An open letter to Westerners by Guest Contributor Matthew Johnson Dear Westerners: Muslims and Islam are not the enemy of the West. I wish this statement was without controversy, but with the rising tide of Islamophobia (i.e. irrational fear of Muslims) in the United States and elsewhere, it is clear that it is not. There Read more about Muslims and Islam Are NOT the Enemy of the West[…]
by Robert J. Burrowes, contributor As the world continues to engage in various commemorations in relation to World War I, Australia approaches the centenary anniversary of a defining event in the nation’s history: ANZAC Day. On 25 April 1915, and for many days after, Australia suffered savage losses at Gallipoli in Turkey. Sometimes when we Read more about Robert J. Burrowes on the Legacy of War[…]
I think there were two defining moments that got me started on my current path. One was as a teenager back in Boston, when I watched a friend get shot while hiding behind a car and trying to keep another friend from getting involved in the fight. My teenage years had been turbulent, as they Read more about Ruth Henry – Making peace with Hip Hop[…]
GlobalOPS is the world’s first fully global, online and on-site platform to provide missions, organizations, agencies, governments, practitioners, and policy makers with direct, customized, real-time support for peacebuilding, conflict transformation, prevention of armed conflict and armed violence, peacekeeping and stabilization operations. Their module leaders are amongst the world’s top experts in the their fields. Ranging Read more about The Nuts and Bolts of Making Peace Possible[…]
When we think of nonviolent action, we often think of Gandhi’s Salt March or the American Civil Rights Movement’s Lunch Counter Sit-Ins. While these are the most publicized nonviolent actions, there is in fact a whole gamut of actions based on Gandhi and Martin Luther King’s experiments that has been developed and put into practice. Read more about Nonviolent Peaceforce – A Wave of Unarmed Civilians[…]
This event took place 6 years ago, but it’s message is well worth repeating. On September 11, 2006, New Yorkers and Americans in 20 states marked the 100 year anniversary of Gandhi’s decision to use nonviolence. New Yorkers for a Department of Peace (NY-DOP), in cooperation with Sony Pictures, organized a one-day-only theatrical showing of Read more about Transforming September 11 into a Message of Hope and Healing[…]
Peace Direct founder Scilla Elworthy has just given a talk at TED-x in Exeter. In the talk, Scilla draws on stories from her inspirations such as Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi and shares half a dozen methods she has identified that allow us to counter violence without having to resort to force, and argues Read more about How to Deal with a Bully without Becoming a Thug[…]