respect.

Perhaps a session on Rosenberg's Nonviolent Communication can further nurture the soil for these interactions.

Susan Gagliano

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In order to promote peace, and people's understanding of peace, discussion groups should be created in which people with different opinions participate, the discussion should be respectful and inclusive, with the possibility of hearing all the involved parties without arguing. In addition, dialogue and discussion groups should already be started in elementary schools because brainwashing about the other side starts at a young age. Must develop critical thinking and higher-order thinking to allow a person to think for himself and not just receive information and believe it.

Maya Taite Sulimani WGC

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I have only one.... let's say advice ('advice' here is not a good word): We should talk, talk, talk to each other and learn how to listen.

In my opinion, it is as always ;-( There is no honest talk and real touching the core of the problems without feeling safe in some environment. Even if someone is under the pressure of propaganda or just scared, terrify of sthng (unfortunatelly usually afraid of what politicians tell us to focus on and be afraid of)... It is hard to understand 'second site' if you cannot understand their point of view...The role of education in creating this attitude - of mutual respect, is a key!

BW. Pavlos

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While I adore your initiative and being a keen fighter for peace but not less for open mindness, I would also like to see some speakers from Russia if we do not want to focus on nationalism but on humans. Now the Athena Talks looks like a forum for the Ukranian side only. I remember arriving 2 years back at an Erasmus teaching exchange in an Eastern country and first we were brainwashed with a speech how bad the Russians were, pure propaganda. Such speeches should not be part of Erasmus. I have Russian students in my classes and they tell different stories.

I could say similar things about the events in the mid-East, we do not want and another Israeli forum, we already have that on the TV news on a daily base.

We are on very slippery ice here. But great to try to make this an open discussion.

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For me, peace or peace-building takes place on a personal level in two ways: inner peace (mindfulness, resilience, empathy, ...) and outer peace (actions, ...). I think universities could encourage / support / accompany students in both aspects. In addition, international cooperation makes the global component of peace more tangible and the "why" more understandable.

Carmen

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First of all the most important thing in this discussion is proper education. Proper education make us the students able to develop critical thinking ,That's important tool help us better understand our environment , and not let us fall into false narrative that populists politicians portray us , internationalion is the second step in the process , it's make us understand each other and unite us under common set of values . Those two tool can help us fight against fascism and make an serious impact on the peace process

Yvc

Dor grossman

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It is important to practice Peace in our daily lives, in interaction witht colleagues, students and all the staff at education institutions. We should integrate the spirit of citizenship in our classes.

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We need to communicate and interact more often. We can engage us and our students through physical, virtual mobilities, through the creation of joint courses and especial through the creation of a joint module about Peace Education. Kostas