Peaceful Prevention of Deadly Conflict - January 2008

“If war is not the answer, what is?”

We believe that the answer begins with finding peace within ourselves and making peace within our families, workplace and communities. To find an answer, we must first clearly define the problem- its roots and manifestations. Frequently deadly conflict results from the absence of rule of law, breakdown of preventive diplomacy and conflict resolution efforts, lack of human rights, scarcity of the basic necessities of life and the availability of lethal weapons. Our religious faith guides us.

We seek a culture of peaceful prevention of deadly conflict rather than a culture of reaction to deadly conflict that has already erupted out of control. Towards this end we urge our national leaders to:

1. Fulfill US obligations under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty to negotiate in good faith for cessation of the nuclear arms race and complete disarmament.

2. Require all US government personnel, including the CIA, to ban torture, inhumane and degrading treatment and restore the right of people detained by the US government to have a court consider why they are in prison.

3. Use preventive diplomacy, including the use of nonviolent conflict resolution, mediation, arbitration, and confidence building measures to de-escalate tensions and resolve conflicts.

4. Identify alternative missions for the national labs to do long term research of strategic importance, such as climate change, energy sustainability, material science and technology, and nuclear stockpile security and monitoring.

5. Strengthen efforts to build in and among all countries fair and impartial judicial and legal systems that promote human rights and stifle corruption.

6. As harmful effects of climate change increasingly cause conflict, we support specific policies to reduce US greenhouse gases emissions quickly, deeply and fairly, and to help poor communities at home and abroad to adapt.