Civic Commitment for Peace: a proposal to change the world

Alberto Aune

Let’s build peace by exercising our civic duties.

Wars have always been decided by governments and not by the people; if citizens elect governments that seek peace, peace will be a lasting reality. This proposal of Internet for Peace opens new perspectives for a better world.

Index

Technological development and setbacks in the harmony between people

1. Technological development and setbacks in the harmony between people

Man has advanced in key areas over the centuries and especially in recent tines.

However, conflicts between nations and within them continue happening, without having achieved peace and daily paying the price of broken families, devastated land and people who suffer wounds, mutilations and deaths.

When settling disputes by means of armed struggle, the victory of the strongest part is affirmed -not the victory of the one who is right-, involving a countless number of innocent victims. As this occurs, those who initiate and lead wars decide on lives and property of others, often from comfortable places that are nor splashed by the blood shed on battle fronts.

This can be verified in a simple way: let the reader think about a war; no matter which one, neither what language its participants speak, nor the color of their skin or their religious beliefs; not even when and where that conflict took place. The war that is thought about, whichever it might be, has not been decided by the people but by their rulers. Thus it has happened so far, without exception, throughout history.

2. Our duty: to avoid new wars

The history of makind shows us wars of all kinds, with different types of weaponry and military technology. However, despite these differences, all of them have one thing in common: the decision to launch the wars has been made by rulers or political leaders in power; never, absolutely never, by the people led by them and for whom they are responsible to Men and before God. The time to change history has arrived, tracing a path to peace, achieving the rulers’ commitment to settle disputes between nations or human groups through peaceful means.

3. The key of the problem and its solution

Wars are started, we reiterate, by those persons who have power over the people; this is inferred from an observation of each war and its origins.

Peace is possible through democracy

(Source: www.wikimedia.org)

Often also, these conflicts are only excuses to try out new weapons and mechanisms to destroy human beings. The despicable trade of weapons fills with blood of others the conscience and hands of those who sign agreements to use them in exchange for money that should be used to relieve hunger and disease, and to develop all types of tasks that may lead to the common good .

This fact is before our eyes. It certainly is painful, but in this tragedy we find, as one who observes a work of art with a deeper gaze- looking for symbols that others fail to see -, the key to avoid wars.

The simple and clear solution is to choose leaders at all levels, who value the dialogue’s commitment to solve conflicts by peaceful means. Thus, when the countries worldwide are governed by those who favor peace, peace will be a concrete and closer fact, to the extent that these leaders begin to fulfill the mandate for which they have been elected.

4. Civic Commitment for Peace

This action is available to all the persons who can exercise the suffrage in government systems in which the authorities are chosen democratically.

The proposal belongs to Internet para la Paz (Internet for Peace), an organization that was born in Argentina to promote peace in the world or restore it if it has been breched, through the use of the Web in its current forms or any others that it may have in the future.

Suffrage: the best tool

to achieve peace

(Source: www.wikimedia.org)

In order to give greater strength to the suffrage as a tool for peace, it is proposed to consider the will of candidates to public office in elections of any level at which they postulate, to solve conflicts between nations or groups within or outside a country by peaceful means, when they are being voted for.

This will must be expressed explicitly by whoever states it and accepting the citizens’ control for its efficient accomplishment, to be considered by the citizens.

Thus, the candidate who honors his/her word will contribute to peace among people and the human groups of a nation.

Whoever does not do so will have to bear the rejection of his fellow citizens, who will not vote for him/her again for another elective office, in addition to urging their peers to assume the same attitude, and the request for removal from office to the extent that the country’s laws permit.

5. The result

This consideration of the will for peace in any candate for elective office will be evaluated by their fellow citizens as an element of a least equal level as their other proporsals, independently of the political o economic system prevailing in the country, if it permits the free exercise of suffrage.

To the extent that candidates for elected office become aware that people want to solve conflicts by peaceful means, they will assume commitments for peace, making concrete proposals to reach it, knowing that the voters will appreciate these proposals and commitments when deciding their suffrage and will exercise their right to control the officers’ performance in order to avoid withdrawal from the given word.

In this way, people will be the main characters and makers of a change of rulers, reaching power those persons who choose peaceful means for conflict resolution.

The presence of legislators, judges and governors who have assumed this commitment, along with control by the voters of the word given by those who are elected, will prevent their failure and will seek concrete proposals for the election promise to be kept, thus strengthening peace among people and nations of the world. Alberto Auné