David Adams Fights for Peace

by Dave Fuller

"It was the war to end all wars" was a common statement concerning the moral justification and objectives of the First World War. Sadly, this was not the case. World War I was only the first war in one of the bloodiest centuries in human history.

David Adams, creator of the Culture of Peace Program in the United Nations, spoke to Professor Wendy Hamblet's Ethics and Morality class on February 4th. The Culture of Peace Program attempts to repair war-torn areas by working with its inhabitants and advocates for nonviolence. "The Culture of Peace is an alternative to the Culture of War. Instead of armament, we advocate disarmament. Instead of puppet governments, we advocate real and fair democracy. Instead of secrecy of government policy, we strive for a free flow of information, and instead of creating enemies, we hope to create allies," Adams stated.

Adams lived in many areas of the world including the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. He shared his experiences with Professor Hamblet's philosophy students. "Different cultures mean we have a lot to teach each other," commented Adams. "Growing up in the Sixties, I learned not to always believe what the media and government says automatically," he added.

Adams eventually found employment with the UN in Eastern Europe. According to him, the UN is akin to a military structure, where workers must report directly to a superior officer or secretary with a distinct chain of command. "Behind every glove is a fist," Adams said.

The Culture of Peace met heavy resistance at the UN when Adams and his colleagues first pushed for the program. He recalls one American diplomat's objection to the Culture of Peace because "it would make it more difficult to start a war."

Adams explained "we wanted to know how the system works so we pushed it," when advocating for the Culture of Peace.

In 1986, the term Culture of Peace was finally adopted. In 1992 the program grew immensely as a result of the fall of the Soviet Union and the subsequent end of the Cold War. "It was the end of the Cold War, so there was no more Russian and American veto within the Security Council. We saw peacekeeping operations all across the globe," Adams said.

Since the early '90s there have been cuts in the Culture of Peace from America and Western European nations. This program has become increasingly accepted in many developing nations. Adams, however, remains optimistic in his belief that the Culture for Peace, as well as other nonviolent movements, will continue and expand.