BIPPI
B's Independent Pro-Peace Initiative

Description of the project
 

Introduction

I. The project: motivations and content

II. General information about a thematic camp

III. Plan of the project 

Introduction

Since this project works about information, let’s play the journalist and let’s imagine being in a press conference with some authoritative people.

Mr. Romano Prodi (Former President of the European Commission), is it really necessary to continue talking to people about war?
“The Peoples and the States of Europe want to participate in the life of the Union because the main reason of its existence is to guarantee peace on the continent and to work for peace in the world. This idea is so much rooted in the mentality of the Europeans, that today we take it for granted.
But we should not forget that only 50 years ago Europe had faced such a big horror to prefigure its disappearance. At the half of the past century, the war had become a real threat for the very survival of our civilization.”

Father Ernesto Balducci (Founder of “ Marcia della Pace” in Assisi), is war something necessary or indispensable?
“War does not make sense for the simple fact that it is never won. For the simple fact that also a won war does not close the conflict that it was intended to close: it will reopen in new and more terrible shapes.”

Mrs. Madeleine K. Albright (Former US Secretary of State), what lies at the end of any war?
“As we have learned in Bosnia, when a conflict ends, the even more difficult job of winning the peace begins.”

In 2001, Unions and NGOs, movements and organizations, intellectuals and artists, gathered together at the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre. According to you all, is there any place for war in the society of the future?
“We are building a great alliance to create a new society, different from the dominant logic wherein the free-market and money are considered the only measure of worth.
We totally refuse war as a way to solve conflicts.”

Mr Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (President of the Italian Republic), don’t you think that refusing war is an argument only for dreamers?
“Italy repudiates the war as an instrument of offence to the freedom of the other peoples and as a means of resolution to the international controversies.”

Mr Kofi Annan (Former Secretary General of United Nations), can we all do anything to build up a better world?
“We, the peoples of the United Nations, have decided to combine our efforts to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”

Dear guest,

most people in the world, from every country and every political side, agree about the fundamental importance of peace for mankind. We all know and agree that war is to be avoided and refused. Today, few in the world describe war as something necessary and fair.
Nevertheless, the idea that the peoples of the world combine their efforts “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war” is far from reality. Too many factors of instability, too many small and big conflicts survive in the today world.

Western democracies are based upon public opinion which does not mean that they are based upon the truth. We all know that the truth is the first casualty of every conflict. Bombed by tons of propaganda and lies, people don’t know what to think and choose; sometimes they even don’t know they can choose.
If we consider that in the Charter of United Nations as well as in every national Constitution, war is still allowed as an extreme means of intervention it's clear that democracy alone cannot guarantee peace.

On the other side, in a real democracy, a conscious and well informed public opinion is the best guardian of peace. Knowledge and consciousness are the base of the democratic system, participation is its instrument. When people can choose between war and peace then a diffused, complete and correct knowledge of the reasons of a conflict is fundamental to help the resolution of it.
As a matter of fact, without the pressure of the international public opinion any conflict would probably end with the simple defeat of the weaker part on the ground.

But we all know very few things about the most of conflicts in the world; moreover much information comes from manipulation as two parts in conflict always hide the real reasons of their engagement under a mountain of propaganda and lies. Shocking information are given to show whatever and its contrary and the public opinion gets confused. It is always hard to find the original documents and the correct explanations and data, in a sea of confusing propaganda.

BIPPI works on this matter.

Bruno Picozzi