‘Immanuel Kant’s Perpetual Peace’
In the essay ‘Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical State’ (1795), Kant proposed a peace program to be implemented by governments: ‘1. No secret treaty of peace shall be held valid in which there is tacitly reserved matter for future war. 2. No independent states, large or small shall come under the dominion of another state by inheritance, exchange, purchase or donation. […] 5. No state shall by force interfere with the constitution or government of another state.’ Kant claimed that the rules he described in this essay were sufficient to produce peace. In modern times this essay has been extensively discussed, criticized, and not considerably practiced by any powerful nations. Many countries keep on declaring war, invading other countries, executing genocides. Kant’s ‘Perpetual Peace’ remains a shattered dream for the peace-loving people.