anti-war activists consider world federation

By Eric Shultz

SEPTEMBER 14 - Representatives from California Peace Action, Code Pink, International ANSWER, Veterans for Peace, and the World Federalists of Northern California participated in a forum discussion titled "Preemptive Peace—Finding Solutions to the War System." This was part of the “Democracy in a Globalized World” series at the University of California, Berkeley's International House

The evening program represented the culmination of more than a year's effort by the World Federalists on the Solutions to the War System outreach project. The project was born out of concern that today's peace movement was once again aroused to protest a particular war without having much to offer in terms of preventing future wars, a somewhat Sisyphean exercise. Rather than allow this seemingly generational cycle to persist, we sought to help peace activists understand that by dedicating some of their efforts to the creation of institutions of good global government, they would be working to create real, lasting peace.

Guided by the keen journalistic instincts of the San Francisco Chronicle's Jonathan Curiel, the discussion centered on three central questions. Is human conflict inevitable, and if it is, does it necessarily follow that war is inevitable as well? Consequently, if war is preventable, how and what can be done now to undertake action to that effect?

World Federalists Byron Belitsos, Bob Gauntt, and Eric Schultz made a case that while human conflict is probably inherent in civilization, governance has been proven as a method by which communities of all sizes can live together in peace.

As the people of the world increasingly understand themselves to be members of a common humanity, it will become necessary to develop proper governing systems to protect that larger community's interest.

While representatives from the other participating organizations seemed to understand this premise, and two saw some merit ultimately in a world government, objections, known well to most World Federalists, arose.

Many expressed a now common sentiment that governments, (particularly our own) and perhaps even inter-personal power structures in general, tend to become corrupt, exploit the weak, and act in ways not in tune with “the will of the people." The room echoed with proclamations that it was the corrupt government officials and corporate fat-cats that had created a war in Iraq, not "us." Based on that view, more than one organization expounded the need for an international people's movement in order to wrest power away from the governments, and organize human communities based on acceptance of others, dialogue, and shared human values.

The representatives of these peace organizations also felt that immediate resolutions of current issues, particularly the war in Iraq, were more important than creating a global system of governance.

These points are certainly not without merit. However, World Federalists must help people restore faith in the theory and practice of governance and move for its proper implementation on all levels of society, including the world stage. Important points to note include:

• Even with its downsides, few people would want to live in an ungoverned city, state or nation: Why should we resist governing the world?
  
• While positive dialogue and mutual understanding can be used to maintain good civil relations among people much of the time, they won't work all of the time. In those situations, unless there is government (and the law and order it can legitimately provide) people are left with only two choices: fight back (often violently) or give in to exploitation.
  
• It doesn't do any good to simply vilify our governing systems. In times when they are not working satisfactorily, activists have a responsibility to produce reforms in order to meet their needs. Without that civic activity, bad government will inevitably arise.
  
• Multinational corporations, criminal enterprises, international institutions (like the WTO and IMF), and national governments, already make decisions that have significant and far reaching implications. In this way, the world stage is being "governed" already. The problem is that the bodies making those decisions are not accountable to the people affected by their policies. A democratic global government would solve that problem by empowering people with a process by which their voice can be heard.
  
• World Federalists are by no means against activism taken in response to immediate problems. We are, however, frustrated by the lack of discipline and foresight demonstrated by many contemporary activist campaigns. Raising public awareness, and rallying support for political change are good first steps in the process of social development, but those acts must be followed up with the creation of institutional capacities designed to permanently address recurring problems. For some people, creating a system of global government may seem to be a forbiddingly large and complex job, but it is ultimately an achievable goal. Furthermore, even small steps taken toward that end have continuing effects, for they permanently raise the baseline level of human cooperation and provide solid foundations for future progress.

These aforementioned themes were presented not only in the Preemptive Peace Conference at Berkeley but also in the "press kits" of media material that were specifically designed for this campaign. These packets, consisting of 6 brochures and an individualized cover letter, have been disseminated to 48 organizations so far. Before we finish the project, nearly 100 peace and disarmament organizations in the greater Bay Area will have received this information.

Through these efforts, we believe our organization has achieved some measure of success in raising awareness of World Federalist concepts within one of our country's most dynamic activist communities. Our hope is that, as they come to understand that global government is a necessary component for the creation of legitimate, lasting, and peaceful human coexistence, these activist movements will be more inclined to focus more of their energy towards the promotion of that goal.

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