“You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war.” – Theoretical physicist, Albert Einstein. (1879 – 1955)
The 20th century will forever be marked by the most violent and virulent wars to strike the Earth. Conflicts such as WWI, the Chinese Civil War, WWII, the Armenian Genocide, the Vietnam War, and the Rwandan Genocide have claimed the lives of over 160 million people. It is obvious that the world desperately needed international peace and security. Albert Einstein was right, nations must take non-coercive measures to ensure the protection of their civilians and the promotion of human rights in order to prevent war. The United Nations was formed in 1945 to guide the world with these principles. The 20th century was the beginning of a paradigm shift, which began addressing global issues with global solutions. These international efforts transitioned conflict to peace in an unprecedented way. Einstein’s words exemplified the progression from the dominance of national supremacy to a system of international discourse and unity.
Richard Chen
The featured image was retrieved from here.
