Peace & Security

What does it mean to seek peace? What does it mean to seek security? Are both of these ideas attainable goals in the 21st century? And if so, what are the issues that stand in the way of achieving them? And most importantly, what role do students have in creating the peace and security that they and others seek?

The goal of the Peace and Security Program is to answer these questions and more. Our vision is that every young person in the United States exercises their power to bring about a peaceful, healthy, just and sustainable world. Our mission is to create an intellectual foundation among students in the United States about peace and security issues, equip those students with the skills and resources to address those issues and mobilize them to act on behalf of creating the kind of peace and security that they and the global population desire.

Our focus is on US engagement, its history and what the role of the United States should be in trying to achieve a more peaceful, healthy, just and sustainable world. We recognize the complexity of the issue, and its relationship and issues, such as foreign assistance, health rights, environmental protection and many others. We intersect with and integrate with work on these issues constantly, recognizing that our ability to connect issues and connect people is the only way that we will ever be able to move forward.

Whether it be trying to avoid a nuclear apocalypse, building bridges of understanding between different peoples, or struggling to end all US wars and occupations, we empower students to realize their power and act on behalf of a better future. We hold as a core value that no unjust action happens within a vacuum and thus what affects one, affects all. Therefore, it is our responsibility as global citizens to correct that injustice by whatever non-violent means we find appropriate.

Luckily, you have an immense opportunity right here to fulfill that responsibility and be a part of the movement to create a more peaceful and secure world. Our future and the future of countless individuals across the globe depend on us, so let’s not waste any time.

Let’s build an agenda for peace!

Find out more about the issues and our work on them:

What you can do

Organize an event on your campus. Bring in a speaker. Organize a debate. Stand up and demand change. Check out our event database for some great ideas to get you started.
Show a movie discussing the issue. Check out our film library for a list of free films you can borrow from AIDemocracy. Films come with discussion guides and free shipping. It couldn’t be any easier!
Request a mini-grant to make your film or event a success. We provide small grants to help pay for materials, food and speakers. Contact us to discuss.
Speak out to the network. Write a blog for our site. Post something on our Facebook Page. Share photos or video with us on YouTube. Share your opinions with other concerned students like you. Here’s how you can submit materials.
Ask for advice and support. Not sure how to get started? Need to talk through ideas for your event? AIDemocracy staff and student leaders are here to help
And more…

Una's Travels: Budapest by Day, and Traveling to Serbia

December 5, 2006 By AIDemocracy

Budapest by day was wonderful. My friends and I walked around the city, stopping to eat at a Hungarian pastry shop, seeing an exhibit of photos from the 1956 Hungarian Uprising, and visiting many historical buildings, such as the Hungarian Parliament. In the evening, we went to the Gellert Baths (a must for anyone visiting Budapest), and soaked ourselves in the hot, cleansing water until we were pruney. We then went into a stream room that was so hot it stung my lungs to breathe in (I empathize with Chinese steamed dumplings a lot more now.) When we … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Security Tagged With: EU, Europe, Hungary, Serbia

Can the EU Look Ahead and Accept Turkey?

December 3, 2006 By AIDemocracy

Before I get to Turkey, a quick note: I worry that the Interdependent is becoming too Europe-focused due to my profuse posting, so let me set something straight: this is not a Euro-blog. There exist many excellent Euro-blogs in the blogosphere. But this is a blog about the world -- all its continents, regions, countries, nations and organizations, and how they are interconnected and interdependent. There is a heavy Europe focus right now because I have more free time than my fellow bloggers, and Europe is what I know. It's where I've spent roughly half … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Security Tagged With: Cyprus, EU, Europe, Islam, Turkey

Only Diplomacy should serve Democracy

December 2, 2006 By AIDemocracy

I am afraid to hypothesize that the conventional wisdom that has fed the US foreign policy-making in recent years has relied on the use of non-democratic means to try to impose democracy and quell terrorism. Non-democratic strategies manifest in the use of force and result in war and political chaos that weaken international peace and global security. The case of the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq represents a typical illustration. There is no need to expand on this here. Media sources provide excellent analysis and factual details on the issue at … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Security Tagged With: democracy, diplomacy, Middle East, Middle East Democracy, President Bush, US foreign policy

Una's Travels: From Cyprus to Budapest

December 2, 2006 By AIDemocracy

Last Tuesday, my enclave finally got the go-ahead to leave Cyprus. Our wounded compatriot was well enough to be left behind (if you don't know what I'm talking about, see previous travel posts), and we had to resume our scheduled trip through Hungary and the Balkans. On the flight from Cyprus to Vienna, I reflected on what I’d seen and learned. I was instantly more at ease once I felt the plane left off the ground. Being in Cyprus made me jumpy and irritable. I was offended by the Cypriots who tried to drag me into their conflict and make me choose … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Security Tagged With: Culture Schmulture, Cyprus, Hungary

Peter Beinart on UN Peacekeeping Missions

December 2, 2006 By AIDemocracy

UN Dispatch has a great post about an article on UN peacekeeping written by (of all people) Peter Beinart in (of all publications) The New Republic. I checked the article out, and, while I may not have a great personal impression of Beinart (he did something nasty at a function I helped organize in DC this year), he makes excellent points, and emphasizes, as too few American writers do, how much good the UN actually does. From UN Dispatch: He hits all the main points. As a result of Iraq, says Beinart, Americans may have a declining appetite for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Security Tagged With: Darfur, Somalia, United Nations

What's the Worst Conventional Wisdom?

November 30, 2006 By AIDemocracy

I was recently asked to answer this question: What is the most problematic and damaging piece of conventional wisdom in American foreign policy today, and why? Here's my answer in a nutshell: Islamofascism. Islamofascism represents an attempt to link the fight against terrorism today with past fights against Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. Its proponents seek to cast their opponents to that fight as today’s appeasers. Although the comparison between twentieth century totalitarian states and twenty-first century terrorist networks … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Security Tagged With: discrimination, Islam, US-Muslim World Relations

Una's Travel Diary: Background on the Cyprus Conflict

November 18, 2006 By AIDemocracy

At last, I have fast wireless access! Now, I can fill you in on what my trip to Cyprus is all about. Balanced information sources on the Cyprus conflict are few and far between, but cyprus-conflict.net, a web site recommended to me by a very helpful UNDP employee, is certainly one of the best. Here is a short summary of the Cyprus conflict from cyprus-conflict.net The Mediterranean island of Cyprus has suffered a long history of foreign domination, violence, and civil strife. Since the 1950s, when still a colony of Britain, Cyprus has been a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Security Tagged With: Cyprus, Turkey

Of Our Own Making

November 16, 2006 By AIDemocracy

In the recent discussion “How are the US and UN Working Together to Combat Terrorism” former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Senior Advisor of the United Nations Foundation, Gillian Sorensen, discussed the necessity of strengthening the relationship between the US and UN. It is unfathomable that a single nation can address issues, such as terrorism that occur on such as grandiose scale. In her brief hour at American University, she touched on topics such as counter-terrorism, security, root causes of terrorism, and the current … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Security Tagged With: terrorism, United Nations, US foreign policy

Thinking of the Balkans

November 12, 2006 By AIDemocracy

On Friday, my European Defense Policy professor told my class a story I’d heard before. It was the story of Zvornik, a town in Bosnia where a war crime so grotesque was committed that I can’t bring myself to describe it here. If your morbid curiosity has to be satisfied, you can look it up. The first time I heard this particular war crime story was several years ago in a large lecture class on civil wars. I was one of three people who fainted during that lecture. This time around, I didn’t faint, but I did feel dizzy. When I looked around the room, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Security Tagged With: Europe, Kosovo, Serbia