Lecture | Peace, What It Is and Why It Is Possible | Rolien Sasse

Lecture | Peace, What It Is and Why It Is Possible | Rolien Sasse

by Rolien Sasse · View the channel on PSI

Humanities, Social Sciences & Thought Science — General & History GTInterdisciplinary studiesGTUPeace studies and conflict resolution
🎙 Rolien Sasse 👥 6K 📅 September 22, 2026 ⏱ 73 min 👁 1 📄 opinion experte 🧭 2026-09-22
Available in: English (current) Français

Keywords

peacearmed conflictdefensediplomacysocial cohesion

Summary

Rolien Sasse, executive director of PAX, the largest Dutch peace organization, delivers a lecture on the meaning of peace and why it is possible. She begins by noting the high number of current armed conflicts and the rising defense budgets globally, citing a 41% increase in defense spending projected by SIPRI. Drawing on her personal experience in conflict zones, she argues that war and peace are human constructions, not natural forces, and that we must use all available tools to promote peace. She introduces PAX’s 4D approach (diplomacy, development, defense, democracy) as an integrated strategy. She shares lessons from a visit to Ukraine, emphasizing the need for military support for self-defense but critiquing the overemphasis on militarization. She highlights several dangers of the current arms race: inefficiency, corruption, perverse incentives for conflict, and the risk of deterrence escalating. She proposes alternative tools for peace, including diplomacy, justice, dialogue, and people-centered security. She concludes that peace is a constant struggle requiring collective effort, starting with individual responsibility and societal cohesion.

169 words

Critical Evaluation

Value of the Information & Strength of the Argument

The lecture provides valuable insights from a practitioner’s perspective, blending personal anecdotes with references to policy debates. The speaker makes a persuasive case for a balanced approach to security, acknowledging the necessity of defense while warning against its over-prioritization. Arguments are logically structured and address counterpoints, such as the need for military support in Ukraine. However, the reliance on anecdotal evidence and lack of rigorous citation for some statistics weakens the academic robustness.

Scientific Rigor, Source Quality, Title Accuracy

The talk rests on the speaker’s professional experience and mentions specific sources like SIPRI and the UN’s SDG financing gap, but these are not cited with precise references. The title accurately matches the content, which is a broad exploration of peace and its feasibility. There is no significant discrepancy between title and content.

141 words

Title / Content Match

The title accurately reflects the content, which discusses the concept of peace and its attainability.

Quality & Reliability

7/10

The speaker draws on extensive field experience and cites specific reports (SIPRI, UN) but explicitly states the talk is practice-based, not scientific research. Claims are coherent and balanced, but some figures lack precise sourcing.

Key Moments

Markers derived by PSI from the transcript: the creator did not define chapters.

Cited Sources

  • Vrede: Wat het is en waarom het kan — Speaker's book published in 2025, on which the lecture is based.
  • PAX (peace organization) — The organization the speaker leads; mentioned background on their work.

Concurring Sources

Contribution & Novelties

This lecture offers a practitioner’s perspective on peacebuilding, synthesizing field experiences with policy critique. It adds nuance to the debate on rearmament in Europe, arguing for a comprehensive approach that includes military defense but not exclusively. The 4D framework is a concise tool for integrating diverse strategies.

Pour aller plus loin :

101 words

Radar Profile

The profile shows high scores on information quantity and quality, moderate technical level, and good reliability, reflecting a well-structured talk based on professional experience rather than academic rigor.

Reliability 7/10