Social hope; missing link between security & development
By Asgar Ghahremanpour
Editor-in-chief
The modern world has long treated security and development as the twin pillars of national success. Governments allocate vast resources to protect their borders and design economic strategies to expand prosperity. Yet history repeatedly demonstrates that these two objectives alone are not enough. There is a third pillar—less tangible but equally essential—without which neither security nor development can be sustained. That pillar is social hope.
Recent comments by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, warning that war benefits no one and ultimately deepens poverty while hindering economic growth, highlight a reality that extends far beyond Iran or the Middle East. Nations may possess military strength and economic potential, but their long-term stability depends on something deeper: whether their citizens believe in the future.
This is an increasingly important question in a world marked by geopolitical conflict, economic uncertainty, and social fragmentation. Across continents, governments are discovering that security is not measured solely by military preparedness and that development cannot be reduced to GDP growth. The ultimate test is whether societies can inspire confidence in tomorrow.
Security remains a prerequisite for progress. No country can attract investment, create jobs, or improve living standards amid chronic instability. Likewise, development provides the resources that strengthen institutions and improve resilience. Yet the relationship is incomplete without hope. Security may create order, and development may generate opportunity, but hope is what encourages people to act on those opportunities.
When citizens lose faith in the future, they postpone investments, disengage from public life, and seek alternatives elsewhere. Young people become less willing to build their futures at home. Entrepreneurs become more cautious. Social trust weakens. Under such conditions, even the most ambitious development strategies struggle to gain momentum.
This insight is reflected in the work of Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen. Sen's concept of “development as freedom” challenged the narrow assumption that development is merely a matter of economic expansion. True development, he argued, lies in expanding people's capabilities and opportunities to pursue lives they value. At its core, such a vision requires confidence that the future is open to possibility rather than constrained by fear.
Seen from this perspective, hope is not simply a byproduct of development; it is one of its essential ingredients. It is the force that transforms opportunity into action. Societies with high levels of social hope tend to be more innovative, more cohesive, and more resilient during periods of crisis. They are better equipped to absorb shocks because their citizens remain invested in a shared future.
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