#17 Can peace be back in fashion? - with Isabel Bramsen

The world is burning and drones are flying overhead. Yet today, Kompas allows itself to pause and consider the peaceful solutions to major conflicts.

It's as if the word peace has taken on a slightly negative connotation. Even though it's something most people want, talking about peace smacks of Western naivety and unrealistic pacifism.

Isabel Bramsen disagrees. She is Head of Peace and Conflict Studies at Lund University, and according to her, the time is not only calling for military acts of war, but also for peace actions such as non-violent demonstrations, peace talks, dialogue and reconciliation.

"It's crucial that we bring the logic of peace into play. We actually need to have some kind of openness to the enemy so we can avoid these attacks," she says.

Lessons learned from Married at First Sight

In DR's reality hit 'Married at First Sight', the new married couple Lasse and Dorthe are floating on a pink cloud, but then something goes wrong. Dorthe sees a childish side to Lasse that she doesn't like and she can't tell him so. Suddenly, something has come between them that could topple the whole thing unless it comes to light.

But when Dorthe finally opens up with her criticism, things go wrong. Because it happens in an open forum with other couples present and not least in front of rolling cameras. Lasse feels attacked, the two no longer listen to each other, and the conflict escalates.

What can we learn from Married at First Sight about international conflicts?

"On the one hand, it's really crucial to keep communication open rather than shutting it down. And to keep the dialog behind the cameras, where everyone is listening in," says Isabel Bramsen.

She cites Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyj's argument in the Oval Office as a good example of a peace negotiation where constructive communication was shut down by open doors.

Hear more examples and the full conversation about peace in this week's edition of Compass.