Triennial

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War Resisters' International Conference

Schloss Eringerfeld

Paderborn, Germany [see map]

23-27 July 2006

Papers produced before the conference

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Stellan Vinthagen, WRI Triennial Committee, and Department of Peace & Development Research Göteborg University, Sweden stellan.vinthagen@padrigu.gu.se

We live in a historical time of social change. While the economy, state regimes and wars are being globalized, the social forces of people's movements are as well. At least 15 millions demonstrated worldwide against the war in Iraq 2003.

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In the 1980s international support for anti-apartheid activism in South Africa was growing, and pressure from grass-root organizations around the world led to sanctions against South Africa. An emphasis on nonviolence instead of violence within South Africa made it easier to generate widespread international resistance to Apartheid and isolate the Apartheid regime socially and economically.

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by Brian Martin

In this article, Brian Martin explores some of the general challenges any nonviolent movement -- or nonviolence as a method/strategy -- faces. He explores five areas: visibility of nonviolence, reputation of a nonviolent movement/struggle, the struggle over meaning, institutionalisation of nonviolence, and fear.

comments on “diversity of tactics” by George Lakey and Starhawk

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"Diversity of tactics" has since the demonstrations in Seattle 1999 against the World Trade Organisation become a slogan of the new global justice movement (or "anti-globalisation movement" as some say).

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Globalisation is to a large degree an economically driven process - driven by capitalist economy. If "another world is possible", as the slogan of the globalisation-critical movement claims, then this needs to include "another economy", based on people's needs and nonviolence.

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Since militarism, exploitation and oppression are globalised problems we need global resistance and global solidarity with each other in order to be able to construct new social relations.

The 2006 WRI International Conference: Appeal to WRI Affiliates

The 2006 WRI “Triennial” conference will be a decisive event in shaping the future of our organisation and our movement. Please make a note of the dates: the open conference will be from 23 to 27 July, while the WRI business meeting will be on 28-29.

Presentations: Recovering WRI's past: an oral history Champions of Peace. Nobel's Peace Prize.

Facilitation: Howard Clark

After introductions, expectations ,etc on Day 1, Christine Schweitzer presented a short typology of peace operations in which the UN and regional inter-governmental bodies - NATO, the Organization of American States, the Organization for African Unity (now the African Union), the OSCE - were the actors.

Facilitation: Roberta Bacic, Brandon Hamber, Elisabeth Stanley, and Andrew Rigby

Storytelling, denial and silence Dealing with the past is not an objective exercise. It is about connecting to personal truths and values in a way that eases the struggle of life in the present and enables them to be projected into the future.

Facilitation: Helen Stevens

This theme group brought together people who are becoming acquainted with the concepts of nonviolence, and experienced activists who are benefiting from revisiting these key ideas. Helen Stevens of the Scottish Centre for Nonviolence facilitated this group.