You might be interested in two stories from the current issue of Quaker Action, put out by the American Friends Service Committee.

The first story describes some of AFSC’s work in Somalia, where they have found economic pressures leading some young Somali men to join one of the armed groups, just as some Americans sign up for military service because it’s a paying job when other work can’t be found.

We hear so little beyond the headlines of war that this look down to the community level is quite revealing.

Here’s the guts of the story:

Economic hardship, often more so than ideological conflict, fuels enlistment in armed groups. That’s why a large part of working for peace is finding sustainable ways for young people to make a living and providing hands-on job training so they are prepared to do the work.
learning about the flow of electric currents

Skills training is informed by each community’s needs, which vary from one place to another. In Somalia as elsewhere, AFSC works with local people to identify needs in the community, including what businesses are most needed and likely to thrive.

Young Somalis then receive six to twelve months of training, including a week of concentrated conflict-resolution education—which has led many to play active roles in their community and become valued as resources instead of burdens and detractors.

Diving into running a business is no easy task. Upon graduation, participants receive a starter kit with tools and materials they need to start working as well as seed funding to cover initial costs, like renting a business space.

Parents have told us that this program means they no longer have to worry about their children joining armed groups for the $100 monthly salary.

AFSC goes on to explain how anti-terrorism legislation, at least partly driven by partisan politics, prevents community-based peace building from being implemented in certain areas.

It is illegal for organizations to work with members of “blacklisted groups.” For example, if a member of a blacklisted group receives trainings on nonviolence, a U.S. organization could be sanctioned or have its leadership sentenced to up to 15 years in prison. This is a serious impediment for peace workers. In order to promote peace and security, it is vital that peace workers’ activities are legally protected.

The State Department can give waivers to peace and humanitarian organizations, but such waivers require prior government approval of a work plan. This is difficult for organizations that want to remain independent from political influence or the appearance of taking sides.

Laws that isolate, rather than engage, people are counterproductive. They restrict effective peace programs in the communities that need them most. By limiting nonviolent engagement, we in the U.S. are limited to only approaching conflict areas with military tools—tools that displace and destroy communities, disregard the spiritual belief in “that of God in every one,” and perpetuate cycles of violence.

The story links to a commentary by former U.N. Ambassador Thomas Pickering, “Time to let peace builders do their job“).

The other article of interest is a historical look back at how small scale person-to-person diplomacy contributed in its way to the end of the Cold War (“Cultural exchanges, covert meetings made space for peace between U.S. and U.S.S.R.“).

It’s just so important to remember that guns and bombs are not the only way, nor even the best way, to impact foreign affairs and make the world a safer place.