Lena Petrova Explores Peace–in Contrast to the Omnipresent Military Geopolitical Commenting

IN-DEPTH VIDEOS, 25 May 2026

Jan Oberg - TRANSCEND Media Service

18 May 2026

Lena Petrova of World Affairs In Context with more than half a million subscribers on YouTube wanted to explore what a peace researcher like me has to say about, among other things, the First and the Second Cold Wars and why ethics has disappeared from politics, enabling violence to be so accepted. I am personally very happy about this conversation, which also yielded an amazing number of very appreciative comments on YouTube. No doubt, people are longing for alternatives, including peace perspectives. — Jan Oberg

Jan Oberg, Ph.D. is director of the independent Transnational Foundation for Peace & Future Research-TFF in Sweden and a member of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment. CV: https://transnational.live/jan-oberg
https://transnational.live.

This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 25 May 2026.

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One Response to “Lena Petrova Explores Peace–in Contrast to the Omnipresent Military Geopolitical Commenting”

1. Hoosen Vawda says:

   26 May 2026 at 10:26

   Open Letter to The Editorial Board and Contributors of Transcend Media Service
   Subject: A Respectful Appeal for Collective Moral Agency Beyond Commentary and TMS Publications.
   Dear Esteemed Professors, Senior Members and Founders of Global Peace Organisations, Editorial Board Members, Scholars, “Moral Heirarchists” and Contributors to Transcend Media Service.
   I read your publications in the recent issues of TMS, noting a thread of commonality expressed in support of the ongoing plight of Palestinians. I commend your stance. Thank you for accepting my second appeal, appended as an open plea, to engage in a collective effort to highlight the problem of ongoing suffering, torture and genocide of 72,764+ Palestinians, with over 10,000 reportedly vapourised by the collective allies of Israel. The global silence is indeed abysmal, in this major humanitarian crisis of the 21st century.
   With humility and deep respect for the intellectual legacy of TMS, founded on the principles of peace journalism and the visionary work of Professor Johan Galtung (MHSRIEP), I write to you as a fellow contributor, committed to the shared pursuit of justice, dignity, peace and global harmony. I trust that in your frenetic schedules you will kindly read this document with good intentions.
   Recent reports published within TMS, including those addressing the plight of flotilla activists and the ongoing suffering of Palestinian civilians, reflect the moral clarity and courage that have long defined this platform. These contributions illuminate injustice with scholarly rigour and human compassion.
   Yet, I write today with a gentle but earnest question:
   Can we, as a community, move from witnessing to collective moral action?
   In March 2026, I submitted a draft memorandum proposing that TMS, as a body of globally respected thinkers and “Titans of Peace Propagation” consider endorsing an urgent humanitarian appeal to the United Nations. The intention was not to impose unanimity, but to explore whether our shared ethical commitments might find expression in a unified call for:
   • immediate ceasefire measures,
   • protection of civilians,
   • The targeted killings of journalists
   • Blatant violations of the different Geneva Conventions
   • accountability under international law,
   • and renewed multilateral engagement through the United Nations system.
   I fully appreciate that TMS is not traditionally an advocacy institution, and that editorial independence is essential to its integrity. However, I respectfully submit that:
   There are moments in history when moral scholarship may justifiably seek a collective voice.
   The events currently unfolding, whether involving flotilla activists, civilian populations, or broader regional instability in the Middle East, pose profound challenges not only to international law, but to our shared humanity.
   I wish to clarify that this appeal is not a criticism of editorial decisions, nor an expectation of institutional uniformity. Rather, it is an invitation:
   An invitation to individual conscience
   Should a collective institutional endorsement be impractical, perhaps an alternative path may be considered:
   • voluntary endorsement of the memorandum by individual contributors,
   • publication of parallel perspectives exploring actionable peace mechanisms,
   • or informal cooperation toward engaging established UN humanitarian channels.
   TMS has long illuminated the path toward peace.
   Might it now, in some form, help to gently walk that path together?
   I remain deeply grateful, appreciative and indebted for the platform TMS provides, under the editorial baton of the long serving and esteemed Professor Antonio Carlos Siva Rosa, as well as for the tireless efforts of its editorial Board and contributors. My intention is not to burden, but to contribute, however modestly, to the living tradition of peace through scholarship and ethical engagement, which forms the very basic tenets of peace propagation, as initiated by the late Professor Johan Galtung (MHSRIEP)
   With respect, sincerity, solidarity and hope,
   Hoosen Vawda
   Peace Propagator
   Durban, South Africa
   Global: + 27 82 291 4546
   e-mail: vawda@ukzn.ac.za
   Dated: Tuesday 26th May 2026
   Reference: TMS/Cont/26052026/RHV1

   Reply