Conference turris::womannotes-v1

103.0. "Quest for World Peace!" by UNCLE::HAKIM () Sat Nov 01 1986 23:01

"Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the
 defense of peace must be constructed."
					Constitution of UNESCO

World Peace is one of the most puzzling issues of the twentieth century! It is
in fact the most challenging issue that mankind has to deal with today! 
The history of recent times quite clearly shows the inadequacy of the methods
used to achieve PEACE. It is evident that the highest achievement of mankind
to date has been to secure some form of meta-stable peace without any lasting
results! 

                      WHAT KIND OF A WORLD DO WE LIVE IN?

A-

In 1983 alone, some 45 nations or 1/4 of all the world's countries were 
experiencing war of some sort. The bloodiest of those conflicts included the 
following:

*Cambodia/Kampuchea: Civil war. Dead since 1970: 4,000,000
*Indonesia: Guerrilla war. Dead since 1975: 100,000-250,000
*Lebanon: Civil war. Dead since 1975: 85,000
*Afghanistan: Civil war. Dead since 1978: 100,000
*Iran-Iraq: Conventional war. Dead since 1980: 100,000
*Philippines: Guerrilla war. Dead since 1972: 50,000
*Vietnam-China: Conventional war. Dead since 1979: 47,000
*El Salvador: Guerrilla war. Dead since 1977: over 30,000
*Guatemala: Guerrilla war. Dead since 1982: 12,000-22,000
*Ethiopia: Guerrilla war. Dead since 1962: 30,000

                    U.S. News and World Report (March 28, 1983)), 11

REPORTS MORE RECENT THAN 1983 WILL REFLECT EXCEEDINGLY HIGHER NUMBERS!

B-

".....since the second World War, 199 wars have been fought in the world, 350
 years have been spent on fighting them, 69 countries have been directly the 
 theater of a war, and no fewer than 81 countries have been directly or
 indirectly involved in these war conflicts since 1945."

 Janez Stanovnik, "The Debit Balance of the Mistakes of Several Decades" in
 WHAT KIND OF A WORLD ARE WE LEAVING OUR CHILDREN? (Paris: UNESCO, 1978), 73.


C-

"Gil Elliot made a valiant effort to count 'the number of man-made deaths in
 the twentieth century.' He arrived at a total of 110 million, which he regards
 as 'a reasonably conservative estimate'.... The 110 million fatalities (from
 1900-1970) include 38 million soldiers. Since these losses result from war and
 civil war, they cannot properly be attributed to crimes against humanity (in a
 legal sense).... To repeat, those are conservative estimates and it is entirely
 possible, even probable, that deliberate crimes against humanity cost the lives
 of substantially more than 100 million. That means that during the twentieth 
 century, one out of every 30 inhabitants of the earth was killed through 
 government criminality.... This does not include the toll exacted by private 
 criminals, routine crime-fighting by police, and legitimate death penalties."

 K. Glaser and S. T. Possony, Victims of Politics: THE STATE OF HUMAN RIGHTS
 (New York: Columbia University Press, 1979), 43-44

			**************************

                             QUEST FOR PEACE!

"Weapons, however ornamental, are not a source of happiness, but are dreaded by
 all. Therefore the man of Tao will not abide where such things are...."
					Lao Tse (c.570-490 B.C.), Tao-Teh-King

"I prefer the most unfair peace to the most righteous war."
					Cicero (106-43 B.C.) Epistola ad Atticum

"The most disadvantageous peace is better than the most just war."
					Erasmus (1466-1536), Adagia.

"Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding."
					A. Einstein (1879-1955)

" More than an end to war, we want an end to the beginning of all wars."
					Fraklin D. Roosevelt

"If we value our own lives, and the lives of our children everywhere, if we
 honor both the past and the future, then we must do everything in our power to
 work non-violently for Peace."
					Margaret Laurence, quoted in Canadian
					Woman Studies (6:1),122.

"We will never have peace in the world until men everywhere recognize that ends
 are not cut off from means, because the means represent the ideal in the 
 making, and the end in process."
                                        Martin Luther King Jr.
                           ************************

Some discussion on PEACE might prove to be quite illuminating. The following 
questions may be considered as a prelude to start this topic:

*Why do we need to establish PEACE?

*Are we addressing the right issues for establishing PEACE? More properly stated
 Is signing arms control treaties, like banning the use of nuclear arms or 
 prohibiting the use of poison gases etc... enough to remove the root cause of
 war?

*Is putting an end to WAR the only factor necessary to reach PEACE?

*Is achieving PEACE the problem of the governments or does it belong to every
 individual?

*What is the relationship between morality and PEACE?


MY PURPOSE IN POSTING THIS TOPIC IS TO START A PHILOSOPHICAL DISCUSSION ON PEACE
AND NOT A POLITICAL ONE. PLEASE AVOID TURNING THIS INTO A POLITICAL DISCUSSION!
THANKS FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION!

Regards,
Kamran Hakim

I feel bad saying this after this poor person typed all that in...

			* BUT *

I'll talk about women in war ( slim pickings there ) or women in peace,
but to be perfectly honest, I see this as a topic not very many women
will respond to.....

Historically, we've been allowed very little input into this one....

Woulda-Been-Bound-For-Canada-In-1968,

Bugsy

    How do you talk about war/peace without politics (or religion)?  Isn't
    that what causes them?  What can I say?  I think war's bad, I would
    still defend my country if attacked, and I hope that we don't get into
    a war because my brother's in the army.  I think that sexism in
    armed forces is stupid.  I would much rather get killed on the front
    line than as a victim in some village.  And I have to apologize for
    not completely reading .0, but it was long and I wanted to get to
    the bottom to find out what the discussion was supposed to be about.

    ...Karen

    Kamran, your note introduces fascinating statistics and quotes,
    but I don't think women are that closely allied to war (though I
    know they are closely allied with the peace movement the world over).
    As for "trying not to make this political,"  sorry, that's impossible.
    The personal is political.     I absolutely agree with your quote
    from UNESCO's constitution that wars begin in the minds of men.
    Other than Thatcher, I don't know of too many women in position
    and possible mind-set that would consider starting a war.
    
    Ok, Ok, enough with the pointing fingers.    Women and men are
    responsible for this planet and what happens on it.   However,
    to run a war, one needs food, equipment, and various material goods.
    According to UN statistics of 1980 (1982?), women own less than
    1% of the world's wealth (while doing 2/3 of the world's labor)
    so it is doubtful that women have been *supporting* wars materially.
    But, certainly, you couldn't believe that men *wanted* to fight
    in those wars?   I can't.   I suppose some may have been fanatics
    willing to volunteer their lives for their cause (think of the 
    terrorists), but I doubt the majority of them were so.   For some,
    it may have been a question of supply and demand--at least if I'm
    in the army I get food twice a day.   I'm a little better of than
    the other men *NOT* in the army. 
    
    Hey folks, why would you say that wars are being fought?
    

Thatcher is but one of many women throughout history with a warlike
 mindset.
  <_Jym_>

re .4:

	Yep, but dosn't the exception prove the rule?

Dave.

    I suppose we could find many women in history who were at least
    partly responsible for wars (what about Cleopatra) but that really
    should not be the issue. Maybe it's humankind that has a taste for
    the brutal battles. It is sometimes better to fight and die than
    allow the spread of some governments (I think of Hitler). 
    
    I like to think of myself as a peaceful person (most of the time)
    and do not much care for old men sending young men to die. But....
    I don't believe enough in the goodness of mankind to think we are
    safe if we don't at some point say 'this is enough' to some who
    would own the world.  My problem is our government seems to back
    the creeps more than the good guys. I wanted the Shah out of Iran
    and Pinochet(sp?)out of Chili. 
    
    What this has to do with women is that as we gain political power
    maybe we can keep the governement honest. If a special interest
    group (us) is over 50% of the population we ought to be able to
    vote the right folks in. 
    
    Liesl

    War is BIG business.  As long as someone out there can make a fortune
    with war machines he is going too.  All those guns don't come from
    governments.  War is very profitable.
    

{RE .5} - The only thing an exception proves is that the rule is
 inadequate.
  <_Jym_>

    <--(.8)
    
    Indeed.  In that oft-quoted phrase the "proves" means "tests", not
    "validates".  "
    
    						=maggie
    						(Resident Pedant)