Mahatma Gandhi envisioned a trained corps of Peacekeepers.  He called it the shanti sena, or peace army.  The Peacekeepers would intervene as an impartial third party in an area of violent conflict.  Their mission would be to create Safe Space for the adversaries to struggle nonviolently, while seeking to fashion for themselves new relationships and a more just and peaceful culture. This would provide a foundation on which both Peacemaking (negotiation and the creation of solutions) and Peacebuilding (constructing alternatives) might proceed. 

Impartial third parties, or Peacekeepers, who are prepared to intervene and create Safe Space, provide a chance for justice and peace to replace violence.  They are effective in cities and in countries experiencing civil conflict, in homes and in organizations.   

In the early 1990’s eight gangs were at war defending their turf in East Los Angeles.   Every day they killed or injured someone; it was not safe to walk outside, so people hurried in and out of buildings but mostly stayed in their homes.  The neighborhood mothers, who met regularly at the Dolores Mission Catholic Church to read the Bible, prayed about the problem. During a particularly violent period, they read a Bible story about the followers of Jesus who were huddled in a boat trying to ride out a terrible storm. According to the story, when Jesus approached, apparently walking on the water, the followers were terrified and did not believe it was Jesus, even when he told them not to be afraid. Peter, who was very skeptical, wanted proof.  He asked Jesus to make it possible for him to walk on the water also. Jesus agreed.   Peter got out of the boat, walked a little ways on the water, then became frightened and began to sink. Jesus stretched out his hand to catch him and admonished, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”  By the end of this Bible story, one woman was filled with excitement about the lessons for their own situation.  She reasoned that they, like Jesus’ followers, had been hiding and huddling in fear.  That they were under a false illusion hiding would bring security from the violent storm, even though they knew people had been shot accidentally just walking to market or sitting at home.  Were they waiting for Jesus to magically solve the problem?  Wasn’t Jesus really saying,  “Get out of your boat.  Walk into the violence and we will calm the storm together.”   Initially, the other women were uneasy with her insight, which led to a lengthy discussion and finally to planning and organizing.  That evening, as gangs were preparing for battle, seventy women walked in pilgrimage from one gang turf to another to another, carrying with them salsa, chips, soda and a guitar. They offered the gang members food, prayers, ancient Mexican songs and conversation. Their actions were disorienting and disarming; they broke the rules of war.  The violence was interrupted.  The mothers formed a peace committee and made the same pilgrimage, which they called “love walks,” every night for one week.  The gang-related violence dropped significantly. The gang members and mothers began to see the humanity of each other, began to talk and listen to the concerns of each other, and their relationships were transformed.  The women worked with gang members to develop a tortilla factory, bakery, child care center, and a school, offering job training and jobs.  Eventually, they shifted from a neighborhood watch group to monitoring and reporting abusive police behavior. The pilgrimages by these East L.A. women were creative interventions that liberated individuals from their old roles and created Safe Space for peace to grow.[1]

In 1999, as internal conflicts raged in countries around the world, thousands of peace workers gathered at the Hague Appeal for Peace.  Unexpectedly, David Hartsough and Mel Duncan met there for the first time, began to share a vision of Gandhi’s shanti sena, and found themselves challenging each other to make it a reality. There should be four time-tested methods which a peacekeeping intervention could employ to create Safe Space for adversaries: protective accompaniment for human rights and other leaders, a presence among the people, witnessing and reporting events to an international audience with the power to sanction, and interpositioning.  Over the course of three years, David and Mel prepared for an international Nonviolent Peaceforce, publicized, raised funds, hired staff, set up offices, and traveled extensively to gather information and sponsors. They conducted research to identify best practices, building on the extraordinary efforts of groups who have been conducting smaller nonviolent interventions successfully for several years, like Christian Peacemaker Teams, Peace Brigades International, and Witness for Peace.  They worked with trainers to develop a curriculum to prepare the Peaceworkers.  Using political analysis, on-site meetings, and partner consultations, they considered various conflict areas for a pilot site, trying to determine the likelihood that intervention would be effective. In November 2002, they held a convening event near Delhi, India.  Delegates from 47 countries and 50 non-governmental organizations gathered to dialogue and to firmly establish the new organization.  They chose an international governing council, adopted by-laws, and selected the first pilot site: Sri Lanka.  In 2003 Peaceworker recruitment, selection, and training has begun.  The standing force will grow from 200 to 2000 fulltime, salaried personnel who enlist for two years. It will cost $30,000 annually to cover expenses and compensation for each Peaceworker, in addition to the expenses of international and regional offices with support staff.  Fundraising strategies include offering 100,000 Peace Bonds for $10 each, making it possible for many people to participate.  2 

Peacekeeping, or creating Safe Space for adversaries to struggle noviolently, is consistent with the principles of active nonviolence: 

to be willing to risk,

to engage the conflict,

to be vulnerable and willing to suffer,

to seek the well-being of all,

to respect every person and affirm that each holds a piece of the truth,

to promote experimentation in a search for solutions,

to transform relationships,

to empower others in finding solutions, and

to have the means we use agree with the ends we seek.   

Peacekeeping is not the same as occupation.  In stark contast, nonviolent Peacekeeping requires invitation from the adversaries in a violent conflict, nonalignment, respect for their abilities and resources, and confidence that they can craft their own solutions.  Where occupation breeds fear; nonviolent Peacekeeping diminishes fear and sows the seeds of hope.

To build cultures of peace and nonviolence, we must find ways where we can help create Safe Space, where we can interrupt cycles of violence so that peace can grow. Whether on the international, national, local or domestic level, we are called to be part of this kind of nonviolent peacekeeping.

***************