Beyond war: Pre-conditions and prophets

SynopsisAgainst the background of the harm of war to women and the new frontiers in weapons research driven by the demand-side of war, there are four social and cultural pre-conditions that must take root and proliferate in society in order for peace to become a dynamic state of action, a political platform that contends cogently with the demand-side of war — and not merely the intermezzo between acts of armed conflict. They include: truth telling about the full harm of war, conscientious objection to war, foregrounding models of human progress in democracy and human rights which have been won by non-violent social movements, and public prophets of peace among us, that is, individuals who champion non-violence on the public stage of human history. These pre-conditions for peace are necessary to help create the base of public opinion needed for political solutions, but they are not sufficient as a counterweight to militarism. They must be joined with political initiatives, government action, and political movements that tackle the demand factors of war.