June 29, 2009

• ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT

  

  Youth is a wonderful thing. What a crime to waste it on children.  (George Bernard Shaw)

   

  Date:  6/22/09

   

  To:

   

  Re:  Announcement of National Assembly for Anti-War Groups

   

  Personally, I would like to see a paradigm shift of the anti-war movement.  Although I am strongly anti-war, I feel that the best approach is not to attack war, but rather to deal with the meta-level above war.  War is an approach that is used for conflict management.  I feel that it would be beneficial to deal with the whole issue of Conflict Management and coming to grips with better ways, more humane ways, and more effective ways of Conflict Management rather than resorting to war.  I believe that we should have dialogues discussing alternatives to war (alternative means of conflict management) rather than using Lady Bird’s simplistic approach to drugs:  “Just say NO”.  We need to let people know that war is only and always one option of many.  And this option should not be the first option, as was the case with Bush, but should only be a last option after other options have been tried.  I believe that to be effective, we need to realize that these situations are complex and require complex approaches that are more than just saying “No”.  (I should add that not only are the situations complex, but so are the reasons why so many people just accept the default option of war rather than considering other options – these reasons are complex.)

   

  Just as for years, although I have been in favor of stopping the violence and war in Iraq, I have felt that the solution wasn’t to just bring the troops home.  I have felt that the troops might be better utilized in re-building the infrastructure of Iraq since we were the ones responsible for breaking it down.  I believe that the response to the Israeli/Palestinian situation isn’t in just saying “No”.  It should be in insisting on positive actions by both sides rather than confrontational actions by both sides and definitely not by the action of increased violence of one side. 

   

  As long as the anti-war movement is content to “Just say ‘No’ to war”, I’m afraid it will continue to only preach to the choir and will not be as effective as it should be or as it needs to be. 

   

  I would like to see this National Assembly in Pittsburgh deal with the Meta-Level of Conflict Management rather than exclusively deal with anti-war actions and collaboration with only other anti-war groups.  One of the chief tools of Conflict Management is Dialogue.  (Which is different than the Presentations or Spins or Debates which we see every Sunday morning on the “news” programs on TV.)  What kinds of Dialogue could this National Assembly hold?  Imagine a Conflict Management Dialogue on Respect.  Respect for the Palestinians – what does that mean?  Respect for the Israelis – what does that mean?  Respect for the sovereignty of Pakistan and/or Afghanistan – what does that mean?  Respect for other cultures and/or other religions – what does that mean?  To have a meaningful Dialogue just on that one principle of Respect would do wonders as far as presenting options to violence and presenting it to the non-choir. 

   

  I would love to see this National Assembly hold such a Dialogue on the principle of Respect as well as other principles of Conflict Management.

   

  Thanks for listening.

   

  • 11:26 pm
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