Facilitation: Dorie Wilsnack and Eric Bachman
Ethnic community and intra-state violence, but also intra-ethnic conflicts, have often deep-rooted causes such as mutual fears, insecurities and hatred of ethnic, religious or cultural groups.
Moreover, these causes are frequently exaggerated by political leaders or the media.Various forms of nonviolent strategies and methods exist to address them, two of which were discussed in this theme group: building bridges and nonviolent intervention.
Facilitation: Joanne Sheehan and Julia Kraft-Garcia
Participants in this theme group were from Ireland, India, Spain/Denmark, France, UK, Turkey, Germany, Colombia, USA.
Each of the first three days included an exercise, a presentation from our resource people and discussion focused on a question
1)"How does violence manifest itself in our whole society? Looking at it, as it affects our daily life both structurally and directly."
Grassroots activism is at the heart and soul of War Resisters' International. That is why this panel was scheduled for the final evening of the conference.
Facilitation: Andreas Speck, War Resisters' International
Facilitation: Joanne Sheehan,War Resisters'International
Facilitation: Rob Fairmichael, INNATE
Facilitation: Florencia E. Mallon, University of Wisconsin-Madison
War Resisters' International
Triennial Conference
3-10 August 2002 in Dublin, Ireland
Balkan Peace Team - International e.V.Nonviolent Intervention in the Conflicts of Former Yugoslavia: Sending Teams of International Volunteers |
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A Final Internal Assessment of |
Militarism is inextricably linked in with the wider patriarchal capitalist system we live in. This analysis however allows us to build links for setting ourselves short-term goals. And while doing that it is necessary for us to keep in view and understand the place of those short-term goals within the larger picture.
This suggests a shift to include acting towards more realistic, small-scale aims and a new variation on the theme: "Think total, act local"
Some reoccurring themes during the seminar were:
a) Linking with people
Engaging and fostering links with people is one of the most important aspects of nonviolent action. We are frequently perceived as engaging solely in confrontational actions with either negative or utopian demands. In speaking up against the status quo, we threaten the vested interests of the media, and as a result usually receive a bad press. We must therefore try our hardest to link directly with all the people around us, as well as with those who are already working in similar areas.