Nine Cornerstones |
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Summary of the Nine Cornerstones
There is no reason to repeat bad history. -- Eleanor Holmes Norton
Here, in alphabetical order, are the nine strategic cornerstones espoused on this site, with a brief statement of why they are important to a campaign to end war.
Embrace the goal. No great achievement can be accomplished unless we envision what we want and how to get there and set to work. We will not build a future without war either accidentally or through good fortune if we set our eyes on other goals, no matter how worthy they may be.
Empower women. Women's biological preference for nonviolent conflict resolution and social stability is the catalyst for stimulating rapid positive change to abolish war, and women's partnership with men as leaders and decision-makers is a necessary condition for maintaining a warless future once we've built it.
Enlist young men. Young men are the single most disruptive group in societies. If they are not to be sent off as soldiers into the military, as was often the practice in the past, we need to find other, positive ways to occupy and socialize them during their most turbulent years. They must be a part of the solution—not a major part of the problem; they must see themselves as promoters, defenders, and maintainers of the peace.
Ensure essential resources. Many wars are fought because people do not have access to essential resources or hope of a better life. We need to focus efforts on teaching people how they can acquire what they need and facilitating their access to those basics.
Foster connectedness. To control our innate, divisive xenophobic tendencies we need to teach respect and appreciation for human diversity and a sense of our oneness as human beings. Because happiness is an important foundation of social stability and ties to family and community are the single most important factor in human happiness, we need to strengthen family and community ties.
Promote nonviolent conflict resolution. Particularly in a world where aggression has been an accepted, even honored, mode of conflict resolving behavior for millennia, we need to teach people to use nonviolent means. We must further teach them why nonviolent conflict resolution, not aggression, leads to stable, lasting peace agreements.
Provide security and order. The coalition of countries that wants to end the use of war must be able to act to enforce the peace from a position of strength—morally, financially, militarily. Their societies cannot be in the midst of profound social disorder. Game Theory explains why we need to convince states that negotiation of differences is preferable to the destruction of war. Creating a global "peace system," as described by anthropologist Douglas P. Fry, illustrates how some societies secured security and order and peace.
Spread liberal democracy. Liberal democracy with governmental checks and balances and respect for human rights provides two critical necessities to ending war: it is the best political means available to ensure that no one person or group can instigate war, and it fosters a large middle class that can provide life satisfaction for the most people. People satisfied with their lives are reluctant to go to war.
Shift our economies. We cannot build a future without war for free or on the cheap. The funds for building it are there, but in the world’s dominant and most wealthy societies they are currently spent on planning for, executing, and cleaning up after wars. We need to shift our economies from ones built on war to ones built on ending war, and then dedicate the money we now spend on weapons programs to programs that further the achievement of the other cornerstones. This will provide labor for workers and profits for businesses while moving us away from our dependency on war. Additionally, to avoid wars it will be necessary to create and maintain ecologically sustainable communities that provide the fundamentals of life to Earth’s growing human population. This will likely require major economic shifts that move from dependency on ceaseless economic growth to emphasis on economics that stresses sustainability.
Embrace the goal. No great achievement can be accomplished unless we envision what we want and how to get there and set to work. We will not build a future without war either accidentally or through good fortune if we set our eyes on other goals, no matter how worthy they may be.
Empower women. Women's biological preference for nonviolent conflict resolution and social stability is the catalyst for stimulating rapid positive change to abolish war, and women's partnership with men as leaders and decision-makers is a necessary condition for maintaining a warless future once we've built it.
Enlist young men. Young men are the single most disruptive group in societies. If they are not to be sent off as soldiers into the military, as was often the practice in the past, we need to find other, positive ways to occupy and socialize them during their most turbulent years. They must be a part of the solution—not a major part of the problem; they must see themselves as promoters, defenders, and maintainers of the peace.
Ensure essential resources. Many wars are fought because people do not have access to essential resources or hope of a better life. We need to focus efforts on teaching people how they can acquire what they need and facilitating their access to those basics.
Foster connectedness. To control our innate, divisive xenophobic tendencies we need to teach respect and appreciation for human diversity and a sense of our oneness as human beings. Because happiness is an important foundation of social stability and ties to family and community are the single most important factor in human happiness, we need to strengthen family and community ties.
Promote nonviolent conflict resolution. Particularly in a world where aggression has been an accepted, even honored, mode of conflict resolving behavior for millennia, we need to teach people to use nonviolent means. We must further teach them why nonviolent conflict resolution, not aggression, leads to stable, lasting peace agreements.
Provide security and order. The coalition of countries that wants to end the use of war must be able to act to enforce the peace from a position of strength—morally, financially, militarily. Their societies cannot be in the midst of profound social disorder. Game Theory explains why we need to convince states that negotiation of differences is preferable to the destruction of war. Creating a global "peace system," as described by anthropologist Douglas P. Fry, illustrates how some societies secured security and order and peace.
Spread liberal democracy. Liberal democracy with governmental checks and balances and respect for human rights provides two critical necessities to ending war: it is the best political means available to ensure that no one person or group can instigate war, and it fosters a large middle class that can provide life satisfaction for the most people. People satisfied with their lives are reluctant to go to war.
Shift our economies. We cannot build a future without war for free or on the cheap. The funds for building it are there, but in the world’s dominant and most wealthy societies they are currently spent on planning for, executing, and cleaning up after wars. We need to shift our economies from ones built on war to ones built on ending war, and then dedicate the money we now spend on weapons programs to programs that further the achievement of the other cornerstones. This will provide labor for workers and profits for businesses while moving us away from our dependency on war. Additionally, to avoid wars it will be necessary to create and maintain ecologically sustainable communities that provide the fundamentals of life to Earth’s growing human population. This will likely require major economic shifts that move from dependency on ceaseless economic growth to emphasis on economics that stresses sustainability.