david As the other peace leaders in this month’s CPNN bulletin testify, Nelson Mandela provided us a model of leadership for a culture of peace. He left us “a vision of a new and better life and the tools with which to win and build it.” 20 years ago in Psychology for Peace Activists, I wrote: “At the present … Read more
This month’s CPNN bulletin raises the question, “What is good leadership for a culture of peace?” An initial answer is provided by the Elder, Gro Harlem Brundtland, former Prime Minister of Norway and international leader for health and sustainable development: “To be bold; to have the courage of your convictions; and to think long-term, not short-term or … Read more
The latest CPNN bulletin illustrates clearly the paradox of disarmament. On the one hand, there seems to be no progress at all, and then we see what seems like a “breakthrough” in the agreement to inspect and destroy the chemical arms of Syria. Immediately, a Nobel Peace Prize is awarded! But is it really a breakthrough? I … Read more
The latest CPNN bulletin provides good evidence that the answer to this question is “Yes!” We are not surprised that air traffic, postal services and telecommunications are managed effectively by agencies of the United Nations. Why should we be surprised that a culture of peace could also be effectively managed? Let us begin with the two articles … Read more
I was struck by an important difference between the two international summer schools mentioned in this month’s bulletin of CPNN. The summer school of young human rights activists at the University of Connecticut invited me to speak on the transition from culture of war to culture of peace. The summer school of young activists by … Read more
Through my studies of the culture of war, I came to the conclusion that the state is involved with it so profoundly that we will never achieve a culture of peace in a system of nation states. As a result, I proposed that we need a United Nations that is based not upon Member States, … Read more
As we regard the news from Egypt these days, it occurs to me that Egypt now shows us the dynamic that we will probably see on a global scale in the years to come. The Egyptian crisis, at the base, is an economic one. The Arab Spring brought hope, but instead of economic stability and … Read more
Last month’s blog posed two questions. Is the Global Movement for a Culture of Peace growing? And will it be able grow enough to replace the present culture of war when it crashes? This month’s CPNN bulletin indicates that it is growing, but is it growing fast enough to deal with the world crises that are … Read more
The bulletin this month marks a milestone in the evolution of CPNN, as its coverage begins to depend on the extensive involvement of reporters from around the world. Looking back over the 15 years of CPNN since it began at UNESCO in 1998, I recognize this as the most recent of several milestones. At first it … Read more
If we take only a short-term view of history, I think that we have only taken one step forward and one step back with the adoption last month of the Arms Trade Treaty by the United Nations. By this, I mean that we should not expect any real control of the arms trade to be possible as … Read more