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Op-Ed by PEGGY RAY “It’s not in the history of civilization for peace ever to reign. Never has in the history of man…I doubt that we will ever have a time when the world will be actually be at peace.” This year, amid war and acts of terrorism, the notion of “peace” can seem particularly far-fetched. But it is a certainty that if we assume it’s impossible and never dream about what a peaceful world would look like, we will never get there. One person who has held onto a vision of how to achieve a more peaceful way of life is Ohio congressman and presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich. This has not always worked in his favor. Partly because of his concept of a national Department of Peace, he has at times been portrayed in the mainstream media (when they pay attention to him at all) as a somewhat flaky New Ager. However, Kucinich’s actual proposal for creating a cabinet-level Department of Peace is quite sound and sober. It assumes that conflict will always be with us, but that humans can learn to deal with it in non-violent ways. First introduced into the House of Representatives in July of 2001, his bill (HR 1673) now has 50 co-sponsors. And here’s a novelty: The whole thing would only cost 1 percent of what the country now spends for the Department of Defense. Education is a key component of the Department’s responsibilities. The secretary is charged with developing a peace education curriculum that could be used in primary and secondary schools. Early on, young people would learn conflict resolution and mediation skills. In higher education, the Department would offer grants to peace studies programs in colleges throughout the country. A four-year, national Peace Academy where students would study domestic and international peacemaking would be created. The president would be required to consult the secretary of Peace in any case where a conflict is imminent or occurring concerning possible nonviolent means of conflict resolution. This bill was introduced in Congress months before the tragedy of 9/11. In this season of dreams for peace, one might envision how the world could be different today if a secretary of Peace had been consulted about a response. Some features of the projected Department would be particularly useful now. An Office of International Peace Activities would, among other things, provide for the training and deployment of nonmilitary conflict prevention and peacemaking personnel; sponsor country and regional conflict prevention and dispute resolution initiatives; advocate for the creation of a multinational nonviolent police force; and provide training for the administration of post-conflict reconstruction and demobilization in war-torn societies. A separate office would deal with arms control and disarmament. Part of the secretary of Peace’s job would be to analyze root causes of violence, such as the growing inequality between rich and poor and violations of human rights. The Department would focus on prevention of violence, de-escalation when conflict occurs, and methods of conflict resolution. If the lion and the lamb lie down together in this scenario, you can be sure that neither is hungry and both have been trained in skillful communication. Here in the U.S., the Department would address such issues as domestic violence, child abuse, and mistreatment of elders. It would create alternative policies to treat drug and alcohol abuse. It would build on existing programs for crime prevention, including training police in community policing and peace settlement skills. It would develop community-based means for celebrating diversity and promoting tolerance. To read the whole bill, go to www.dopcampaign.org or call the office of Bronx Congressman Jose Serrano. He’s one of the co-sponsors. In this holiday season, let us believe, with Congressman Kucinich, that we are not the captives of history, that humans can learn better ways of solving disputes, and that peace is possible.
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