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A Summary from Roundtable Discussion on Peaceful Coexistence 40
of tools of modernity. Today, the need to race happens following conflicts for
generate support for aggression is at a deterrence and prestige purposes. A state
level the human history has never seen of constant tension, anxiety and hostility is
before. According to Dr Farish, to start a maintained simply because it serves the
war is a very di cult and long process, as economic interest of a specific group of
one needs to build a sense of animosity people.
and antipathy towards other people and to
inculcate the notion in ordinary people. In addition to the obvious, Dr Farish
quoted that it is easier to preach hate than
Agreeing with Professor Azizan, Dr Farish to preach love. He concluded his remarks
also recognised the importance of by highlighting that we are currently living
dialogue. Nevertheless, dialogue has in a jaded world where belief in political
become increasingly di cult. Dialogue at processes and common human goals seem
the level of state often does not represent waning. These have led to the absence of
the view of a community. As an example, belief in the political process and absence
conflicts in Southeast Asia, South of faith in dialogue.
Asia, and even East Asia, are more like
confrontational rhetorics taken up by the Mohamad Ika Danial Abdullah is
state because communities living at the Assistant Director at the Centre for
border zones often do not share the Political Studies and Economic Diplomacy,
same sentiment. Therefore, the need for Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign
dialogues cannot be ignored but it must be Relations (IDFR).
realistic in the face of the challenges that
the people experience.

Dr Farish emphasised that it is very easy
to engineer conflicts and wars in the age
of fake news, mass communication
and instantaneous communication.
Furthermore, the world has also witnessed
in the past 20 to 30 years ago where riots,
demonstrations, pogroms, and even ethnic
violence were swiftly mobilised through
dangerous alliances between political
elites and invested in commercial and
media interests. According to him, there
are invested parties that want to maintain a
state of animosity and violence. He also
explained that wars can generate a huge
sum of money from the whole military
industrial complex because history has
shown that selling arms is a lucrative
business. In addition, today’s post-colonial
world also has witnessed that the arms

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