I recently posted a list of the elements that would be needed for a plan for world peace. In this present installment I begin to publish the plan itself.
I envision this plan to serve as a draft of a document that can eventually be placed in front of a United States senator, a CEO of a large corporation, a president of a major university, a four-star general, and a bright high school senior, and get pretty much the same response: I understand it, I see the possibilities, and I will participate in its execution in a way that best expresses my strengths, aptitudes, and positional power.
I call this version a draft because it will need help from people with more experience, insight, and brilliance than I possess myself. It will take a village to complete the plan.
In order to work toward peace we need some common understanding of the origins of war. I believe that any historical survey will demonstrate that war is always motivated by a tiny percentage of people from the community who bear the burdens of war. Only a few people at the top ever want to start a war. Most foot soldiers go into battle either to be patriotic and supportive of their country, or to avoid imprisonment and social stigma, or some combination of the two. Few soldiers go into battle with a personal desire to conquer their neighbors or to plunder their neighbors’ goods. Few soldiers share the enthusiasm of the people who pressed the launch button for the war–the Cheneys, Bushes, and Rumsfelds of the world. An understanding of this is an essential first step to creating peace.
The Iraq war was launched by the Bush administration and some number of people in the Senate and the House of Representatives. Even a unanimous desire to go to war would only have involved some 600 people in this instance. Compared to the approximately 300 million people in this country that’s next to nothing. War is always this way. The mass of people are motivated by patriotism and duty, not from a desire to conquer anyone.
Peace Rule #1: The people of every nation must be free to choose the individuals who get access to public power–both in the forms of authority and money. The better their choices, the better the prospects for peace.
Corollary of Rule #1: The world’s 45 dictators must be removed from office and replaced by democratically chosen governors. There can be no peace while dictators rule. The handbook for this effort is titled Breaking the Real Axis of Evil, How to Oust the World’s Last Dictators by 2025, by Mark Palmer. I will return to this theme later in more detail.
Once we accept that war is always the choice of a select few individuals from among the many, and we have decided not to let those select few pull the levers of society any more, we are ready to proceed toward peace.
In order to engage the multitude in the quest for world peace we have to demonstrate some basic truths and present them over and over and over. They are:
- Peace is achievable in a plannable time horizon (I use 50 years)
- Peace is good for society, including our economy
- Achieving peace requires personal effort, not just patience and passive faith in a divine force
- Working for peace and failing is better than not trying at all
- It doesn’t matter if some people favor war as long as we don’t put those people in charge
- People objected to Jonas Salk’s search for a polio vaccine, and some people will object to efforts to promote peace. We just have to accept some opposition and criticism.
- Every person and every organization has a natural affinity for one or more of the points listed above. It follows that everyone should choose a role that best suits his or her strengths, aptitudes, and positional power.
There are many people and organizations currently supporting the peace effort. Several improvements are needed in the overall picture:
- More synergy among organizations of all kinds
- More visibility and better communication among the participants in these organizations
- The crafting and broadcasting of many messages to mobilize people and refresh their thinking about world peace
- A more systemic approach that brings the titans of academia, business, politics, and the creative realms into working relationships
Future installments of this plan will expand on the points listed above.
I welcome your thoughts.
