Jimmy Carter Reflects on Working Toward Peace

After the Cold War, many expected an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity. For most Americans, this prediction has come true. Although our military has not been idle, since 1991 our country has been largely untouched by the ravages of war. And most of us-although not all-have a roof over our heads, access to jobs, and the opportunity to live healthy, productive lives.

But when we talk about prosperity, we are excluding more than 1.3 billion people in developing nations who live on less than one dollar per day. And let's consider just the most fundamental tenet of peace-the absence of war. At the nonprofit Carter Center, which my wife, Rosalynn, and I founded after leaving the White House, we monitor all serious conflicts in the world, and the sad reality is that the number of armed conflicts within countries increased dramatically. According to one estimate, more than 150,000 people-the majority of them civilians-lost their lives in 1997 alone. But these numbers don't begin to tell the whole story. That same year, some 20 million people were forced from their homes. And untold numbers suffered the indirect consequences of conflict, such as lack of health care and education, and emotional trauma-conditions that create an environment of fear and instability.

Although this has been the most violent century known to humankind, the world community pays little attention to many of the most destructive clashes. The United States and other industrialized nations focus mostly on those conflicts that directly affect them, such as those in Iraq, Bosnia, and Serbia. For example, while the war in Kosovo waged on and dominated the world's headlines, even more destructive conflicts in developing nations were systematically ignored by the United States and other powerful nations.

One can traverse Africa, from the Red Sea in the northeast to the southwestern Atlantic coast, and never set foot on peaceful territory. Fifty thousand people have recently perished in the war between Eritrea and Ethiopia, and almost two million have died during the seventeen-year conflict in neighboring Sudan. That war has spilled over into northern Uganda, whose troops have joined those from Rwanda to fight in the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire). The other Congo (Brazzaville) is also ravaged by a civil war, and all attempts to bring peace to Angola have failed. Although formidable commitments were made in the Balkans, where white Europeans were involved, no such concerted efforts are being made by leaders outside of Africa to resolve these and other disputes.

As long as these trends continue, there can be no peace and prosperity for a large percentage of the world's people. And while it is relatively easy to see and understand the direct impact of war on a people and a nation, it is more difficult to measure other factors that make for a peaceful and productive quality of life. At the Carter Center, we maintain that peace also includes the ability to feed one's family, the right to be free from preventable disease, the right to live without the fear of human rights abuses, and the right to determine one's own future. These are the seeds of peace.

All of these things require resources. In our travels, Rosalynn and I have witnessed the most appalling poverty and the results of religious, ethnic, and political persecution. These experiences have convinced me that the greatest challenge we face as a global community is how to reduce the growing disparity between rich and poor people.

Who are the rich? Rich people feel relatively safe in their own neighborhood, have adequate food and shelter, some education, and some expectation of gainful employment. They believe that there is an equal system of justice and think they can make decisions that will have a positive impact on their lives.

It is sobering that, even in the richest nation on earth, many do not enjoy these fruits of peace. This is even more evident in the developing world. At the beginning of this century, the ratio between per capita income between the richest and poorest nations was nine to one. By 1960, it had increased to thirty to one, and today it is more than sixty to one. Although capitalism and democracy are the best ways to promote these values, these systems are far from perfect. They can promote survival of the fittest-with serious consequences to the poor-if there is little social conscience or inadequate safety nets.

There is little doubt that most people, as individuals and as a society, want to lead lives that are satisfying, productive, and healthy. To make this possible, a nation or society must reach for justice. This includes providing for the basic human needs of both the rich and the poor. Until we meet this challenge as a global community, there can be no true and lasting peace.

 

Biography

Resources for Teachers and Students