Peaceful Counter-Terrorism
In the new millennium, present counter-terrorism tactics and the scope and scale of official apologies of reconciliation from individuals and nations have had far reaching implications to peace and conflict, justice and social change.
To this end, 3I devised a research project as an alternative model to the current USA counter-terrorism policy.
Using participatory action research method, we offered a reconciliatory apology in an attempt to revitalize the current thinking and dialogue around notions of terrorism and how best to combat it.
Project Need: One common interpretation of the War on Terror
In the wake of the September 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S., the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1373 (2001) imposing a series of obligations on UN Member States to combat terrorism. The United States government has consequently introduced foreign policy initiatives to strengthen America’s counter-terrorism capabilities. Contrary to the overall aim of the UN resolution and U.S. foreign policy, the Bush Administration’s counter terrorism tactics utilized in the “Global War on Terror” have actually increased the terrorist threat against the U.S.
U.S. Report Say’s Iraq War has Fuelled Terror Threat, CNN September 25, 2006
Project Rationale: The Scope and Scale of Official Apologies
In 1991 the new president of then Czechoslovakia apologized for the massacres of Sudeten Germans during the Nazi expulsion after World War II. In 2007 the state of Virginia made an official apology for its role in housing 4,000,000 slaves prior to the United States Civil War and its more recent expulsion of Native Americans. In 2007, the new Australian Prime Minster, Kevin Rudd made an official apology on behalf of Australia to the aboriginal peoples known as the Stolen Generation that endured suffering, indignity and degradation under Australian rule of law. What if the American people made an apology to the rest of the world for President Bush’s counter terrorism policies?
Project Innovation: The not-so-easy steps in the metamorphosis of Peaceful Counter-Terrorism
In light of the recent rise in international conflict due to the Bush Administration’s counter-terrorism tactics coupled with the notion of a reconciliatory apology, 3I is using Participatory Action Research as an educational framework, mode of qualitative research, data collection tool and method for a peaceful alternative process to counter terrorism.
The initiative, “To Whom It May Concern: Americans Apologize for Bush,” simply known as The Message, employs civic engagement methodology (working with and learning from people and communities to enable social change) driven by a provocative notion of reconciliation (i.e. the apology) and empathy from US citizens to the rest of the world.
Project Hypothesis:
Peaceful counter-terrorism and The Message aims to create new dialogue on issues of international terrorism.
Why?
Violence is a tried and tested method for creating violence.
Dialogue is a tried and tested method for creating peace and justice.