10 principles for perpetual peace in the 21st century

For a free world: The sculpture “Non-Violence” by Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd outside the UN headquarters in New York City; we also need to build a new set of principles for peace. — ZHENG ZHOU/Wikipedia

NEXT year will mark the 230th anniversary of Immanuel Kant’s celebrated essay on “Perpetual Peace” (1795). The great German philosopher put forward a set of guiding principles to achieve perpetual peace among the nations of his day. As we grapple with a world at war, and indeed at dire risk of nuclear Armageddon, we should build on Kant’s approach for our own time. An updated set of principles should be considered at the United Nations Summit of the Future in September.

Kant was fully aware that his proposals would face the scepticism of “practical” politicians: