In the history of humankind, the manners in which nations and governments organize power and relate to each other have been critical in determining the direction of human progression. In the 21st century, with the changing notions of state sovereignty and with the increasing recognition of interdependence, interconnectedness and interrelationship as values required for human co-existence, it has become evidently clear that the principle of multilateralism will be the defining praxis for this present generation.
The challenges and opportunities of the 21st century point to the need for collective survival as an absolute necessity. This has inspired a new thinking that recognizes the limitations of bilateral politics. Indeed, present conditions in local, regional and international situations are inducing the imperative need for multilateral politics to take center stage in how human affairs are conducted. While bilateral politics may continue to have a role in the matter of state-relations, the ever growing face of technology and the evolving role of public conscientization have pushed principles of multilateralism to the forefront of international politics.
The issues of war and peace have increasingly become a global concern. It is no longer a matter of unilateralism. In fact the developing nature of war and peace has rejected all notions of unilateral politics. The growing necessity and relevance of multilateral politics is clearly demonstrated by the increasing significance associated with political and economic alliances between governments and states. It is however too early in this era of multilateral politics for consensus decision making to reach its ideal place.
Multilateral politics impacts peace processes. It is recognized that in the past decade bilateral peace processes have failed to find solutions to the substantial issues of protracted conflict between governments and nations. While it is true that governments hesitate to address core issues at the heart of the conflict, it is also true that because of the increasing number of local, regional and international stake holders in conflict situations, political negotiations confined between conflicting parties have failed to break the deadlock.
Considering the fact that new understandings of sovereignty relevant to the 21st century are emerging, it is only reasonable to suggest that peace processes should acquire a multilateral dimension to enable greater possibilities for solutions to be realized. Hopefully such interventions will contribute in creating genuine democracy, deliberative dialogue and human rights.
