This document discusses challenging the war system through peace education. It defines different types of war and their causes, such as territorial disputes, intolerance of differences, and power struggles. The effects of war include massive death, atrocities, displacement of people, proliferation of weapons, hindering development, and trauma. Peace education seeks to develop a global perspective by teaching the oneness of humanity and that war is a choice rather than inevitable, while also teaching peaceful conflict resolution skills.

1. Peace Theme 4 :
Challenging the War
System

2. War is classical or
international if it is between
states, or civil or internal, if it
occurs between rival groups
or communities within a
state.

3. Aggression is defined by
the United Nations as
the use of armed force
by a state against the
sovereignty, territorial
integrity or political
independence
or
another state,or in any
other
manner
(www.undocuments.net)
Major armed conflict is a
political
conflict
in
which armed fighting
involves the armed
forces of at least one
state (or one or more
armed factions seeking
to gain control of all or
part of the state), and in
which 1,000 people
have been killed by the
warfare during the
course of the conflict.
(Project Ploughshares
2006)

4. Possible Causes of War
 Territorial disputes. Disagreement between states or
groups within a state over where their homeland or
borders should be fixed. Huth (1998) ex. Israel and
Palestine, MILF
 Lack of tolerance for differences. Differences may be in
nationality, clan membership, ethnicity or religious
affiliation. ex. tension between Tutsis and Hutus

5.  Ideological or power struggles. Ideology is a set
of beliefs which serves as guide on how
power should be allocated or how society
should function. ex. CPP-NPA
 History of colonialism and the process of
decolonization. The transfer of power becomes
problematic with groups within the country
competing for control and authority. ex.
widespread fighting in Africa

6. The Effects of War
 massive death
 commitment of atrocities
 cause people to flee their homes
 wars cause weapons to proliferate
 wars hold back development
 wars see children tread the battle zones

7. Other consequences : people lose their
livelihoods, access to food supply, loss
of investment, and raze opportunities
for
tourism,
disrupt
childrens'
education, and create fear and trauma
among the population.

8. Peace Education and the War
System
"If war begins in the minds of men, then it
is in the minds of men that the defenses of
peace must be constructed". - UNESCO
Preamble
"Peace education seeks to develop a
global perspective on the problems and
understanding that humans are a single
species" (Reardon and Cabezudo,2002)

9. Peace education seeks to teach the concept of
the oneness of the human race.
Education should also help alter thoughts
with regard to the inevitability of war. Humans
should understand that waging war is a
choice, not a manifest destiny.
Teaching
students
peaceful
conflict
resolution skills will also help learners
understand that conflicts may be approached
constructively and that there are better workable
alternatives to aggression. Peace education
programs include the teaching of the theories of
nonviolence and the practice of nonviolent direct
action.