{"id":159466,"date":"2026-10-08T09:04:52","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T13:04:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.justsecurity.org\/?p=159466"},"modified":"2026-10-08T09:10:54","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T13:10:54","slug":"peace-security-dignity-path","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.justsecurity.org\/159466\/peace-security-dignity-path\/","title":{"rendered":"A Better Path for Peace and Security? Focus on Dignity."},"content":{"rendered":"

In the current global political moment, it seems unfashionable \u2013 to say the least \u2013 to talk about concepts like dignity in policymaking, especially the making of foreign policy, and double that for anything involving national security. Contrary to conventional wisdom, though, Americans seem to disagree. According to recent polling, 94 percent of Americans<\/a> believe that all people \u2013 just because they\u2019re people \u2013 deserve to be treated with dignity. That kind of finding from a nationally representative sample of Americans is as close to unanimity as the U.S. population gets for almost anything these days. Future public policymaking could benefit greatly from refocusing on dignity, a concept so universally embraced. Nowhere is this more urgent than in global peace and security efforts to stop expanding wars and protect civilians.<\/p>\n

Today, though, world leaders are increasingly focused on narrowly defined national interests and on projecting power. Some scoff at universal principles or values as soft, weak, or impractical in an era of intensifying geopolitical competition and resource scarcity. Elite institutions developing ideas for future foreign policy, like the Council on Foreign Relations\u2019 (CFR) new \u201cFuture of American Strategy\u201d initiative<\/a>, are couching the defense of international law and norms, collective security arrangements, or humanitarianism primarily in terms of national economic or security interests.<\/p>\n

Yet, we should not be so quick to give up on dignity. As common ground becomes harder to find across different actors, interests, and alliances, dignity offers a practical way to refocus on something that seems universally understood. In an increasingly diffuse geopolitical power environment, it may offer one of the few ways to build public \u2013 and even political \u2013 consensus for new commitments to international peace and security or to craft more durable peace agreements that end wars. A range of actors from the Vatican to leading economists are increasingly highlighting the importance of dignity in navigating emerging global challenges, such as artificial intelligence (105 mentions of dignity in Pope Leo\u2019s encyclical<\/a>, 125 mentions in an essay from economist Gene Sperling<\/a>) or the climate crisis. Accordingly, other leaders, too, should not shy away from dignity; they should show what might be possible by reasserting that everyone<\/em> deserves it.<\/p>\n

Dignity Matters\u2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Every major religion has a concept of human dignity; world leaders regularly speak of it; and it resonates across cultures, countries, and languages. Talk of the dignity of work<\/a> or honoring a loved one\u2019s dignity in dying rarely codes left\/right, blue collar\/white collar, devout\/atheist, or Global North\/South. Across traditions, human dignity is widely understood to be our inherent human value or worth.<\/p>\n

This is more than just an abstract philosophical concept. The idea of dignity was top of mind when world leaders convened in the wake of World War II to design a new structure to advance peace and prevent future generations from the scourge of world wars. The result, the United Nations Charter<\/a>, set out to reaffirm faith in \u201cthe dignity and worth of the human person.\u201d Just a few years later, in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights<\/a> was based on a recognition that \u201cinherent dignity\u201d is \u201cthe foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

A \u201csense of dignity\u201d<\/a> is where the concept of inherent worth transforms into a lived experience: when we feel respected, valued, recognized, treated fairly, or able to exercise agency. When people feel their dignity is attacked and they are humiliated, it triggers a powerful emotional response in the brain, resulting in feelings of fear, anger, shame, and a desire for revenge. Think of the story and legacy of<\/a> Mohamed Bouazizi in Tunisia. In 2010, Bouazizi was sick and tired of repeated government harassment and abuse. When authorities confiscated his fruit cart, humiliating him in broad daylight while eliminating his only means to provide for his family, he set himself on fire. His action sparked the Arab Spring. Similarly, a major U.N. study<\/a> a decade ago showed that degrading experiences with security forces (a.k.a. indignities) were the leading cause of young Africans joining violent extremist groups.<\/p>\n

\u2026But Dignity Is Increasingly Disregarded<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Today, in conflicts from Palestine to Myanmar, world leaders are embracing rhetoric and actions toward adversaries and opponents that intrinsically rejects their human dignity. For example, Russia has spread<\/a> racist and dehumanizing<\/a> propaganda to justify expanded attacks in Ukraine. President Donald J. Trump has called<\/a> Iranians \u201canimals\u201d and repeatedly threatened<\/a> to \u201cwipe out\u201d Iran, including by bombing civilian infrastructure. Leaders in Ethiopia and Sudan have referred to those they are fighting as \u201cweeds,\u201d<\/a> \u201ccancer,\u201d<\/a> and \u201cinsects,\u201d<\/a> to be eliminated.<\/p>\n

In these and other ongoing conflicts, rhetoric is linked to action: state and non-state armed actors alike are increasingly ignoring<\/a> international humanitarian law (the laws of war) and conducting strikes against infrastructure and areas where large numbers of civilians live, work, and go to school. For its part, the U.S. Department of Defense recently eliminated<\/a> programs on reducing civilian casualties. All the while, leaders seem oblivious to or unconcerned about the indignities these actions are imposing, which will inevitably fuel new cycles of grievance and violence for years to come.<\/p>\n

Throughout history, those in power have often sacrificed the dignity of others in the name of economic and security interests. But its disregard today is designed to be intentional. To some, focusing on the human dignity of others is considered a weakness that misses the \u201creality\u201d that the only kind of power that matters is hard power or dominance.<\/p>\n

Dignity\u2019s Importance for Future Peace and Security<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Yet in this context, wars and their consequences continue to compound and the capacities and systems for managing them are collapsing in individual countries and globally. Many of us fear<\/a> that we are currently headed toward a dangerous future where \u2018might is right\u2019<\/a> and those with power can do what they want without consequence, never mind the unrestrained violence, injustice, and degradation of human rights that such a world order unleashes. According to a recent poll<\/a> commissioned by the Rockefeller Foundation, majorities of people around the world want their country to work with others on reducing conflicts and preventing wars.<\/p>\n

Changing this current trajectory requires reconnecting the rules and institutions seeking to protect peace and security with the human beings they are meant to protect. A dignity focus illustrates what is at risk and at stake, on a basic human level, when norms weaken, ranging from international laws intended to limit<\/a> the aggressive use of force to the use of deadly weapons and harm to civilians. Making the connections more explicit between dignity (and indignity), on the one hand, and peace and security on the other, might demonstrate that a universal grounding can guide collective problem-solving. People remain committed to leaders, movements, and institutions that they feel recognize their value (even if that feeling is disconnected from actual policy realities).<\/p>\n

On a practical level, refocusing on dignity can make more visible what is prolonging today\u2019s violent conflicts, and it can enhance efforts to promote peace. If dignity is experienced via recognition, agency, fairness, and respect, peacebuilding efforts can create conditions that enable people to better listen, cooperate, compromise, or repair relationships. Fostering a sense of dignity among aggrieved groups has been a key part of some of the most enduring peace agreements of recent decades. The 1998 Good Friday Agreement<\/a> in Northern Ireland institutionalized a commitment to human dignity through the \u201cparity of esteem\u201d: formal recognition of the equal standing, identity, and worth of both communities. The concept of dignity was also woven into Colombia\u2019s 2016 comprehensive peace agreement, particularly its emphasis on<\/a> addressing the marginalization of women and minority groups.<\/p>\n

More broadly, a dignity focus can help global leaders manage emerging challenges and threats facing humanity. On AI, for example, there is a growing<\/a> recognition<\/a> of the need to make values like dignity<\/a> explicit in the design of systems and their \u201calignment,\u201d which in AI parlance refers to ensuring that an AI system\u2019s goals, actions, and internal motivations reliably match human intentions, preferences, and ethical values. That an AI tool responds kindly to a teen telling it about their depression is insufficient in the extreme if it also provides details on how to commit suicide. On climate disruption, as another example, focusing on how dignity changes through the experience of disaster and displacement<\/a> could improve preparedness and adaptation — not only helping people survive, but helping them retain agency and respect, experience a fair response, and ultimately, rebuild their lives.<\/p>\n

Restoring Dignity<\/strong><\/h2>\n

At a time when nearly 7 in 10 people<\/a> polled across 34 countries (in the above-referenced Rockefeller survey) <\/a>believe<\/a> conditions in the world have gotten \u201cworse\u201d over the last year<\/a>, leaders and communities cannot afford to wait for the wreckage of world war proportions to renew an international focus on human dignity. Future policy leaders can take important steps now to ensure that plans and structures incorporate a focus on dignity for near-term as well as long-term foreign policy and international security. Those steps include:<\/p>\n