War doesn’t work: Invest in peace

by Martha Roth

We said “No War with Iraq” and they went ahead anyway. Now Iraq, like Afghanistan, has been bombed and starved into dependency, and we have turned another population into bitter enemies. We marched and sang and introduced a whole new generation to anti-war demonstrations, but the profiteers who are helping G.W. Bush establish the New American Century have been savvy enough to get the war off the news and us off the streets. What are we going to do now to counter the madness of pre-emptive aggression against Syria—North Korea—Libya—and who knows where else?

One hopeful sign is the Peace Bonds campaign. The Nonviolent Peaceforce, a grassroots organization based in St. Paul, is issuing 100,000 Peace Bonds to fund its pilot project: sending fifty trained nonviolent peacekeepers to Sri Lanka at the invitation of a coalition of Tamil and Sinhalese peace groups.

“Bonds” usually promise a payoff when they mature. What return will buyers of Peace Bonds get for their investment? “In 2010, when they mature, investors will have a functioning Nonviolent Peaceforce that will help defuse conflict in trouble spots around the world,” says Mel Duncan, executive director of the Peaceforce.

The Peaceforce, born at an international conference in 1999 in The Hague, has been building support and developing its own international structure for the past three and a half years and is now ready for its first project. Recruitment has begun; peace workers will train over the summer in nonviolence techniques and use of communications technology, and will go to Sri Lanka in the fall for intensive work in Tamil and Sinhala languages.

What kind of work will the Peaceforce actually do? Pat Keefe of the Peaceforce staff says “Our mandate is fairly specific: accompaniment, international presence, monitoring, and interpositioning.”

Accompaniment has been used successfully, most recently in Guatemala, where Donna Howard of the Peaceforce’s international governing council served as an accompañante (escort) for Claudia Samayoa, a peace worker who had received death threats.

International presence and monitoring will let combatants know that the world’s eyes are on them. Peaceforce members are equipped to project real-time video internationally via the Internet.

And interpositioning—placing themselves physically between opposing groups, to open a space for nonviolent resolution—is among the large-scale techniques of nonviolent intervention that members are developing, on the model of the shantih sena (peace army) that Gandhi dreamed of creating.

Peace Bonds sell for $10 each, and all proceeds will go to the Sri Lanka project. Peaceforce staff estimate the cost of supporting one worker at nearly $30,000 a year, including salary, living allowance and benefits. “This is a career track,” says Nick Mele of Belingham, Wash., communications director of the Peaceforce. “We’re not interested in making martyrs. We ask people to sign on for two years.”

To support a force of 50 will clearly cost more than the $1 million that is the target of the Peace Bonds campaign, but Lenief Heimstead, coordinator of development at the Peaceforce, is optimistic about raising money. “People understand that our government always manages to fund the military. More and more we need to emphasize nonviolent solutions to problems that otherwise lead to ‘little’ wars and civil conflicts. Noncombatants suffer disproportionately from this small-scale violence,” she explains. Mel Duncan adds, “We have set the price of Peace Bonds low, to make it possible for many people to invest in our hopes for a peaceful future. We hope all our supporters agree that these bonds not only represent a sound investment but also make perfect gifts—for children, parents, grandchildren, grandparents, friends, lovers, bosses, employees, anyone!”

Sri Lanka was chosen as the site of the first Peaceforce project from among several other sites of civil conflict, including Israel/Palestine and Guatemala. Sri Lankans are now striving for peace after nearly 20 years of civil war.

What kind of people will compose the Peaceforce? First they must have a commitment to nonviolence. Second, they should have some experience with conflict resolution—working with gangs, defusing racial or domestic violence, so they know what it is to be a peacemaker. Third, they should be good team players. Fourth, the Peaceforce aims to represent a range of cultures, religions and ages, although experience is more important than age. Fifth, they should be spiritually grounded, in touch with something that can sustain them in adversity.

We know war doesn’t work. Military aggression has done nothing to address the real problems of the Iraqi people or the Afghani people. Peace activists want to try to turn the 21st century away from the path of permanent war. If Peace Bonds sound like something that can sustain your hopes for a nonviolent future in a climate of violence and adversity, join the Peace Bonds campaign. Beginning in mid-May you’ll be able to buy the bonds through the Nonviolent Peaceforce web site, www.nonviolentpeaceforce.org.