Date: Thu, 27 Dec 2001 15:38:38 +0000
From: robmcelwain@hotmail.com ("robert mcelwain")
Subject: [azpeace] Reason for Hope
To: azpeace@yahoogroups.com
Reply-To: azpeace@yahoogroups.com
Dear friend of MoveOn,
Today is the Winter Solstice, the day when long nights begin to recede
and sunlight starts to return.
Attached below is a message of hope from 9-11peace.org. 9-11peace.org,
founded by Eli Pariser on September 12th, is now supported by MoveOn.org.
We are very proud of the work of this campaign, including the excellent
weekly bulletin, a sample of which is attached below.
If you'd like to subscribe to this bulletin, go to:
http://www.9-11peace.org/bulletin.php3
We wish you a happy and peaceful New Year.
Sincerely,
- Wes, Joan, Carrie, Peter, David, Eli & Susan
MoveOn.org and 9-11peace.org
December 21st, 2001
THE HOPE FOR PEACE
Read online, subscribe, or unsubscribe at:
http://www.9-11peace.org/bulletin.php3
IN THIS BULLETIN:
1. Introduction: Why Hope?
2. The Top Five Reasons to Hope
3. And a Close Sixth
4. What are Your Top Five?
5. Maintaining Your Hope
6. Get Involved
7. About the Bulletin
INTRODUCTION: WHY HOPE?
At one time it seemed that slavery had always been a part of
human history and always would be. But through the courage,
sacrifice, and hard work of thousands of people, slavery was
abolished in most countries. Apartheid ended. The Berlin
wall came down. Women were enfranchised in many nations.
Activism is contingent on a kind of tough optimism, a
stubborn belief that our power is our own and that it is
enough to change the world. In other words, activism and
social change must be preceded by hope. This hope is
necessary if we are ever to escape the cycles of violence
between nations and create a lasting peace.
Hope is not always easy to come by. Despite our best
efforts, governments wage war, conflicts rage on, and
innocent people are killed. At least, this is often how it
seems.
This week we devote ourselves to the good news. There
ARE positve signs that efforts for peace world-wide are
working and growing. Below are our favorites, but because
these initiatives rarely draw attention to themselves, there
are thousands more that we haven't heard of. In the new
year, it is our hope that we can build on these successes.
The customary season's greeting is too appropriate to pass
up: Let there be Peace on Earth, and Goodwill toward All.
Note: The next issue of the bulletin will come out during
the second week of January.
TOP FIVE REASONS TO HOPE
The top five reasons to hope for world peace.
>>>75 Million People Commit to Work for Peace <<<
In 1999, UNESCO and several Nobel Peace Laureates launched
the Manifesto 2000 signature campaign. The Manifesto 2000 is
not a petition; rather, it's a commitment by each person who
signs it to follow the six principles of a culture of peace
in his or her daily life, family, work and community:
1) respect all life
2) reject violence
3) share with others
4) listen to understand
5) preserve the planet
6) rediscover solidarity
The Manifesto 2000 has been signed by a staggering 75
million people worldwide, with more people signing every
day.
UNESCO's Director-General Matsuura stated that: "It is a
sign of hope that decision-makers, gathered at the
Millennium Summit, and civil society, represented by the
millions of signatories of the Manifesto 2000, share the
same commitment. For peace cannot be brought about by
decree. Whilst political, economic or military settlements
are necessary to establishing peace, they are not enough.
Each individual must uphold the commitment in practice, in
his or her daily life, through the simplest of acts. I am
delighted to see that the world movement for a culture of
peace is gathering momentum. During the International Decade
for the Promotion of a Culture of Peace and Non-violence for
the Children of the World, we will increase our efforts so
that it triumphs."
You can sign the Manifesto here:
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=58
>>>Disarmament in Ireland <<<
The peace process in Ireland, a country that has suffered
through years of conflict and terrorism, has made
significant gains in the past few months.
The Good Friday agreement has laid the foundation for a
lasting peace.
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=59
Arms decommissioning on the part of the IRA has indicated
that this peace process is genuine.
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=60
>>>Good News from the Balkans <<<
Yugoslavia has established a Commission for Truth and
Reconciliation, which is aimed at healing the wounds that
are at the roots of the conflicts there. Dr. Ibrahim
Rugova's and LDK's election victory also opens new prospects
for reconciliation in Kosovo/a, and non-violence has proved
to be stronger than police repression and authoritarian rule
in Serbia and stronger than extremist violence by the Kosovo
Liberation Army (KLA/UCK) in Kosovo.
>>>An Increasing Role for Women <<<
Although women are not yet represented in the Afghan
government to the degree that we would hope, the
international call for representation is a large step in the
right direction. And at the same time that the UN and
governments are beginning to understand the crucial role for
women in peacekeeping, a number of exciting, private-sector
organizations have started to study and support women
peacemakers. Over the next few years, we are hopeful that
women will be supported and encouraged in their engagement
with the conflict resolution process.
Here are a few organizations that work to supportwomen in
making peace:
Mobilized Mothers
"Mobilized Mothers" describes hundreds of organizations that
are led by women trying to influence foreign policy outcomes
in conflict situations. Women are increasingly influential
in nongovernmental organizations, often steered by women,
and they occupy senior government positions with growing
frequency, according to the Women Waging Peace program.
http://fly.hiwaay.net/%7Egarson/mothers0501.htm
Women Waging Peace
>From their website: "In the face of a new type of threat, we
need a new type of defense system--one that fosters
strategic personal relationships among people throughout the
world. Building relationships is a skill in which women have
excelled. Defying political stereotypes, in the Balkans,
Bosnian and Serb women are coordinating their pro-democracy
political campaigns. In Rwanda, Hutu and Tutsi women have
created micro-enterprise partnerships. Out of the depths of
this tragedy, policy makers would do well to reassess the
untapped resources of women throughout the peace building
process, thus formulating a new paradigm of inclusive
security."
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=62
>>>Innovation in Conflict Resolution <<<
Even as new wars break out and old conflicts smolder, new
technologies in conflict resolution are developing at a
rapid pace. The past few years have seen a swell of truly
innovative concepts in mediation and resolution which will
prove key in creating stable, long-term peace between
rivals. These vary from Americans planting trees and
unearthing land mines in Vietnam to "designer truth
commissions" that incorporate traditional elements and
ceremonies in bringing war criminals to justice. We don't
have space here to list even an adequate sampling of these
efforts, but here are some of our favorites:
The Compassionate Listening Project, founded in 1996, has
trained hundreds of American participants to listen to
thousands of Israelis and Palestinians with the intention of
discovering the human being behind the stereotype. No one
has declined a listening session. They have listened to
settlers, sheikhs, mayors, rabbis, students Bedouins, peace
activists and terrorists.
http://www.mideastdiplomacy.org/
The annual Agenda for Reconciliation conferences in Caux
have drawn people from over sixty countries in recent years.
Many come from situations of tension, others from areas of
open conflict, and still others struggling to rebuild after
conflict. AfR conferences are open to all to learn from one
another and AfR is ready to support any initiative or
request for help that is within its capacity to do so.
Currently, AfR encourages ongoing efforts of
nation-building, peace-making, and reconciliation in five
areas in the world where people of these nations are
actively involved. They are supported by those with relevant
experience from other countries. The AfR secretariat plays a
coordinating role. Areas focused on include Papua New
Guinea, Cambodia, Africa and the Middle East.
http://www.caux.ch/afr/afractivities.html
AND A CLOSE SIXTH
We can't help but feel that the growth of 9-11Peace.org is
another extremely hopeful sign. Founded by Eli Pariser on
September 12, the website has been extremely popular: during
one week in early October, the site received one seventh of
the traffic of AltaVista.com. 22,500 people have signed up
for this email bulletin in the past three months. That's
nearly 250 people per day.
A petition created by David Pickering and placed on the
website by Eli shortly after Sept. 11 garnered 500,000
signatures from people around the world, all of whom urged
restraint against a military action in Afghanistan (for more
on this see http://www.9-11peace.org/10-9-01petition.php3) .
9-11Peace.org's action alerts have also had excellent
responses. In a recent email blast, over 90,000 messages
were sent by people from over 88 countries to world leaders.
This kind of interest clearly shows that there are hundreds
of thousands of people in America and around the globe who
care about building a lasting peace and are working to
achieve it.
WHAT ARE YOUR TOP FIVE?
Send us a short list of your top five hopes for peace by
emailing top5@9-11peace.org. Include URLs for more
information if possible. We'll try to post as many as we can
on the site.
MAINTAINING YOUR HOPE
One way to maintain a hope for the future is to learn more
about peace and nonviolence, and when and how peace
processes have been successful.
Some books you may want to read:
Soul of a Citizen by Paul Rogat Loeb
http://www.soulofacitizen.org/
Is There No Other Way?: The Search for a Nonviolent Future
by Prof. Michael N. Nagler of the University of California,
Berkeley
Books on Ghandi, Nelson Mandela and other successful
peacemakers and activists can also be inspiring.
Another great way to maintain hope is to build and maintain
a support network of people who share your commitment to
peace. This kind of support network can be vital when the
task seems overwhelming, or hopeless. One way to start
building this type of support network is to find out about,
support and join peace-oriented organizations and
initiatives. Here are just a few:
http://www.womenwagingpeace.net/
http://www.nonviolentpeaceforce.org
Seeds of Peace Youth Camps:
http://www.seedsofpeace.org/
The Compassionate Listening Project:
http://www.mideastdiplomacy.org/clp.html
Creating Hope International:
http://www.creatinghope.org/index.htm
International Peace Bureau:
http://www.ipb.org/index.html
The World Federalist Association
http://www.wfa.org/
GET INVOLVED
If you would like us to include an action, giving idea, news
article, or source in the bulletin, please write to
bulletin@9-11peace.org and describe your item in the subject
line.
ABOUT THE BULLETIN
The 9-11Peace.org bulletin is a weekly newsletter providing
resources, news, and action ideas to over 22,500 people
around the world. The full text of the bulletin is online at
http://www.9-11peace.org/bulletin.php3; users can subscribe
to and unsubscribe from the bulletin at that address also.
The bulletin is a project of 9-11Peace.org. Contact
bulletin@9-11peace.org for more information.
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