Taking action

The CALL for action by, and for, Elders for disarmament and the cultures of peace promotes an organic network of committed Elders and allies (some of whom qualify only as 'future Elders' 😊) who join efforts for a variety of local, national and global initiatives coherent with the CALL. 

The changes needed are enormous. Many of us feel that it is important to start by stating and backing up 'evident truths', as in our CALL to action. But compelling arguments alone are unlikely to change the oppressive systems in power. We need to exercise on our decision makers and media a pressure at least equivalent to that exercised by those who benefit from the glorification, preparation and waging of wars and armed conflicts.  How can this happen?  New social norms may be a long time in the making but finally emerge as a result of many and diverse initiatives that insist on convincing narratives and action against the status quo. Some examples we like to recall are the abolition of slave or child labor which took place in certain places or economic sectors in a matter of a decade or two, and was quickly economically absorbed in societies where it had been ingrained for centuries.  Similarly, voting rights for women are commonplace today but were far from being so in the early 20th century.  Even smoking on airplanes is today unthinkable, but was normal until about the year 2000.  And so on.  

Together with many others, our group wishes to contribute to a world where the financial and economic actors, the military brass, industrialists, researchers, lobbyists, politicians, academics, media pundits and entertainers that peddle militarism and war are unequivocally placed outside the social norm. To achieve that, many and diverse efforts are needed, from court cases to boycotts, from peace education to public demonstrations and personal career sacrifices, from civil disobedience to the sharing of honest and compelling information through a variety of media. All of us who understand the issues ought to "do the little or much that is possible for us" rather than resigning to frustration, depression and dehumanization, as we face genocide and ecocide in the present and imagine them in the future.  

As an organic network, we start from, and build upon, our personal connections in communities. We embrace a plurality of strategies and joint learning, seeking to empower ourselves to act.  But it is fine to be part of the network only by participating in online meetings (request information from elders4peace(at)gmail.com) or by simply signing and diffusing the CALL for action.  If you would like to do that, please copy the address of this website and share it with your correspondents with some personal words from you via email, Facebook, Telegram, Instagram, X, What'sApp or other social media. Those of us whose main working language is not English, may diffuse the CALL in the other languages already available in this web site, but also contribute to developing new web sites in their languages.  

Our group is, and will remain, lean and minimally structured.  But some may develop ‘nodes’ in the network, which may be geographically-based or topic-based, at various levels.  Please visit our dedicated page to check what is concretely happening at the moment.  Below are some of the ideas and initiatives that we have been broadly envisaged and discussed so far:

SUPPORT THE YOUTH WHO ORGANIZE DEMONSTRATIONS and DIRECT ACTION— The younger generation across college campuses has spoken out and is leading the way.   We can engage in support of their struggles.  The Club of Rome has a major survey that reports that the top interest and concern for young people all over the world is PEACE.  We can ask young people what we can do to support them effectively and concretely (e.g., letters to University presidents, resources, visibility...)

BOYCOTT, DIVEST and SANCTION—  Following the model of  the Anti-Apartheid Movement in South Africa, we can boycot and shun anything related to countries that systematically violate international law and systematically rely on violence to resolve their conflicts. We may do that individually but also openly as a group.  For that, we may develop stickers, banners, etc.  Currently, a sanction initiative has already been embraced as a node in our network, please check it here.

ADVOCATE FOR DISARMAMENT and the CULTURES OF PEACES with LIKE-MINDED GROUPS (e.g., health, environment, climate activists).  The groups active for environment, climate, public health, food sovereignty and right to food, development, and human rights should realize that all they work for is contingent on disarmament and peace.  They should be more active about those subjects as well.  We may engage our personal connections with diverse movements and make sure that the impact of militarism and war on their specific concerns is properly appreciated. Similarly, we may link with trade unions and workers in the weapons-related industries who are developing/implementing conversion plans for socially useful and environmentally sustainable production.

SPEAK OUT FOR DISARMAMENT and AGAINST WAR WITH WHOEVER WE MEET—  Only a few among the fully employed have the option and courage to go against the grain (e.g., those who blocked arms shipments).  Many people with jobs in sensitive sectors—  such as academia, local administration and politicians, the judicial sector— believe that their jobs are at stake if they dare speaking against Israel or the necessity of rearmament and war (e.g., in Ukraine).  Similar fears sit with the unemployed. Those not fully constrained by entrenched power may speak for those who feel they cannot afford to... as our societies are permeated by fear.  So, we Elders may commit to talk about the absurdity of rearmament and war with whoever we meet.  We may talk about the need for verified arms control and disarmament agreements, in particular about nuclear arms, but not only.

SHARE our ‘CALL FOR ACTION’ with all our correspondents, discuss with family, friends and colleagues the establishment or joining of a specific node in the network and send information to elders4peace(at)gmail.com to communicate and connect with others.

INFORM OURSELVES, link with others in our communities, link with efforts by other groups in civil society, 'triangulate' news from a variety of media and make sure to include Al Jazeera (enough Al Jazeera journalists have been killed in Gaza and Lebanon for us to be curious about what they were not supposed to report about). We may also wish to discover a variety of presentations, discussions and interviews in media such as YouTube or Substack, which are suited for in-depth programs, building upon history and engaging the audience in unconventional thinking more than mere 'feel good', 'feel angry' or 'feel scared' reactions.  A few examples: American Exception; Neutrality Studies; Caitlin Johnstone's Newsletter; Chris Hedges Report; and Geopolitical Economy Report.

SET UP ‘ELDERS DISCUSSION GROUPS’ for disarmament and the cultures of peace.  Many Elders have the time to learn, engage and speak with others.  Universities could be an avenues for discussions but so could local community centers.  

PRESSURE INDIVIDUALS or COMPANIES WITH THE POWER TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE— One of our nodes may focus on one or more individuals identified as having the power to make a difference in a particular situation, and write to them (privately  or open letters), visit them, target them making specific requests (e.g., commit to ceasefire) and/or sue them in court, as applicable.  It could also 'name and shame' the individuals and companies that could and should do better, for instance presidents and deans of universities that discriminate and oppress students against genocide, or companies that invest with military industries regardless of their ethics policies.  

PROMOTE PEACE EDUCATION, including CRITICAL THINKING on the notion of  ‘SECURITY’ — The deep-seated interests that sustain rearmament and wars hide themselves under the mantle of ‘security’.  Peace education ought to be prominent in school curricula to inform people from an early age about the real (not entertainment-filtered) causes and consequences of militarism and war and about their many possible alternatives in societies that nurture a broad & intelligent notion of ‘security’.  There are global and national movements for that https://www.peace-ed-campaign.org/about/;  https://article36.org/updates/disarmament-peace-presentation/ ; https://stopfuellingwar.org/en/why-do-we-exist/what-is-eurosatory ; https://weconglobal.com/us/index.html) and we can add our efforts to those, fostering an understanding of the intertwined reasons for conflict, war and expanding military might.  A specific idea: there are powerful international schools on all continents, and regional associations of such schools that influence the thinking of future leaders. A node in our group may seek to leverage such schools and associations around peace and disarmament. In general, schools should educate for critical thinking. They should much better cover the history of colonialism and the ways in which it continues and the ways by which it may end (in the words of Kalid Rashidi: “Imagining and moving towards ending colonialism and the narratives and structures that support it must become a most salient preoccupation at the heart of all transition efforts and movements.").  Education should also provide  an understanding of corporations, their rare accountability and their capacity to affect political and military conflicts, hard-wired into capitalism /neo-liberalism.  

SUPPORT EXISTING PEACE-ORIENTED INITIATIVES and GROUPS— We may identify existing peace initiatives and do our best to strengthen them. In particular we may support the work and visibility, and even fundraise for, conscientious objectors; groups that pull together people expected to be in mutual conflict (e.g., mutual support groups, including parents of killed or maimed children; orchestras among Russians and Ukranians, Palestinians and Israelis; scientists relating with other scientists across countries in conflict, such as the Pugwash movement; etc.).  We may link with groups such as Academics for Peace or International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War and the many others that develop initiatives and encourage signature of declarations (list available here). The international group World Beyond War  https://worldbeyondwar.org/ organizes events, conferences, marches and has a great ‘declaration of peace’ that everyone can sign online, individually or as an organization: https://worldbeyondwar.org/individual/.  

OFFER PERSONAL/ POLITICAL SUPPORT to LIKE-MINDED INDIVIDUALS—  Many of us can be most effective locally, while the larger group can support with information and ideas. Personal support is crucial for us all!  Movements for transformation build power by the multiplying effect of working together, each member influencing and impacting the others and strategically applying the different resources they have and can mobilize. Local partnerships with people and organizations can generate many practical improvements on “minor suffering”, can generate hope, stop pain and destruction, rebuild and regenerate places and people...

IDENTIFY and DIFFUSE INFORMATION ON INSPIRING CASE EXAMPLES of non-violent conflict resolution and dispute settlements, e.g., ways of promoting dialogues and compromise agreements, applying traditional practices with a broad appeal, enhancing tolerance and the capacity to resolve conflicts in peaceful ways. The case examples may be collected in a specific page to be set up upon request in our web site.