A Book that Forces Us to Rethink

Last Updated (Tuesday, 19 May 2009 21:12) Written by Eva Quistorp Sunday, 17 May 2009 15:25

(Foreword of "Nonkilling Global Political Science", German edition, pp 11-12)

When Johan Galtung introduced me to Glenn Paige in the Bundestag in Bonn in June 1984, at a hearing of the Greens concerning social defense, I did not have a clue about that he would soon invite me and also Petra Kelly, who had initiated the hearing, to Honolulu to his university. There he introduced me to the struggles of the natives against land theft and cultural deprivation, to the struggle of the Quakers and some church groups against the militarization of the islands, to the nonviolent actions against atomic submarines near Pearl Harbour and to peaceful Korean temple visitors. This is what I associate with his book, a book which demands a distinct reorientation in political science and in the social sciences regarding questions of violence, the prevention of wars, and public health. Another thing I connect with the book is his friendly personality, which helps build networks in the peace movement, as well as the results of his work, his research and teachings in the past forty years.

Who, for example, knows from today's mass media - where almost daily, if not hourly, violent images disguised as information flicker on TV and computer screens, nowadays even on the cell-phones of youngsters and managers, who are after their bonuses - that the World Health Organization acknowledged the huge amount of weapons and the many killings in the world to be a health problem and that it calls for curtailing arms trade and hatred, that leads to killing, like an epidemic?

Which philosopher, which brain researcher or defense minister in the world will make clear in the mass media that most people were born not with an inclination to killing, but to cooperation? Who will precisely show statistics on suicide, on violence at home against women and girls, on criminal murder and the killing with hand guns in Africa and Asia - and in our own country? Who dares to apply the Christian commandment "Thou shalt not kill" and its respective counterparts in Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and other faiths on the weapons industry, on war planning and the violent entertainment industry?

Glenn Paige dares that, a sharply analyzing, life-experienced man, who can serve as an example for many angry young men in the world who use violence and weapons, as well as for those who encourage such deeds via hate speech, violent videos and crude political speeches.

As a peace politician and as a friend of Petra Kelly's, as one of the 1000 »Women for Peace«, as member of »medica mondiale« and IPPNW (Internationale Ärzte für die Verhütung des Atomkrieges/Ärzte in sozialer Verantwortung e. V.) and as a representative of the International Peace Office of the Women for Peace I can only encourage people to study the book from cover to cover and to take it seriously in politics, in the UN, and in security debates.

In the current debates about economic programs as worldwide problem solvers we can learn from Glenn Paige how to combine these efforts with a control and a wide reduction of killing machines and violent movies and computer killing games, so that the world can finally develop nonkilling forms of economies and defense, after all the horrible minor and major wars that effected immense suffering.

A different world is possible!

Eva Quistorp