This 'newsletter' is an update to interested people about current additions to the Canadian Centres for Teaching Peace web site.

Upcoming Events http://www.peace.ca/upcoming.htm :

October 29th and 30, 2004 - International Peacemaker and author Dr. Marshall Rosenberg is coming to Ottawa. Dr. Rosenberg is one of the most important speakers of our time. His insight into the nature of human violence and how the way in which we communicate dictates either violent or peaceful outcomes is essential knowledge to all. With inspiring eloquence, Dr. Rosenberg demonstrates and models the skills each human being can develop in order to create a world where everyone's needs for respect, harmony and understanding can be met. It becomes painfully evident that violence and threat of punishment are tragic and ineffective attempts at resolving conflict and Dr. Rosenberg offers us a powerful and effective alternative. Drawing on the universality of all faiths, his message is both clear and beautifully simple, yet simultaneously revolutionary as it asks us to seriously question our assumptions about the nature of humanity. Whether it's conflict in a war zone, boardroom, classroom, schoolyard, or around the kitchen table, Dr. Rosenberg's message reminds us about what it means to be human - a message we can no longer afford to ignore. If you would like further information, please do not hesitate to contact me. Rachelle Lamb, President, BC Network for Compassionate Communication www.bcncc.org ; (250) 480-7122; 1-866-480-7122 (Pacific Standard Time); Email: info@rachellelamb.com . [9:00am - 4:30pm both days; RA Centre, 2451 Riverside Drive; $320 or $270 if paid by October 14th.]

November 14 to 21, 2004 - Restorative Justice Week 2004: Engaging Us all in the Dialogue/ Semaine de la justice réparatrice 2004: Participons ensemble au dialogue. For more information, web site http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca

November 20 – 27, 2004 - YMCA World Peace Week - Each year, many YMCAs and YMCA-YWCAs across Canada celebrate YMCA World Peace Week by dedicating a full week in November to explore peace from a personal, community and international perspective. This year’s Peace Week is being held November 20-27, 2004 and the theme is, “Peace…carry the spirit of change.” As a values-based charity, the YMCA in Canada is dedicated to teaching children and youth about the many dimensions of peace while also instilling values such as tolerance, inclusiveness, caring, respect and responsibility for others. YMCA World Peace Week includes programs that promote peace building activities both at home and abroad. A special highlight of the week is the awarding of the YMCA Peace Medallion to an individual or group who, without any special resources, has demonstrated a commitment to peace through special contributions made within their community or overseas.
To find out if your YMCA or YMCA-YWCA offers YMCA World Peace Week activities, contact your local Y through the YMCA Canada website at: www.ymca.ca . Be sure to download YMCA Canada’s Peace Week Resource booklet that offers a wide range of peace building activities for children and youth. For more information: Beta Siebenmann, Administrative Assistant, International Development, YMCA Canada; Tel: (416) 967-9622 ext. 203

November 20 – 27, 2004 - Semaine internationale de la paix du YMCA - Chaque année, de nombreux YMCA et YMCA-YWCA dans l’ensemble du Canada célèbrent la paix dans le monde en y consacrant une semaine entière afin de l’explorer selon une perspective personnelle, communautaire et internationale. Cette année, la Semaine de la paix aura lieu du 20 au 27 novembre 2004, et le thème choisi est « La paix…partageons l’esprit du changement ». À titre d’organisme caritatif fondé sur des valeurs, le YMCA au Canada s’est engagé à enseigner aux enfants et aux jeunes les nombreuses dimensions de la paix tout en leur inculquant des valeurs telles que la tolérance, l’inclusivité, la bienveillance, le respect et la responsabilité envers son prochain. La Semaine internationale de la paix du YMCA comprend des programmes qui prônent des activités de pacification tant ici qu’outre-mer. Un des faits saillants de cette semaine est la remise de la Médaille de la paix du YMCA à une personne ou un groupe qui, sans ressources spéciales, a démontré un engagement envers la paix par le biais de contributions faites dans sa communauté ou à l’étranger.
Pour savoir si votre YMCA ou YMCA-YWCA tiendra des activités dans le cadre de la Semaine internationale de la paix du YMCA, communiquez avec le YMCA ou YMCA-YWCA de votre localité par l’entremise du site web de YMCA Canada à www.ymca.ca . Assurez-vous de télécharger le livret de ressources produit par YMCA Canada pour la Semaine de la paix. Ce livret contient une gamme variée d’activités de pacification destinées aux enfants et aux jeunes. Beta Siebenmann, Administrative Assistant, International Development, YMCA Canada; Tel: (416) 967-9622 ext. 203

Problem Identification Topics http://www.peace.ca/problem.htm :

Uninspiring and Shocking Quotes http://www.peace.ca/uninspiringquotes.htm :

On December 3, 1888, President Grover Cleveland delivered his annual address to Congress. Apparently Cleveland had taken notice of the Santa Clara County Supreme Court headnote, its politics, and its consequences, for he said in his speech to the nation, delivered before a joint session of Congress: "As we view the achievements of aggregated capital, we discover the existence of trusts, combinations, and monopolies, while the citizen is struggling far in the rear or is trampled to death beneath an iron heel. Corporations, which should be the carefully restrained creatures of the law and the servants of the people, are fast becoming the people's masters."

"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism, since it is the merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.

"If you are chained into a bed with an elephant, you have little hope that things will get better but you know that unless you are constantly moving with the beast things could get an awful lot worse." David Parnas, talking about Canada's dilemma with U.S. relations and Space based Missile System, which can be used for defence and offence, including nuclear weapons

Who's Who (World Level) http://www.peace.ca/whoswho.htm :

NewMathforHumanity is of course not about mathematics, per se. It is about power relations. We strive to fullfill our mission by working on power in three interrelated spheres: Psychological Action to Develop Personal Power; Political Action to Transform the Structures of Power; Intellectual Action to Advance the Evolutionary Project. We work in these three spheres because we believe the personal is connected to the political and because the nature of our mission requires a large R & D component. Thus, the development of personal power will inevitably propel each person to express him or herself politically, working in some way to transform the structures of power in society to life-enhancing forms. The distribution and consumption of resources, the ecological balance, the concern that such a large gap is growing between those who 'have' and those who 'have not' become natural areas for political action. Yet, we are the first to acknowledge that serious study, research, and the development of practical options is required on the subject of power. While power is an omnipresent factor in almost all disciplines, from developmental psychology to criminology, economics to business and organizational management, from international relations to war and peace studies, it remains underdeveloped, ubiquitous but unclear. It is also most often experienced and treated as a negative term - especially by those who see others abusing power. In order to explore power more, to offer useful insights, services, and products that will contribute to realizing the vision that inspires our work, NewMathforHumanity must be a continuous learning initiative. Above all, we believe there is a community of people who share our vision, and who in their own way are working now to transform power. They may be doing this by helping individuals to overcome their demons to get well, or helping families live happily together, or by taking nonviolent action to protest something that is wrong, by demanding sound environmental and fair trade practices, or by establishing rule of law in anarchic, violent societies and encouraging and supporting the full participation of citizens in political processes. There is much to do. For more information: contact Ben Hoffman, NewMathforHumanity, C/O Concorde Inc., 68B Raddatz Road, R.R. #2, Eganville, ON, K0J 1T0, Canada; Phone: +613-754-5283; Fax: +613-754-2972; email hoffmanben@hotmail.com ; web site www.newmathforhumanity.com

Information Resources (World Level) http://www.peace.ca/info.htm :

Book - The Practice of Peace - I am almost done reading Harrison Owen's book "The Practice of Peace". I wish to tell you about this because I see another convergence between the comments that the peacebuilding happens during the process of working on projects (for example), and using the Open Space conferencing in the process. Owen is the leader behind Open Space Technology. Open Space Technology or methodology of conferencing is very complimentary to what we have come around to thinking in terms of Servant Leadership style, non-hierarchical organizing, and the principles contained in the draft Charter (borrowed from the World Social Forum). I have come to believe (an "aha" moment) that essentially the Canadian Peace Initiative may be as simple as providing venues or "Open Spaces to Open Minds to Peace". (Another "reality check" -- It has been my personal view that I saw my contribution as simply providing venues where peace educators and peace builders could come together to dialogue, network, disseminate information, plan, etc. - in a sense, I/we have been doing Open Space for the past 3 years + without realizing it, through our conferences, my web site, our email listservers, etc.) What Harrison Owen is saying is, "do not worry about spending a lot of time organizing an agenda. Just provide an Open Space, have a general theme(s), invite people with a passion to come, the conference will organize itself based on what these passionate people really want to discuss". He confirms what I think many of our participants have said at the last National Peace Education Conference -- that our best time was in the personal chats outside the presentations. Harrison puts it much better than I. You can read (and I highly recommend it to you) the 146 page book on the Internet at Practice of Peace, Chapters 1,2 Practice of Peace, Chapters 2,4 Practice of Peace, Chapters 5,6, Practice of Peace, Chapters 7,8 , Practice of Peace, Chapters 9,10 . (the only thing is, the Internet version is missing about 4 pages - but it doesn't really matter). Alternatively, you can order your own copy from the Open Space Institute of Canada in Quebec, by printing an order form off the Internet at http://www.openspacecanada.org/books.htm and mailing it with a cheque (but it may take 3 weeks to turn around). Suggestion: do all your group work as a series of Open Space conferencing. In Owen's words, it will be self-organizing (which coincidentally takes a lot of stress off you). You may well think that I have gone a bit crazy with this Open Space stuff. However, I feel it is right for us, for what we have been working on, for the peace constituents, and for these times. Open Space has all the features of a Culture of Peace (eg. democratic participation, respect, listening to understand, etc.) Click on this link to read Highlights of the Book. http://www.peace.ca/openspace.htm [Review by Bob Stewart]

Book - The Iron Heel, by Jack London (1906) foresees: "the creation of attractive suburbs for the relatively privileged strata of the working class while the central cities are turned into what he calls "ghettoes"for the masses of unemployed and menial laborers, shoved into the darkest depths of human misery; the deliberate economic subversion of public education in order to spread illiteracy and ignorance; adequate food, health care, and housing priced above the reach of more and more people; the ubiquitous secret police infiltrating all organizations opposing the government; the establishment of a permanent mercenary army; the government conspiring in real and phony bomb plots, in the suppression of books and the destruction of printing presses, in witch hunts aimed at dissident labor leaders, professors, and authors, in destroying the reputations of some of its opponents, imprisoning many others and murdering the few it finds too formidable; spontaneous mass rebellions of the downtrodden people of the central cities; urban guerrillas battling the government's army of mercenaries and police in the canyons of the cities." See fuller review at http://www.davidcogswell.com/Reviews/IronHeel.html

Book - It Can’t Happen Here is a much-overlooked novel by Sinclair Lewis in which a totalitarian regime slowly but irrevocably takes over the United States in the 1930s. Lewis satirically documents the rise of a fascist leader whose coming to power is met with apathetic shrugs by a easily-wooed populace who believes that a dictatorship “can’t happen here”—not in so-called democratic America. The antagonist of Lewis’s novel, Senator Buzz Windrip, marshalls his forces by appealing to xenophobia, racist dogma, and nostalgia for America’s glorious military past. Windrip wins the presidential election and quickly establishes a totalitarian state, using his private militia to enforce his increasingly brutal regime. See fuller review at http://www.motherbird.com/Can'tHap.htm

Book - We, by Yevgeny Zamyatin (1920) - This novel has served as the inspiration for what has become, if not a genre, then at the very least a dominant sub-genre of science fiction. It is the first major dystopian novel, a precursor to George Orwell’s 1984, Aldus Huxley’s Brave New World, and Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, and its history, along with that of its author, eerily mimics some of the themes of those other books. It is not necessary to be intimately familiar with the totalitarian political structure of Stalin’s Russia to feel the full impact of We. Instead, the clarity of this book’s language and the amazing characterization and plotting carry the reader into a world both absurd and nightmarish, transcending what must have been the oppressive atmosphere in which it was written. ... We is an exploration of the individual vs. the social order, a celebration of the importance of imagination, and ultimately, a warning regarding the dehumanizing consequences of imagination’s destruction. Zamyatin’s profound understanding of the human soul transcends what could have been a heavy, demagogic work. He celebrates the power of laughter, injecting a lightness into the text at the most unexpected points. I, pleasantly surprised at just how funny this work was, and at how well its science fiction aspects have withstood the changing times, certainly intend to read it again. See fuller review at http://www.greenmanreview.com/book/book_zamyatin_we.html

The Peace Review is a quarterly, multidisciplinary, transnational journal of research and analysis, focusing on the current issues and controversies that underlie the promotion of a more peaceful world. Social progress requires, among other things, sustained intellectual work, which should be pragmatic as well as analytical. The task of the journal is to present the results of this research and thinking in short, accessible and substantive essays. Peace Review Home Page:
http://www.usfca.edu/peacereview/index.htm . Submission Guidelines for the Peace Review: http://www.usfca.edu/peacereview/guidelines.htm . For further information call Orion Anderson at 718-393-1104.

Book "Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most", by the Harvard Negotiation Project. Some quotes: "Returning from several years in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II, I discovered that my roommate, two of my closest friends, and dozens of classmates had been killed in the war. Ever since, I have worked to improve the skills with which we deal with our differences; to improve the prospects for our children's future; and to enlist others in that cause." "What makes these situations so hard to face? It's our fear of the consequences -- whether we raise the issue or try to avoid it." "The dilemma ... Why is it so difficult to decide whether to avoid or to confront? Because at some level we know the truth - If we try to avoid the problem, we'll feel taken advantage of, our feelings will fester, we'll wonder why we don't stick up for ourselves, and we'll rob the other person of the opportunity to improve things. But if we confront the problem, things might get even worse. We may be rejected or attacked; we might hurt the other person in ways we didn't intend; and the relationship might suffer." "Delivering a difficult message is like throwing a hand grenade. Coated with sugar, thrown hard or soft, a hand grenade is still going to do damage. Try as you may, there's no way to throw a hand grenade with tact or to outrun its consequences. And keeping it to yourself is no better. Choosing
not to deliver a difficult message is like hanging on to a hand grenade once you've pulled the pin. So we feel stuck. We need advice that is more powerful than "Be diplomatic" or "Try to stay positive". The problems run deeper than that; so must the answers." "... learning conversations ... people who have learned new approaches to dealing with their most challenging conversations report less anxiety and greater effectiveness in all of their conversations ... dealing constructively with tough topics and awkward situations strengthens a relationship." "At heart, the problem isn't in your actions, it's in your thinking." You can buy the book for $11.20 at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/014028852X/002-6059897-9091241?v=glance . To increase our chances of achieving a successful conversation we must have a good strategy. Here are some general tips from the above book:
1. having a purpose (what is the point and what does a good outcome look like?; three purposes that work: learning their story, expressing your views and feelings, and problem-solving together)
2. remember that we can not change or control other people (we can have influence, and engaging someone in a conversation where mutual learning is the goal often results in change)
3. letting go of past issues (grievances, losses) and working together from a basis of current commonalities, strengths and assets to build a better future
4. engaging in nonviolent communication (eg. do not "poke the other person in the eye" ;-); otherwise they get defensive and/or offensive (and blind to us ;-) (for information on compassionate communication, refer to http://www.bcncc.org/ )
5. realizing all parties to the conversation are not perfect (we all see the world differently, we all have powerful feelings, and we each have our own identity issues to work through; in short, we each have our own story, and our own picture of peace)
6. think like a mediator (identify the Third Side, or Third Story; the key is learning to describe the gap or difference between our stories, then working to try to close it, which may take movement by all parties)
7. turn it into a learning conversation: describe the problem in a way both sides can accept, propose mutual understanding and problem-solving as purposes, check with others to see if this makes sense, and invite others to join the conversation (make them your partner in figuring it out; those that do not wish to participate can opt-out). Provide some relevant background reading that might help open minds.
8. listen to understand; ask open-ended questions; ask for more information; respect others; create a safe environment for dialogue
9. think and strategize before you speak; don't cross-examine; don't blame; don't take away from the other person; paraphrase for clarity, to show that you heard, and check your understanding; acknowledge their feelings; empathize; speak from the heart, start with what matters most and say what you mean; don't exaggerate, generalize or stereotype; be humble (having humility does not mean allowing others to "walk all over you")
10. It is up to each of us to find our own truth (i.e. my truth is not necessarily your truth; you should not simply accept what I say: you have to do your own "homework")
11. identify the issues and problems from all perspectives; make the "trouble" explicit; find out where there is agreement and disagreement, and why; then begin to problem-solve: brainstorm with all affected parties, invent options, ask what standards should apply, consider alternatives
12. have patience: it takes time
13. rehearse the conversation in your mind before starting (have preparation notes; think things through)
14. appreciate the diversity of thoughts and ideas
15. sometimes we have to agree to disagree, with all due respect
16. thank the parties for their participation (it will take a lot of effort, and hopefully it is worthwhile)
I look forward to your thoughts and additional suggestions on this. I am most interested because peacebuilders and peace educators are always having a difficult conversation. I am hopeful that we can develop a model for peacebuilding to help us work through the various difficult conversations that must take place. Please provide feedback to Bob Stewart at stewartr@peace.ca

Proposals/Solutions http://www.peace.ca/proposal.htm :

Inspiring Quotes http://www.peace.ca/inspiringquotations.htm :

"Cautious, careful people always casting about to preserve their reputation or social standards never can bring about reform. Those who are really in earnest are willing to be anything or nothing in the world’s estimation, and publicly and privately, in season and out, avow their sympathies with despised ideas and their advocates, and bear the consequences.” Susan B. Anthony

"If you want to know your past, examine your present conditions. If you want to know your future, examine your present actions." Buddhist saying.

"If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies." Moshe Dayan

During the period of 1965-1973, more than 50,000 Americans made their way to Canada, refusing to participate in an immoral war - America's war in Vietnam. Canadian public opposition to that war, along with strong pressure placed on the Canadian government, resulted in Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau saying at the time, "Those who make the conscientious judgment that they must not participate in this war...have my complete sympathy, and indeed our political approach has been to give them access to Canada. Canada should be a refuge from militarism."

"Foresight is the ability to see ahead. Innovation is the ability to develop new solutions and deploy new ideas. And Strategy is the ability to create practical paths to reach desired goals. These are the three key elements we all must use to create the future." Timothy Mack, President, World Future Society

See the following new reports posted on our web site:

A History Of US Secret Human Experimentation - It boggles the mind that human beings could do this to each other. It is even more disturbing when it is a supposedly democratic government of the West that has carried out these atrocities. More scary: they have not pledged to mend their ways and never do this to people again!! Please, Read the attached report. http://www.peace.ca/secretexperimentation.htm

The Hidden History of CIA Torture: America's Road to Abu Ghraib, By Alfred W. McCoy. ... a perverse pathology that allows the practice of torture, once begun, to spread uncontrollably in crisis situations, destroying the legitimacy of the perpetrator nation. As past perpetrators could have told today's pundits, torture plumbs the recesses of human consciousness, unleashing an unfathomable capacity for cruelty as well as seductive illusions of potency.... These photos, however, are snapshots not of simple brutality or even evidence of a breakdown in "military discipline." What they record are CIA torture techniques that have metastasized like an undetected cancer inside the U.S. intelligence community over the past half century. http://www.peace.ca/UStorturehistory.htm

In 1996, Douglas Feith (current U.S. defence undersecretary) and neocon Israel supporter Richard Perle (current U.S. Administration) were among the authors of the policy plan, "A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm" for Israel's then Likud prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, calling for Greater Israel. As well, it called for a much more aggressive policy on Iraq and Syria and for ending peace talks with the Palestinians. Further evidence that the current United States Administration planned wars in the Middle East. Quotes: "We must distinguish soberly and clearly friend from foe. We must make sure that our friends across the Middle East never doubt the solidity or value of our friendship. Israel can shape its strategic environment, in cooperation with Turkey and Jordan, by weakening, containing, and even rolling back Syria. This effort can focus on removing Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq — an important Israeli strategic objective in its own right — as a means of foiling Syria’s regional ambitions." ... "Since Iraq's future could affect the strategic balance in the Middle East profoundly, it would be understandable that Israel has an interest in supporting the Hashemites in their efforts to redefine Iraq, including such measures as: visiting Jordan as the first official state visit, even before a visit to the United States, of the new Netanyahu government; supporting King Hussein by providing him with some tangible security measures to protect his regime against Syrian subversion; encouraging — through influence in the U.S. business community — investment in Jordan to structurally shift Jordan’s economy away from dependence on Iraq; and diverting Syria’s attention by using Lebanese opposition elements to destabilize Syrian control of Lebanon. Most important, it is understandable that Israel has an interest supporting diplomatically, militarily and operationally Turkey’s and Jordan’s actions against Syria, such as securing tribal alliances with Arab tribes that cross into Syrian territory and are hostile to the Syrian ruling elite." ... "In recent years, Israel invited active U.S. intervention in Israel’s domestic and foreign policy for two reasons: to overcome domestic opposition to "land for peace" concessions the Israeli public could not digest, and to lure Arabs — through money, forgiveness of past sins, and access to U.S. weapons — to negotiate. This strategy, which required funneling American money to repressive and aggressive regimes, was risky, expensive, and very costly for both the U.S. and Israel, and placed the United States in roles is should neither have nor want." ... "No amount of weapons or victories will grant Israel the peace its seeks." Read "A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm" http://www.israeleconomy.org/strat1.htm . Read an Analysis of A Clean Break by the Institute for Research: Middle East Policy. http://www.irmep.org/Policy_Briefs/3_27_2003_Clean_Break_or_Dirty_War.html . This document, along with "The Project for a New American Century" http://www.newamericancentury.org/RebuildingAmericasDefenses.pdf , demonstrate how much the current U.S. Administration wished to conduct a regime change in Iraq far before 9/11.

Questions? contact Bob Stewart at stewartr@peace.ca

We are hosting 3 major upcoming events:
Peace and Leadership 3-day workshop November 15 - 17, 2004 http://www.peace.ca/leadershipworkshop.htm ,
Third Annual Peace Education Conference in Canada November 18 - 21, 2004 http://www.peace.ca/CanadianAgenda2004.htm , followed by a
National Culture of Peace Program Symposium November 21 - 23, 2004 http://www.peace.ca/nationalcultureofpeace2004.htm .
All at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario. Please join us, and let others that may be interested know.