A Global Security System

Kent Shifferd, Phill Gittins

Description

Resting on a convincing body of evidence that violence is not a necessary component of conflict among states and between states and non-state actors, World BEYOND War asserts that war itself can be ended. We humans have lived without war for most of our existence and most people live without war most of the time. Warfare arose about 10,000 years ago (only 5% of our existence as Homo Sapiens) and spawned a vicious cycle as peoples, fearing attack by militarized states, found it necessary to imitate them; and so began the cycle of violence that has culminated in the last 100 years in a condition of permawar. War now threatens to destroy civilization as weapons have become ever more destructive. However, in the last 150 years, revolutionary new knowledge and methods of nonviolent conflict management have been developing that lead us to assert that it is time to end warfare and that we can do so by mobilizing millions around a global effort.

Here you will find the pillars of war which must be taken down so that the whole edifice of the War System can collapse, and here are the foundations of peace, already being laid, on which we will build a world where everyone will be safe.

This book presents a comprehensive blueprint for peace rooted in three broad strategies for humanity to end war: 1) demilitarizing security, 2) managing conflicts without violence, and 3) creating a culture of peace. These are the interrelated components of our system: the frameworks, processes, tools and institutions necessary for dismantling the war machine and replacing it with a peace system that will provide a more assured common security.

Sujets

• Violence in Society
• Social Science
• Sociologie, société et politique
• Violence

Informations

• Publié par: eBookIt.com
• Date de parution: 31 juillet 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781734783766
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 34 Mo

Extrait

A GLOBAL SECURITY SYSTEM:
AN ALTERNATIVE TO WAR
FIFTH EDITION
SUMMARY
Resting on a convincing body of evidence that violence is not a necessary component of conflict among states and between states and non-state actors, World BEYOND War asserts that war itself can be ended. We humans have lived without war for most of our existence and most people live without war most of the time. Warfare arose about 10,000 years ago (only 5% of our existence as Homo Sapiens) and spawned a vicious cycle as peoples, fearing attack by militarized states, found it necessary to imitate them; and so began the cycle of violence that has culminated in the last 100 years in a condition of permawar. War now threatens to destroy civilization as weapons have become ever more destructive. However, in the last 150 years, revolutionary new knowledge and methods of nonviolent conflict management have been developing that lead us to assert that it is time to end warfare and that we can do so by mobilizing millions around a global effort.
Here you will find the pillars of war which must be taken down so that the whole edifice of the War System can collapse, and here are the foundations of peace, already being laid, on which we will build a world where everyone will be safe. This book presents a comprehensive blueprint for peace as the basis of an action plan to finally end war.
Contributors
A Global Security System: An Alternative to War (Fifth Edition)
Produced and published by World BEYOND War
Fifth Edition Editor: Phill Gittins
ISBN: 978-1-7347837-7-3 (print version)
ISBN: 978-1-7347837-6-6 (eBook version)
Original authors: Shifferd, Kent; Hiller, Patrick; Swanson, David
Valuable feedback and/or contributions to this and past editions by: Saul Arbess, Colin Archer, Steve Bailey, Jim Bearden, Kathy Beckwith, Leah Bolger, Robert Burrowes, Mary DeCamp, Mel Duncan, Pat Elder, Russ Faure-Brac, Ronald Glossop, Judith Hand, David Hartsough, John Horgan, Robert Irwin, Tony Jenkins, Susan Lain Harris, Patricia Mische, Catherine Mullaugh, Margaret Pecoraro, Tim Pluta, David Prater, Betty Reardon, John Reuwer, Joe Scarry, Annette Schmidt, Alice Slater, Jewell Starsinger, Linda Swanson, Laurie Timmermann, Benjamin Urmston, & Greta Zarro.
Apologies to those who have provided feedback and are not mentioned. Your input is valued.
Layout and design: Paloma Ayala, www.ayalapaloma.com
Contents
SUMMARY
HOW THIS BOOK IS ORGANIZED…AND HOW TO USE IT
“STUDY WAR NO MORE” – JOIN OUR ONLINE LEARNING COMMUNITY
PREFACE TO THE FIFTH EDITION
PREFACE TO 2018-19 EDITION
A GUIDING VISION OF PEACE
INTRODUCTION: A BLUEPRINT FOR ENDING WAR
The Work of World BEYOND War
Disclaimer
Why an Alternative Global Security System is Necessary
What Makes Us Secure?
The Old Security Paradigm
Alternative Security Paradigms
Human Security
Authentic Security
Human Needs
Common Security
The Iron Cage of War: The Present War System Described
The Necessity of an Alternative System – War Fails to Bring Peace
War is Becoming Ever More Destructive
War Preparation and War are Major Contributors to the Environmental Crisis
The Benefits of an Alternative System
WHY WE THINK A PEACE SYSTEM IS POSSIBLE
There is already more Peace in the World than War
We Have Changed Major Systems in the Past
We Live in a Rapidly Changing World
The Perils of Patriarchy are Being Challenged
Compassion and Cooperation are Part of the Human Condition
The Importance of Structures of War and Peace
An Alternative System is Already Developing
Nonviolence: The Foundation of Peace
OUTLINE OF AN ALTERNATIVE GLOBAL SECURITY SYSTEM
How Systems Work
Components of the Alternative Global Security System
DEMILITARIZING SECURITY
Executive Summary
Strategic Policy and Action Recommendations
Shift to a Non-Provocative Defense Posture
Phase Out Foreign Military Bases
Dismantle Military Alliances
End Invasions and Occupations
Disarmament
Conventional Weapons
Outlaw the Arms Trade
End the Use of Militarized Drones
Phase Out Weapons of Mass Destruction
Establish a Peace Economy
Realign Military Spending
The Economics of War Prevention
Create a Stable, Fair and Sustainable Global Economy
Democratize International Economic Institutions (WTO, IMF, IBRD)
Create an Environmentally Sustainable Global Aid Plan
Reconfigure the Response to Terrorism
The Role of Women in Peace and Security
MANAGING CONFLICT WITHOUT VIOLENCE
Executive Summary
Strategic Policy and Action Recommendations
Shifting to A Pro-Active Posture
Strengthening International Institutions and Regional Alliances
Reform the United Nations
Reform the Charter to More Effectively Deal with Aggression
Reform the General Assembly
Reform the Security Council
Provide Adequate Funding
Forecasting and Managing Conflicts Early On
Align Early with Indigenous Nonviolent Movements
Reform Peacekeeping Operations
International Law
Strengthen the International Court of Justice
Strengthen the International Criminal Court
Encourage Compliance with Existing Treaties
Create New Treaties
Establish Truth and Reconciliation Commissions
The Role of Global Civil Society and International NGOs
Nonviolent Intervention: Utilizing Civilian Peacekeeping Forces
Create a Nonviolent, Civilian-Based Defense Force
Proposals for Starting Over: Alternative Approaches to Humane Global Governance
Inherent Problems with Collective Security
Principles of Humane Global Governance
The Earth Federation & The Earth Constitution
Proposal for a Global Emergency Assembly
CREATING A CULTURE OF PEACE
Executive Summary
Strategic Policy and Action Recommendations
Establishing a Culture of Peace
Telling a New Story
The Unprecedented Peace Revolution of Modern Times
Planetary Citizenship: One People, One Planet, One Peace
Spreading and Funding Peace Education and Peace Research
Cultivating Peace Journalism
Utilize Religion as a Tool for Building Peace
ACCELERATING THE TRANSITION: BUILDING THE WORLD BEYOND WAR MOVEMENT
Coalition-Building
Peace Education Programs
Nonviolent Direct Action Campaigns
CONCLUSION
Be Inspired
ADDENDA
Feminist Foreign Policy
Infrastructures for Peace
The Role of Youth in Peace and Security
APPENDICES
Who We Are
World BEYOND War Chapters and Affiliates
Resource Guide
Books
Movies
Debunking Myths of War (handout)
Kellogg-Briand Pact 1928 (handout)
 
HOW THIS BOOK IS ORGANIZED…AND HOW TO USE IT
This book begins with a provocative “Vision of Peace” which may seem to some to be utopian until one reads the rest of the book which comprises the means for achieving it. The first two parts of the book present an analysis of how the current war system works, the desirability and necessity of replacing it, and an analysis of why doing this is possible. The next part outlines the Alternative Global Security System (AGSS) that challenges the failed system of national security and replaces it with the concept of common security - no one is safe until all are safe.
The AGSS relies on three broad strategies for humanity to end war: 1) demilitarizing security, 2) managing conflicts without violence, and 3) creating a culture of peace. These are the interrelated components of our system: the frameworks, processes, tools and institutions necessary for dismantling the war machine and replacing it with a peace system that will provide a more assured common security. Strategies for demilitarizing security are directed at reducing dependency on militarism. At first glance these strategies seem to be only focused on “undoing” the present system. However, they also establish normative principles for pursuing and achieving security. Strategies for managing conflict without violence are focused on reforming and/or establishing new institutions, tools and processes for assuring security. These are the most outwardly functional components of our system. Strategies for creating a culture of peace are the most visionary, potentially transformative, and future oriented. These strategies are concerned with establishing social and cultural norms, values, and principles necessary for sustaining a thriving peace system and the means to spread it globally. The remainder of the book addresses realistic steps an individual or group can take, highlighting the efforts of World BEYOND War to accelerate the transition, and ending with a resource guide for further study and action.
This book is an essential learning tool for those curious about and committed to the abolition of war. It is also an invaluable resource for policy recommendations and citizen action for a more peaceful world order. It is designed for personal study, group discussion, and/or classroom use. We encourage you to read it from cover-to-cover, although you may also easily jump in at any point.
AGSS is a dynamic, living resource: while we have documented here significant research and experimentation on alternative approaches to security, and our knowledge and experiences continues to expand rapidly, we are still confronted by a dominating war system. New thinking and knowledge must be continuously developed, so we invite you to treat this as a shared project. As you explore the alternative vision presented here, you are encouraged to formulate your own ideas on the most effective and ethically consistent strategies and institutions as the foundations of a global security system. We also firmly believe that by encouraging learners to formulate their own solutions and map out systems for common security, we are more likely to encourage ownership and political action to bring the new system into being. Citizen action is absolutely essential for the transformation of the present system. So, beyond assessing the alternatives presented, we invite you to consider (and share with us) the actions we might take, as individuals or collectively, to advance pos