International Diaspora Involvement in Peacemaking Through Social Media Like DiasporaEngager

Introduction

More than ever, the world is indisputably torn by many types of conflict. Despite human efforts to address these battles, several outstanding problems still exist and nothing points at a better future on this Earth if the nations and their leaders cannot learn from history and readjust the ways they interact with one another in their peacemaking and wars. All these conflicts are causing a huge human migration and turmoil worldwide. There is not a single country which is not hosting refugees and immigrants from other countries or which Diaspora is not spread across the globe. The countries which are more “peaceful” are usually the envy and destination of the people fleeing from the most troubled parts of the planet. Even within the so-called peaceful countries, people are moving all the time, seeking a better place where they can find peace for their soul. Consequently, it may be unrealistic to talk about world peace and harmony without properly addressing the contribution of the global Diaspora or immigrants.

The word Diaspora refers to anyone living in a country or town that is not his or her place of origin or ancestry or the place s/he calls home. Some synonyms of the word are immigrant, stranger, and alien. Most individuals can be remotely linked to a country of origin different from their current country of residence, and therefore, most of us are an alien, immigrant, or a Diaspora of somewhere. Although most people in the US for instance are immigrants, several people who are not even native Indians think that they are natives of the land. Consequently, they define the Diaspora as “those who don’t even speak our language well”, or “those who don’t behave like us”, or “those who are trying to take our land”. To some extent, we all are passengers on this Earth and can be considered as an immigrant. Therefore, the word Diaspora as used in this article can be applied to anyone.

While human migration is increasing across the globe, digital technologies have been highly impacting human relations in a way that anything shared on social media can quickly spread across the world and affect lives in a fraction of a second. This advancement in communication and technologies in the digital era is a double-edged sword that can heal and wound. Because of their cultural and communication barriers, members of the international Diaspora are usually misunderstood and their potential is often untapped. For instance, because several people do not know the potential of the global Diaspora, they “fight” them instead of strategically cooperating with them to advance their agenda and increase peace in our world, where global migration will likely keep growing unless a definitive recipe is found for the main wars and conflicts in our societies. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the roots of some of the world’s controversial conflicts and then strategize about how to take advantage of the digital revolution to foster the peacemaking that can help to attenuate problems.

This chapter reviews five key conflicts in the world, mainly the controversial conflicts between:

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  The Blacks vs. the Whites,

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  The Christians and Messianic vs. the Muslims and Orthodox Jews,

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  The Rich vs. the Poor,

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  The Capitalists vs. the Socialists, and

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  The members of Diaspora and their stakeholders vs. their enemies in their home countries and in their countries of residence.

Then the chapter explores the common spiritual root of these debatable conflicts based on the Abrahamic religions (e.g. Judaism, Christianity and Islam). Finally, the author shares the model that DiasporaEngager, the international Diaspora engagement social media platform, is using to help members of the Diaspora and their stakeholders to develop themselves and make peace in the world. While an emphasis has been put on the African Diaspora (Holou, 2016), (Holou, 2015), and (Holou, 2008), this chapter also explores other Diaspora across the globe. The author also elaborates on some peacemaking lessons learned while interacting with the Diaspora worldwide. Overall, the chapter aims at educating people based on the 5 main conflicts in the world, but also tries to explain why it is important for all nations to better strategically work with their Diaspora and stakeholders using social media like DiasporaEngager to improve lives and peacemaking in this digital age.