Special message about the War in the Middle East
A statement by our founder, Robert J. Berg
These are challenging times. Many at home and abroad are questioning how the United States is engaging in the current Middle East conflict. As a U.S. citizen, I share those questions about its intent and rationale.
This is a moment when many are cautious about speaking publicly, and perceptions can travel faster than facts, sometimes leading to misunderstandings about where individuals stand.
So, a word of explanation:
We oppose war and the use of violence to settle disputes. Our focus is on advancing diplomacy, protecting civilians, and strengthening the institutions that prevent escalation. We recognize that responsibility for today’s suffering is shared across multiple actors and decisions. We condemn all attacks on civilians and all actions that worsen humanitarian harm, and we urge an immediate return to credible diplomacy and accountability under international law.
Making commitments for peace now is even more important than before the current wars endangered so many peoples and international relationships, as the current wars portend cycles of further violence.
We are launching the International Fund for Peace to help countries find solutions to problems peacefully, and to nurture peace through national policies and culture. During our planning phase, we are based in the United States. We will also be exploring options for a long-term base in the Global South, consistent with the Fund’s focus and partnerships.
While this is a tremendously challenging time, we are comforted to be near a great many dedicated organizations working on building peace, and many foundations and individuals supporting this work. All these important peace actors and supporters are needed now more than ever.
As a community and as an institution we look forward to the day when all countries, particularly those where we are citizens, are united in finding peaceful solutions to issues.
Finally, we fear that global and regional organizations created to foster peace have suffered serious collateral damage by big power aggressors who are disregarding their responsibilities as leading members of these organizations. Rather than weakening these organizations, as is currently taking place, we strongly urge that these organizations be built up with adequate finance and the most capable people so that it becomes natural to turn to these institutions to resolve serious challenges to peace.