Reflections on Peace Education and the Philippines

This essay, written at the request of JSE editors as an introduction to its special section on Peace Education in the Philippines, discusses the meaning and importance of educating for peace in a globally interdependent but fractured world; shares reflections from the author’s personal journey as a learner/teacher/researcher engaged in peace education, with special attention to her experience in peace education in the Philippines from 1979 to 2020; and introduces two very accomplished Philippine peace educators and their work

Law Not War: A Reflection on the Life and Work of Benjamin B. Ferencz, 1920-2023

Solidarity in this essay is differentiated from collectivism, conformity, group think, herd mentality and mob action. It is defined as a mindful and empathetic choice to work in unity with others to alleviate human suffering and uphold human dignity by advancing systems of greater justice, peace, freedom, and inclusion for all. This form of solidarity is explored through the prism of one person’s life – that of Benjamin Ferencz – and how he used his experience, talents, and skills to develop and promote the international legal framework needed to address and prevent crimes against humanity. It traces his life from birth into a Jewish Hungarian family and early experience as a poor immigrant in New York City, to his study and research on war crimes at Harvard law School and his first law case as a Chief Prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials of Nazi war criminals. It discusses his subsequent work on reparations for victims of Nazi persecution, and his role in drafting, negotiating, and promoting ratification of the Rome Statute, the International Criminal Court. Also included are personal reflections on his life and personality, and discussion, excerpts, and a list of some of the publications by and about him

Book Review: Champions for peace: Women winners of the Nobel Peace Prize

Judith Hicks Stiehm is a political science professor who has served on the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Military and as a consultant to the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women and to the Lessons Learned Unit of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. In earlier publications she explored nonviolent resistance in America (1973); analyzed and challenged the traditional protector/protected male and female roles in war, arguing that the path to gender equality entailed equal responsibility for military protection (1982); then turned to an examination of women in the military (1996), and military education. In Champions for Peace, Stiehm’s focus shifts to an examination of 16 women who were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She declares her purpose on the dedication page: Historians too often praise reckless and arrogant leaders who send troops to wage war. This book is intended to encourage and to honor those who seek to avoid war without relinquishing the pursuit of justice

Abdul Aziz Said: Peace Educator, Cathedral Builder, Soul Dancer - 1930-2021 - A Tribute and Retrospective

The life, thought, and spirituality of political scientist and peace educator, Abdul Aziz Said (1930-2021), are explored through: a) first-hand accounts from five decades of professional and personal collaboration between Said and the author; b) themes in his writings, especially in Concepts of International Politics in Global Perspective, Fourth Edition and Bridges, Not Barriers: The American Dream and the Global Community; and c) his conviction that love is a relevant and significant force in international relations and peace building and needs to be strengthened if peace is to be sustained (a conviction shared by Martin Luther King Jr, Sigmund Freud, Greek philosophers, and many luminaries in history). A list of his published works is appended

Review of This is an Uprising: How Nonviolent Revolt is Shaping the Twenty-First Century

This book is must reading for peace educators, scholars, social activists and citizen groups. It belongs in public libraries and in nonviolent training programs. And it belongs in the hands of local, national and global policy makers. Normally, such a recommendation would be placed at the end of a review as part of a summation and conclusion. But for this book, this reviewer is placing the recommendation first for emphasis. Despite some questions about omissions, and suggestions for improvement, this work deserves much praise