What if peace were not just a human affair? Can we still believe in pacifism? Explore these questions and rethink the very meaning of peace in the latest episode of the Arqus Knowledge Pills podcast with Maximiliam Lakitsch (University of Graz). 

In the 43rd episode of the Arqus Knowledge Pills, Maximiliam Lakitsch, a senior scientist at the Department of the Foundations of Law (Global Governance Section) at the University of Graz, explores how environmental realities are inseparable from political and social dynamics and how truly sustainable peace must include the non-human world as an active participant. 

This episode discusses the understanding of peace that evolves across cultures and time, why it should be seen as an ongoing process rather than a final state, what role Europe plays in peacekeeping today, and Maximilian Lakitsch's idea of strategic optimism, a realistic outlook that acknowledges today’s challenges as opportunities to find more effective and inclusive paths towards peace, rather than reasons for despair.

Maximilian Lakitsch is a senior scientist in the Department of the Foundations of Law (Global Governance Section) at the University of Graz, where he coordinates the Austrian Conflict, Peace and Democracy Cluster.

His research and teaching centres on peace studies and international relations, with a particular interest in critical perspectives on international peace interventions and the integration of environmental and climate aspects into peace practice. He focuses on the Middle East and North Africa, particularly Syria, Lebanon, and Israel-Palestine.

Maximilian Lakitsch also worked for various NGOs in Austria, Lebanon and has experience in development cooperation and peacebuilding.