SI MONTHLY NEWS May 2007 Peace
From SI Exco News
The Global Peace Index
This article was found on BBC News on the internet on 31 May 2007. It could be of interest to Servas members in that it is comparing Peace issues in different countries and then rating the countries. League table, I suppose so, but it is at least on a relevant topic to us.
Below is the link and some extracts from the article.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/6704767.stm
"The Global Peace Index, compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit, looked at 24 factors to determine how peaceful each country was."
"The brainchild of Steve Killelea, an Australian entrepreneur, the survey is meant to inform governments, international organisations, and campaign groups.
Mr Killelea said: "This is a wake-up call for leaders around the globe. Countries need to become more peaceful to solve the major challenges that the world faces - from climate change to decreasing biodiversity. "There is also a strong case for the world becoming more peaceful and it is now crucial for world leaders and business to take a lead," he said.
The study is published just before the G8 summit of leading countries next week.
The authors say they are trying to supplant what they call some "woolly" definitions of peace with a scientific approach, that includes levels of violent crime, political instability, and a country's relations with its neighbours.
But questions have been raised over the way some of these factors are brought together.
The authors themselves acknowledge that there is a lack of data in many countries.
Peace Pedalers Africa Newsletter: Zambia
The author of this, Jamie, is doing a tour of Africa on a tandem bicycle with a trailer. Her ride through Zambia taught her the necessity of tolerance.
To get on her mailing list use this email address: newsletters[at]peacepedalers.com
....and some links from Peace
Direct
IF YOU'VE ONLY FIFTEEN MINUTES TO SPARE...
Haunting, taunting, singing, sit-ins, stand-ins, praying and disrobing. Gene Sharp's 198 Methods of Nonviolent Protest and Persuasion. http://www.starhawk.org/activism/198ways.html
"An egg is used as a physical reminder of the fragility of peace" A Kenyan Superhero. An inspiring three minute film on the work of peacebuilder Dekha Ibrahim Abdi. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwe6mlExHZg
"Having seen one another only through weapon sights, we've put down our guns to fight for peace." Israeli and Palestinian ex-combatants come together: Combatants for Peace. http://www.combatantsforpeace.org/
"The military are growing increasingly concerned with operational security" Milbloggers: the rise of the military blogs as well as the politics that govern them. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2007/05/02/DI2007050202138.html
AND IF YOU'VE A LITTLE LONGER...
This Was Not Our War. Amazing first-person accounts of 26 Bosnian women reconstructing their society following years of devastating warfare. http://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Was-Not-Our-War/dp/0822333554/ref=sr_1_1/026-4394872-0454053?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179312618&sr=1-1
Click for another chance to hear Fergal Keane tell the story of Henri Bura Ladyi and how people like him all over the world - local people - are building peace in the middle of conflict. They are risking their lives every day and they deserve our support. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/religion/radio4appeal_20070415.shtml
NEPAL: SWAPPING CONFLICT FOR CONCRETE
Over to Lucy and the team at Insight on Conflict for this month's featured peacebuilding initiative: http://www.insightonconflict.org/
uploaded by Amelia
