Main content

Introducing – Chasing Peace

Is true peace actually possible?

Is true peace actually possible?

As wars rage around the globe, peace can seem like a fleeting ideal, rather than something humanity can ever actually achieve. Some people hold onto it as a real possibility, a deeply human endeavour still worth striving for. Others see it as a fragile ideal, repeatedly shattered by harsh realities. One thing is certain: peace is fleeting, and that’s painfully clear in 2025, as new , new conflicts flare up and old ones intensify.

This tension between hope and reality defines how we understand peace today. And as peace scholar Johan Galtung argues, true peace is more than just the absence of war; it’s the presence of deeper global harmony. But by that standard, has the world ever truly known peace?

In Chasing Peace, a special three-part miniseries of Sideways, we confront a fundamental question: is true peace possible? And if it is, what does it take to achieve and sustain? Through voices of peacebuilders, negotiators, scholars, and unconventional thinkers, we explore whether hope for a peaceful future can endure in a world marked by escalating conflicts.

Listen to Sideways first on ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Sounds.

Release date:

Available now

4 minutes

Sideways - Articles

Sideways - Articles

Features on some of the fascinating topics from Sideways with Matthew Syed.

My last 5p: How one homeless man’s generosity led to him marrying the love of his life

My last 5p: How one homeless man’s generosity led to him marrying the love of his life

How one act of generosity can have profound consequences.

Why we all need an alter ego

Why we all need an alter ego

Matthew Syed looks at how adopting an alter ego can help us all to access confidence.

What's the secret of making a smash hit pop song?

What's the secret of making a smash hit pop song?

Exploring the success of Max Martin, the behind-the-scenes genius behind 22 No.1 hits.

Podcast