The question of global peace holds an important place in Antoun Saadeh’s political thought. Contrary to claims that link his ideas to expansionist or authoritarian ideologies, Saadeh presented a vision of world peace based on justice, national sovereignty, and balanced relations among nations. His writings reveal a consistent effort to reconcile the aspiration for global stability with the necessity of safeguarding the rights and independence of each nation.
Saadeh rejected simple or superficial ideas of peace that define it only as the absence of war. In his view, peace that is imposed through domination or inequality cannot last. During the Second World War, when competing powers justified their actions in the name of high moral principles, he offered a clear critique of this language. He wrote that the conflict was essentially “a war of interests, not a war of principles,” [1] stressing that political rhetoric often hides the real material motives behind international conflicts. From this, he concluded that a peace resulting from the victory of one imperial bloc over another would remain unstable and unjust. Only a system that respects the rights of all nations can create a lasting basis for world peace.
This idea is clearly expressed in one of Saadeh’s key statements on the subject:
“The Social Nationalist Renaissance does not reject lasting world peace once it has achieved its great victories that grant the Syrian nation an eminent position in peace and in the rights of peace. But what would world peace mean to it after stripping the Syrian nation of its national rights in Cilicia, Alexandretta, Palestine, the Sinai, and Cyprus, and after depriving it of its natural resources? What would it mean other than humiliation, poverty, and annihilation?” [2]
In this passage, Saadeh makes it clear that the Social Nationalist movement does not oppose world peace in principle. However, it insists that peace must be based on justice and on the recognition of national rights. A peace that comes while a nation is deprived of its land and resources would not be stability, but humiliation and decline. For this reason, Saadeh rejects the idea that peace requires surrender or acceptance of historical injustice.
This position is also made clearer in an article from 1937, where Saadeh explained that some nations may give up their rights for temporary calm. However, Syria, in his view, should not be among them. The Social Nationalist movement, he argued, refuses to accept the subjugation of the nation by historical circumstances, and instead seeks full national rights as a condition for meaningful participation in building a just and lasting peace. [3] This shows the central importance of sovereignty in Saadeh’s view of world order: independence is not an obstacle to peace, but a necessary condition for it.
Saadeh’s realistic approach to international relations also shapes his understanding of conflict and stability. By describing wars as struggles of interests, he rejects ideological absolutism and highlights the need for balanced relations between nations. In his view, peace does not come from one power dominating others, but from the coexistence of independent nations that respect each other’s rights. In such a system, each nation can contribute positively to humanity while preserving its identity and independence.
From this perspective, global peace is closely tied to justice. It cannot be achieved through temporary agreements or diplomatic statements alone, but requires ending domination and building fair relations among sovereign states. A strong and self-confident Syria, both materially and spiritually, would therefore be able to take part in shaping a more balanced world order. Peace, in this sense, is an ongoing condition based on mutual respect, independence, and the restoration of rights.
[1] Antun Saʿadeh. Complete Works, vol. 7, 1944 – 1947, “A dimension of the post-war political struggle” (ناحية من الحرب السياسية بعد الحرب); See also vol 3, 1938-1939, “The view of New Syria: a conflict of interests” (رأي سورية الجديدة حرب المصالح).
[2] Antun Saʿadeh. Complete Works, vol. 2, 1935 – 1937, Paving the Road for Syria’s Revival,” (شق الطريق لتحيا سورية).
[3] Ibid.
