The following is a collection of viable CONSTRUCTIVE nonviolent strategies for managing conflict.

• actions other than war;
• actions that do not involve violence;
• actions that can transform the conflict into a positive outcome.

Since this is considered a "brainstorming list," an evaluation of the effectiveness of these ideas, tools or initiatives is deferred to the reviewer comment section

Alternatives To War, provided by Peggy & Mike Donahue.

....Mike put the document together, by gathering input from peace organizations and individuals from around the world. So, he is not truly its author, as such. However, he did coordinate its production and put long hours into creating what it is. You may use his name and email address, of course... Peggy Donahue

Getting to Peace, by William Ury
This book presents a hopeful perspective that there are viable alternatives to war - if fact it provides a convincing argument that peace is the norm and war is the aberration. Ury introduces the idea of the Third Side in this book to remind us that conflicts are not two-sided but rather exist within a surrounding society - the Third Side. By empowering the Third Side to recognize conflict situations and to have the skills to intervene appropriately, we can build a peaceful society. Ury's book helps us learn how we as a parent, politician, manager, teacher, community leader or neighbor can become an effective member of the Third Side.

GTP-Review Comments

Nonviolent Peaceforce
The mission of the Nonviolent Peaceforce is to build a trained, international civilian peaceforce committed to third-party nonviolent intervention.

The Nonviolent Peaceforce uses proven methodologies and has been endorsed by world and local leaders in peace and conflict resolution

Read the Peaceforce Proposal, a blueprint for the Nonviolent Peaceforce which grew out of the 1999 Hague Appeal for Peace.

Read the Peaceforce Feasibility Study, one of the most comprehensive studies of third-party nonviolent intervention ever conducted.

Exploring Nonviolent Alternatives to War

A small study group from a church in Denver decided to explore nonviolent alternatives to war using the 2003 conflict between Iraq and the UN/US as a Case Study. Starting with basic definitions of violence / nonviolence; peaceful living, conflict management, etc. the group reviewed the lives of role models such as Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr. Eleanor Roosevelt, and Aung San Suu Kyi to understand their approach to nonviolent civil action. They then used the ideas of William Ury in Getting to Peace to better understand viable roles for the "Third Side" in a conflict situation. Using the ground rule that "The abolition of war does not require anti-war, anti-military protests and demonstartions but rather the development of effective nonviolent alternatives to military struggle" - Gene Sharp, the group is developed a brainstorming list of constructive nonviolent actions the world community / UN (Third Side) could consider that would address the real problems within Iraq (Oppressive governemt, 58% literacy rate, hunger, lack of jobs, development of weapons of mass destruction, ......) that are considered the "root causes" of violence/bullying. Study Session is still in progress.

Session 1 Handouts and Notes