Peace protesters holding signs march through Copley Square in Boston. Several hundred people gathered for what organizers were calling a peace culture festival to celebrate peace and call for an end to the War on Terror. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
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The Department of Peace: An Opportunity for Cultural Reform
By Alicia Ortiz
“For war, everyone is making preparations. There are plans, there are big companies making equipment and there are big training centers. And for peace, nothing! No budgets. Not even a Department of Peace!” exclaimed Prem Rawat, a prominent advocate for the establishment of a US Department of Peace (DOP). Whether or not establishing a DOP is necessary in our country, it has been a reoccurring debate in Congress over the past 70 years. The proposal for a DOP gained renewed attention in recent years during presidential candidacy of Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich who openly campaigned in favor of the DOP. His enthusiasm on the issue prompted the question: In a country so inclined to spread democratic ideals internationally, why are we so weak in the arenas of diplomacy and international cooperation? Why do we turn to military force rather than problem solving? There must be a better way.
The Peace Alliance, an avid supporter of the DOP, suggests the establishment of a DOP will lead the US towards a culture of peace by legitimizing norms of cooperation and nonviolence. Proponents of a DOP argue that redefining our cultural attitudes toward war and peace can be achieved by teaching violence prevention and mediation to America’s school children, effectively treating and dismantling gang psychology, rehabilitating the prison population, building peace-making efforts among conflicting cultures, supporting our military with complementary approaches to peacebuilding, and by establishing a US Peace Academy.
Many critics of the establishment of a DOP claim that our nation’s Department of Defense handles all matters regarding peace; they insist that our five branches of military maintain a peaceful culture by defending US citizens. But this is a narrow perspective on peace. What these critics fail to realize is that the DOP will augment our problem-solving options and provide a range of practical, concrete and effective non-violent solutions to the problems of domestic and international conflict, effectively expanding our toolbox for peace.