Draft GPUS Platform Amendment Non-Violence Chapter Introduction

2010 PLATFORM

CHAPTER NAME: NON-VIOLENCE

SECTION NAME: INTRODUCTION

Greens aim to promote peace and disarmament throughout the United States and the world. We trust that non-violence provides a road to peace. We understand the right of self-defense, yet believe we must move beyond behavior that perpetuates violence.

The security of peoples worldwide is threatened by a dreadful array of violent impulses, including nationalism, greed, imperialism, ethnic and religious hatreds, nuclear weapons proliferation, terrorism, competition for raw materials and organized crime. Lasting peace can only be achieved through justice, strengthening human rights, resolving environmental crises, and alleviating shortages of food and water.

We oppose structural and direct violence of all kinds; assaults against individuals, families, nations and cultures, the environment and biosphere. We do not support a world-view that relies on accommodation of tyranny or repressive regimes.

Across the world, peoples and nations must learn to overcome conflict without resorting to violence. Greens strongly believe in conflict prevention, negotiation, reconciliation and civilian crisis intervention. We want to increase the involvement of women in civil crisis prevention, civil conflict management, and post-conflict resolution. We encourage the development of non-violent culture, peaceful management of conflicts or disagreements, and challenging nationalistic, racist, militaristic and violent policies and behaviors.