Germany

WILPF Germany Campaign for life and peace

Call to a world-wide coalition for life and peace

Life and peace are connected inseparably with each other. War destroys life. In our days war interrupts the civilising room for development and endangers the future of mankind. The political systems are obviously not in a position to solely prevent wars and to cope with the challenges of future, such as the containment of ecological disasters, hunger, poverty and water scarcity, world-wide justice of the sexes and the realisation of the human rights. However, we are deeply convinced that people in principle have a considerable potential for surviving in order to master the challenges of the future and are able to find also new civilising secondary ways for it. However, this only finds validity, when we learn to find ways that the own advantage becomes also an advantage of others.

The revival of civilian social potentials and abilities as a constructive counterbalance to parties, state institutions and economic elites stands therefore on the political agenda by the beginning of this century.

Since the French revolution mankind has primarily obtained considerable progress for the inner peace and democracy, on the other hand progress and peace within and between many states let still wait for itself. Even states with a democratic constitution and culture led wars in the past and, today, still lead war to putting through their own interests against other states. Colonialism, two world wars, the gigantic arms race between the power blocs and innumerable wars after the Second World War show the immaturity and the lacking ability to making the life principle "if the other one is well, then I am also well" to the guide line of each handling and thus, putting the bases for internal and intergovernmental peace. At the same time mankind is leading a creeping war against nature and destroys the natural basic living conditions with growing speed since the beginning of the industrialisation.

The political systems prove increasingly to be incapable to find sustainable solutions for existential problems. We register ever more clearly a profound gap in democracy. Important protagonists of the "large" politics understand themselves as executors of the interests of a small, economically powerful and politically influential elite. The vulnerability of the present political systems for its instrumentation in favour of an elite is one of the main causes for grave imbalances and tensions which are leading into ecological devastation, poverty and misery, flight movements, terrorism and in the end to war.

For mastering this task we call to form a world-wide coalition of social powers for life and peace. We call upon all people to bring in their experiences, competence and their knowledge into the respective political system, independent of any parties. We regard this historical task as a contribution for the further development of the democracy and human civilisation and against the destruction of life. We want that people have new hopes instead of sinking into hopelessness, lethargy and distrust against the future life. We want to integrate each other into a network globally in order to handle the obstacles together on this way. In this connection it is conscious to us that considerable staying power, patience, farsightedness and creative power are required in order to convince the parties and the parliament of the necessity of the assignment of a part of its power and identification in favour of a civilian socially legitimated counterbalance. However, you sometime must start with engagement for this most demanding historical task. Today.

First signatories:
Dr. Franz Alt, Egon Bahr, Thilo Bode, Michael Bouteiller, Dr. Dieter Bricke, Daniela Dahn, Gerhard Diefenbach, Prof. Dr. Dr. Hans-Peter D¸rr, Brigitte Erler, Helmut Frenz, Prof. Dr. Ulrich Gottstein, J¸rgen Gr‰sslin, Jom Heher, Irmgard Heilberger, Prof. Dr. Johannes Heinrichs, Prof. Dr. Walter Jens, Heiko Kauffmann, Prof. Dr. Ekkehard Krippendorf, Christiane Lammers, Herbert Leuninger, Volker Lindemann, Barbara Lochbihler, Dr. Heinz Loquai, Prof. Dr. Dieter S. Lutz, Prof. Dr. Mohssen-Massarat, Dr. Till M¸ller-Heidelberg, Prof. Dr. Oskar Negt, Leonie Ossowski, Prof. Dr. Dr. Horst-Eberhard Richter, Peter R¸hmkorf, Halo Saibold, Prof. Dr. Michael Schneider, Axel Schmidt-Godelitz, Friedrich Schorlemmer, Heide Sch¸tz, Dr. Reiner Steinweg, Frank Uhe, Peter Vornahme, Dr. Reinhard Voâ, Walter Wilken Press legally responsible: Hans Peter D¸rr, Mohssen Massarat, Heiko Kaufmann, Frank Uhe, c/o IPPNW, Kõrtestr. 10, D-10967 Berlin, uhe@ippnw.de