Pedestrians wait at a trolley stop in Oslo, Norway, in front of a sign of Nobel Peace laureate Barack Obama (AP Photo/John McConnico)
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The Peace Alliance uses “Yes We Can” attitude to gain support for a Department of Peace
By Laura Brody
President Obama’s “yes we can” message re-ignited the American public’s desire for change. Obama told America in his president elect speech in Chicago that one of his goals was “…to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace….”
Young Iraqi children, who have not yet started school, pretend to be following lessons in Baghdad, Iraq. The boy, right, who is playing the teacher at the board, is the only actual student. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
By Kaitlyn Sweeting
The United States Institute for Peace has made empowering the youth of Iraq to promote peace through education and the media among its highest priorities. In August 2009, youth from Sunni, Shia, and Kurdish backgrounds gathered to address the obstacles to fostering peace. Later this year, a televised recap of the experience will air on Iraqi broadcasting networks for their peers. In the near future, the USIP hopes to produce an 8-10 episode televised series on peacebuilding targeted at Iraqi youth.
For over 75 years citizens in the United States have been attempting to create a cabinet-level Department of Peace to help our government create policies that would tackle issues of violence within the U.S. and provide nonviolent conflict resolution and peace-building solutions to international matters. The most recent wave of legislative attempts started in 2001, two months before 9/11, when Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) introduced the bill H.R. 808 ,the Department of Peace and Nonviolence Act, into Congress. He argued, "Peace is practical; violence is quite impractical”.
Shortly after Kucinich withdrew from his presidency bid in 2004, the non-profit organization The Peace Alliance formed to continue advocating for passage of this bill. The organization believes that the creation of a Department of Peace would be a huge, positive step for our government. Others seem to agree. Since January 20th 2010 Change.org has been asking people to vote on the “top ideas” for change. The current competition will end March 4th and the winning ideas will be announced at an event in Washington D.C. Currently, establishing a Department of Peace is running third in the war and peace ideas category.
With Obama’s promotion of peace, hope and change, his administration could be a great ally for the creation of a U.S. Department of Peace and truly help open doors. However, there is still no sign that any of his administration supports this department.
Even so, The Peace Alliance has found a new sense of confidence in the Obama administration’s more peaceful approach to government and feels it can finally gain enough support to end this 75-year battle and finally create the Department of Peace.
The organization is starting off 2010-2011 with some innovative approaches to gaining support to pass this legislation. It plans to use alternative media, such as Facebook and Twitter, to raise awareness. The Peace Alliance also plans to support and fund smaller bills that promote peace in hopes that the success of such bills as the Youth PROMISE Act will cause Americans to reexamine peace-building and nonviolent conflict resolution as a viable options to war. While no new Department of Peace bill has been submitted to Congress yet, all 50 states have a campaign working towards gaining co-sponsors for a new round of legislation. With the new and improved strategy, The Peace Alliance is optimistic that the time has come for Americans who want a change to advocate for the creation of this Department with or without the direct support of the Obama administration. For more information on this bill and its various campaigns visit: www.thepeacealliance.org