August 2004

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Dialogue Toward a World Without Violence
by Jan Powers

From June 23-27, I was privileged to participate in an incredible international conversation sponsored by the Hague Appeal for Peace and the International Fellowship of Reconciliation at the brand-new Forum on the waterfront in Barcelona, Spain. Altogether, 650 of us gathered each morning for a plenary on five different aspects of ways to make the world a more peaceful place: Prevention and Non-Violent Resolution of Armed Conflicts, Economy and War, Civil Society and Disarmament, Peace Education, and Human Security (as opposed to military security).

Each plenary was followed by three sets of afternoon sessions on more specific topics, such as those that I attended on “Future of Peace Negotiations in Israel and Palestine,” “Resource War–Oil Fueling Conflicts,” “Women, Peace, and Security,” “Media and Conflict,” “Globalization: Incorporating Environmental and Human Rights”– just a sampling of those available. Of course lots of networking went on constantly, and I was happy to hang out with friends from the Jerusalem Center for Women and Gush Shalom, as well as several from the International Peace Research Association, whom I saw again one week later at our bi-annual meeting in Sopron, Hungary.

Let me share with you a few significant ideas which I gleaned from the Dialogue, in order to give you the flavor of our conversations in a few words. On how we can de-legitimize war: we need to mobilize children and youth to speak to governmental leaders and also ask the public who benefits from spreading hatred. Peace education values need to be integrated into school curricula (education ministers everywhere are being contacted about this project). Early warning journalism is crucial; journalists need to report more than facts and to encourage reflection on the future. About oil and water: the risk of civil conflict drops off when monetary resources are not abundant, but in the 21st century the main conflicts will be due to lack of water.

Regarding elections, we need issue groups to inform and educate the public, but we should avoid single-issue voting and instead educate voters to look across the board. We must force the nuclear issue and the war issue onto political platforms–there should not be a conspiracy of silence! A significant question to ask: what policies do we have to manage fear? We need to create new ways of understanding politics not linked to domination and violence but rather to cooperation and sustainability. These are ways of strengthening the ability of society to stand against prejudice, tyranny and mass violence.

Alas, I have 107 pages of notes from the conference and can share with you just a tiny bit of this wealth. So let me leave you with some memorable thoughts: “One of the obstacles to activism is despair.” We need to engage in “appreciative inquiry” with young people, encouraging them to look at the positive side of events. And finally, “We need to just keep saying ‘No’ to negative, warlike messages."

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