Letters to the Editor – Weekly Issue of August 29, 2011
Readers write in with praise for a US Department of Peace and ire at US support for Pakistan in spite of its poor record on women.
Peace – practical, not fanciful
In the July 18 issue, Michael Shank has written a compelling yet distressing commentary about America's low ranking on the current Global Peace Index ("Peace is profitable: time for the US to invest").
Mr. Shank recommends that the United States must invest further in the infrastructure of peace. In addition to a growing number of university programs offering degrees in conflict resolution and peace studies, there are proposals before the US House of Representatives to establish a cabinet-level Department of Peace, and a "Smart Security Platform for the 21st Century," which includes a Department of Peace.
This is not as fanciful and idealistic as it might seem. The multi-disciplines of conflict resolution and peace studies have developed to the point where theory and practice exist to build a new world where the culture of war could at least be complemented by a culture of problem solving to address the growing number of complex, interacting challenges facing the planet.