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Beyond war: women transforming militarism, building a nonviolent world
If we want to ensure that humanity is not doomed to repeat it’s bloodiest century, the logical move would be to mount an international campaign to see that competent women are swiftly accepted into policy-making positions in all conflict countries, says Scilla Elworthy
Next year will mark the centenary of the start of the “war to end all wars”. Watching television news today, you might conclude that humanity is doomed to repeat it’s bloodiest century. But watching the trends, you would see a very different picture - a picture that shows the key role of women in decreasing violence worldwide.
In a brilliant article in December 2012 former Australian foreign minister Gareth Evans spelled out the facts: “Over the last two decades, major wars and episodes of mass violence worldwide have become much less frequent and deadly. After a high point in the late 1980s and very early 1990s, there has been a decline of well over 50% in the number of major conflicts both between and within states; in the number of genocidal and other mass atrocities; and in the number of people killed as a result of them.”
Explanations of this phenomenon vary. Steven Pinker: “The decline of violence is a fractal phenomenon. You can see it over millennia, over centuries, over decades and over years.” Evans concludes that this is due to “the huge upsurge in conflict prevention, conflict management, negotiated peacemaking, and post-conflict peace-building activity that has occurred over the last decade and a half – most of it spearheaded by the much-maligned UN.”
Our own experience at Peace Direct would enhance this explanation by demonstrating the fast increasing role of women in peace-building. We have so far documented 164 active and effective women’s peace building organisations in conflict areas worldwide - with 23 such organisations in Pakistan alone - and there are surely hundreds more to research worldwide.
Next year will mark the centenary of the start of the “war to end all wars”. Watching television news today, you might conclude that humanity is doomed to repeat it’s bloodiest century. But watching the trends, you would see a very different picture - a picture that shows the key role of women in decreasing violence worldwide.
In a brilliant article in December 2012 former Australian foreign minister Gareth Evans spelled out the facts: “Over the last two decades, major wars and episodes of mass violence worldwide have become much less frequent and deadly. After a high point in the late 1980s and very early 1990s, there has been a decline of well over 50% in the number of major conflicts both between and within states; in the number of genocidal and other mass atrocities; and in the number of people killed as a result of them.”
Explanations of this phenomenon vary. Steven Pinker: “The decline of violence is a fractal phenomenon. You can see it over millennia, over centuries, over decades and over years.” Evans concludes that this is due to “the huge upsurge in conflict prevention, conflict management, negotiated peacemaking, and post-conflict peace-building activity that has occurred over the last decade and a half – most of it spearheaded by the much-maligned UN.”
Our own experience at Peace Direct would enhance this explanation by demonstrating the fast increasing role of women in peace-building. We have so far documented 164 active and effective women’s peace building organisations in conflict areas worldwide - with 23 such organisations in Pakistan alone - and there are surely hundreds more to research worldwide.
http://www.opendemocracy.net/5050/scilla-elworthy/beyond-war-women-transforming-militarism-building-nonviolent-world
