‘Give peace a chance’ … it’s hard to come by

August is International Peace Month and I wish nothing more for it to be true, but right now, the world seems to literally be on fire.

It appears that countries across South America have increasingly elected right-wing leadership, often in lockstep with policies and shared worldviews of MAGA conservatives, President Donald Trump, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. There seems to be a fast-growing expansion of aggression in the Middle East as the U.S. continues to bomb Iran with no clear vision or strategy for ending the baseless war. 

The president never explained to the American people why an Iranian intervention was imperative, and the loss of life in the region continues to grow. We must not forget about the civilian killings in Lebanon as well, due to Netanyahu’s aggression since the Israel/U.S. war on Iran began.  

The Middle East often captures the headlines, but we cannot forget about the unrest that continues in Haiti, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and countries across the continent of Africa. As international mining companies come to the continent to extract resources, the scarcities they create, in addition to political violence and instability, have contributed to civilian casualties in the thousands. It is a sad reality that barely makes it into the papers these days. 

I do not know how we will bring about peace. I have no idea what the future holds, but I sincerely hope we get changes in global leadership, and more presidents and prime ministers want to come to the table and compromise, end these devastating wars, and attempt to build a future for the global population.

We must begin with changes in leadership in so many countries and at varying levels of government. Peace will not be achieved overnight, but we must continue to aim for it and believe that some day, we will attain it. Ideally, the 2028 U.S. election cycle will usher in a president who is not as vindictive, insecure, corrupt, and bellicose as our current leadership. 

I hope the new president will not demand loyalty tests and look for ways to take goods, services, healthcare, and assistance away from the American public. 

There is always a level of optimism I continue to maintain because I have the privilege of teaching young people. We must keep a level of hope — something Rev. Jesse Jackson instilled in us for decades. We can do our part by participating in elections at all levels so we create and control the pipeline. 

State senators become members of Congress, who then become cabinet members and presidential candidates. We must do our part, no matter how big or small, to bring about peace on all levels.

Christina Greer, Ph.D., is a professor at Fordham University; author of the books “How to Build a Democracy: From Fannie Lou Hamer and Barbara Jordan to Stacey Abrams” and “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream”; and co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC.