A More Peaceful World

PEACE MANIFESTO

To be effective in changing politicians’ thinking and overcoming the lobbying of the military technology corporations, the global peace movement needs to work together and put forward a common goal that everyone can understand. This page is a simple first draft of such a manifesto.

1. Peace is a state of being where violence – physical, social or psychological – is absent, contentment is present, and humanity is working in harmony with the physical and biological processes of our planet
   
   
2. A more peaceful world benefits humanity at every level: financially, economically, socially, ecologically and in health terms. It therefore involves change at every level: within our minds, our family, community, society, workplace, national politics and internationally
   
   
3. Perfect peace is a state to be aimed at as an ideal, but a more peaceful world should be the practical objective of all humans at all times, not just in our personal lives but also in our world
   
   
4. Disagreements and tensions are an inevitable occurrence in human interactions, but can best be solved by improved communication and dialogue.
   Violence is the problem, not the solution.
   
   
5. Peace should be seen as the normal condition of humanity, and war should be seen as an abnormal or pathological condition
   
   
6. In order to reduce the frequency and intensity of wars, it is necessary to understand and address both the general and specific causes of wars and conflicts
   
   
7. The general causation of wars are things like power, territoriality, resources, injustice, resentment, misunderstanding and “Otherness” – the extreme perception of differences
   
   
8. These general causes are expressed in causation of specific contemporary wars mainly as:
   a) religion
   b) dictators
   c) militias, gangs or warlords 
   d) ethnic distinctions 
   e) separatist ambition
   f) foreign interference
   g) resources
   
   
9. Most of the causes listed above may be addressed in the UN by identifying and addressing the beginnings of the processes that lead on towards outbreaks of war
   
   
10. The military industrial complex is an important driver of war. Corporations must be regulated, and expenditure on arms must be reduced progressively through international agreements
    
    
11. Nuclear deterrence is not infallible. A global nuclear war would bring about the end of civilisation. Therefore nuclear weapons must be eliminated globally.
    It is possible for us to do this.
    
    
12. Climate change is an important emerging cause of future wars, through creating greatly increased migration and competition for territory. Therefore national leaders must become serious about addressing climate change. Money and energy released from lessened global military spending will help to bring this about, and at the same time, co-operation in addressing climate change will help to overcome disagreements.
    
    
13. Economic inequality, both within and between nations, must be diminished as it leads to injustice, which is an important cause of conflict
    
    
    
    
    
    
    Another practice that could bring peace movements together would be to take the theme put forward by the UN on the International Day of Peace, September 21st, and work on that theme for the whole of the subsequent year. For instance, the theme in 2026 is/was “Investing in Peace”. If every peace organisation had been concentrating on the astronomical $2.7 Trillion cost of armaments, and compared it to the relatively trivial amounts that governments spend on peace, we might have, possibly, made an impact on the public.