今回の Topic は、英検１級２０１６年第１回の問題です。

１. Topic     

    Agree or Disagree: World peace is an achievable goal

２. Structure

a) Thesis Statement

     I agree with the statement that world peace is an achievable goal because recent development in globalization makes it easier to achieve this goal.

b) Body の部分を構成する３つの Paragraph の Main Idea は、

第１ Paragraph　第２次世界大戦以降、世界平和への最大の脅威だった冷戦が終了し、超大国間の全面戦争の可能性は消滅した

第２ Paragraph　地域紛争解決の仕組みも整備され、国際連合の平和維持活動は地域紛争の解決に貢献している

第３ Paragraph　IT技術の進歩によって紛争当事者間におけるコミュニケーションの途が常に開かれている

3. Sample

   I agree with the statement that world peace is an achievable goal because recent development in globalization makes it easier to achieve this goal. Confrontation between Western and Eastern bloc, the most serious threat to world peace after the World War II, was gone in 1991 due to the collapse of the Soviet Union, which marked the end of the Cold War.  And, although civil wars in some developing countries still continue, today’s highly interconnected and interdependent world should finally end these local conflicts     

　To begin with, world peace is attainable since full scale war between superpowers in the world, which is likely to escalate into the World War III, has become almost unthinkable.  Until the end of the Cold War, there were profound differences in terms of political and economic systems between the United States and the Soviet Union.  But communist regimes in the USSR and countries of Central and Eastern Europe were overthrown and those countries were incorporated into global democracy and free market system.  As a result, the creation and development of a more stable and stronger international crises-management system is reality.

　In addition, it has become easier to build and maintain peaceful world because the world has made a great progress in preventing and ending regional conflicts.  Although there are still fierce civil wars in the Middle East, many regional wars in Africa, South East Asia, and Central and South America were over partly because both America and Russia, which was the part of former Soviet Union, stopped most of their sponsorship of foreign proxies.  And the United Nation’s peace keeping operations has been playing very important role to keep disputing parties from fighting while efforts are made to help them negotiate a solution.   

　Finally, in my opinion, world peace is achievable with the help of technology which has reduced the cost of communication dramatically.  As is often said, most conflicts are rooted in lack of communication or miscommunication.  Advancements in technology have led us to utilize information technologies so that warring parties will have opportunities to engage in peace talks.  And positive outcomes of the talks can be shared broadly.  As John Lennon once sent a message in his song Happy Christmas, “war is over if you want it.” 

 　In conclusion, I agree with the statement because of the three reasons I mentioned above.   

 

To be continued.