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January/February 2007 Featured Stories
The Story of War and Peace

Sharif Abdullah

"We believe things about ourselves, we believe things about each other. Those beliefs color how we see each other, and determine whether or not we are going to get along with someone or fight with them," according to Sharif Abdullah, founder of Commonway Institute, an organization that builds inclusivity, and understanding and civic engagement among diverse groups of people.

Abdullah believes that all nations and groups share a universal war story, which has seven rationales for justifying aggressive behavior. By examining and changing this faulty story, we can create a new story for peace.

The War Story

1. Define a reasonable goal for self and group. Use simplistic language.

U.S.: The war is to preserve the nation. We will kill the terrorists and everyone will become peaceful and happy. The war can be over at any time. All the other side has to do is stop fighting.

Al Qaeda: The war is to preserve the Muslim religion, a struggle for religious liberation. We will push back the occupying army and everyone will become peaceful and happy. The war can be over at any time. All the other side has to do is stop fighting.

2. Define an unreasonable goal for "the Other." Use the language of the Other's extremists.

U.S.: The war is against a handful of fanatical terrorists who want to destroy us and our way of life.

Al Qaeda: The war is against a brutal occupying army that wants to destroy us and our way of life.

3. Legitimize own use of violence. Blame them for starting violence.

U.S.: The only way to stop them is with violence because they are violent against us. We must kill to defend ourselves. The rules (of civil society, international law) allow us to take our actions.

Al Qaeda: The only way to stop them is with violence, because they are violent against us. We must kill to defend ourselves. The rules (of national liberation, self-defense, survival) allow us to take our actions.

4. De-legitimize the violence of the Other. They are the aggressor -- you are protecting your innocent group against the unprovoked aggression of the Other.

U.S.: Al Qaeda started and maintained the war -- we are only defending the American people.

Al Qaeda: The U.S. started the attacks on the Muslim people -- we are only defending against those attacks.

5. Focus on injuries to own group by the Other. Wrap yourself in the cloak of the innocent victims.

U.S.: We are injured and suffer at the hands of the Other. They have committed numerous atrocities against us and use suicide bombings against innocent civilians. That justifies our use of violence to defend ourselves.

Al Qaeda: We are injured and suffer at the hands of the Other. They have committed numerous atrocities against us and use massive military force against innocent civilians. That justifies our use of violence to defend ourselves.

6. Minimize or rationalize injuries or atrocities committed by own group.

U.S.: They made us do it (killing unarmed civilians and other government atrocities). Their atrocities are worse than ours. We regret the loss of innocent life.

Al Qaeda: They made us do it (suicide bombings and other atrocities). Their atrocities are worse than ours.

7. Label dissenters within your own group as traitors.

U.S.: Anyone who disagrees with this story is not patriotic and is a traitor to the government, our heroes and martyrs in the armed forces, and the American people.

Al Qaeda: Anyone who disagrees with this story is not patriotic and is a traitor to our cause, our heroes and martyrs, and the legitimate aspirations of the Muslim people.

The Peace Story

1. Set a goal that can be accepted by the people of all sides, a vision that includes all parties. Release either/or thinking.

The common goal: To make war unthinkable, peace inevitable. Everyone can win by living in a secure, peaceful world.

2. Define all goals and points of view of all parties that are based on violence as unreasonable and unacceptable.

The problem is not Al Qaeda. The problem is not the U.S. The problem is violence. It simply doesn't matter who started the conflict. The willingness to use violence creates the aggressor.

3. De-legitimize all violence -- oppose the notion that violence can be useful, legitimate or justified. Oppose the notion of violence used in defense, and the concept of just war.

There are no innocents in modern warfare. There is no such thing as a just war. There is nothing just about the taking of innocent lives on all sides. No one who holds a gun can claim innocence.

4. Focus on injuries to all groups as equal, unreasonable and unacceptable. Maximize all injuries or atrocities, regardless of who commits them.

There are no clean hands, on either side. All sides commit atrocities. Violence is an atrocity. Each justifies its actions while vilifying the actions of the other. Because of anger, history and psychological filters, the two sides cannot see or hear each other.

5. Support all actions of all parties that move closer to peace.

More violence creates more killing, not resolution. The only way the conflict can end is by both sides talking to each other.

6. Isolate and de-legitimize the extremists. Do not allow extremists on either side to dictate the dialog on war and peace. Understand that the purpose of violence is polarization and separation - refuse to be separated from the Other.

The voice of violent extremists (on both sides) is not the voice of the people, no matter how reasonable they try to sound. We are the voice of the people. Neither the government nor the insurgents can bring peace. They have reached a violent stalemate -- neither side can win. War cannot end by the consciousness that creates and maintains it. War will end only with a profound shift in consciousness.

Copyright © January 2007 Commonway Institute, www.commonway.org.