BEFORE War Starts
The Cape Ann Forum will host a talk by Swiss journalist and war prevention pioneer Heinz Krummenacher, "BEFORE War Starts: Political Early Warning Systems," on May 15, 7 p.m. at Gloucester City Hall. This is the final event of the Forum's 2010/11 season and will also include the Forum's presentation of the annual international awareness award to a Gloucester High School senior. The evening is free, open and accessible to the public.
Neither the United Nations, nor its member states have been able to halt the tide of violence sweeping the world since the end of the cold war. Instead of a triumph of democracy and a new era of peace and stability, we have witnessed a series of brutal conflicts in former Soviet republics and satellites, genocide in Rwanda and Darfur and the collapse of entire nations into chronic states of war.
How can violent conflicts be prevented? What resources are needed to tackle the dangers from uncontrolled destabilization and internal wars? Rather than spend billions of dollars for sophisticated weaponry, what can governments do to take preventative action?
BEFORE Project CEO Heinz Krummenacher, a pioneer in developing a state-of-the-art political early warning system, will address these and other questions at the May 15 event. Based on his peacebuilding experience in Central Asia, the North Caucasus and West Africa, he will outline the cornerstones for an effective peace policy to address today’s and tomorrow’s security threats.
The BEFORE project, launched by Gloucester resident Milt Lauenstein in 2008, grew out of a violence prevention initiative in the West African country of Guinea-Bissau. Today, it links political early warning signs with a quick, independent, flexible and holistic response to crises, acting as a bridge between northern and southern actors to prevent potential violent conflict. In the words of its mission statement, “BEFORE reframes the way we all think about war by offering each one of us the chance to stop it—before it’s too late.”
Visit their website at http://beforeproject.org/.
Dr. Krummenacher received his MA (1982) and PhD (1985) in political science from the University of Zurich. He started his professional career with the Swiss Defense Department where he directed a study group dealing with the redefinition of Swiss security policy (1985-1989). Between 1990 and 1992 he served as foreign editor with the Swiss daily newspaper “Der Bund.”
Before joining swisspeace in 1998 he was head of the social research department at IHA-GfK, a leading market research institute (1992-1998). At swisspeace he is the managing director and head of the early warning program and the CEO of BEFORE. In addition, he is a member of the UN staff college’s Early Warning Preventive Measures training unit.
The May 15 Cape Ann Forum will also feature the announcement of the sixth annual Cape Ann Forum award for the Gloucester High School senior who has done the most to educate her or his peers on international issues, with the recipient chosen in consultation with GHS faculty. The prize carries with it a $500 scholarship.
Last year’s award was given to Terri Moody for her leadership in a wide range of environmental initiatives, including a campus recycling program, a climate change awareness campaign, and a bike-to-work/bike-to-school event, among others.
This is the Cape Ann Forum‘s 64th public event since the community-based nonprofit was launched after 9/11 to increase public understanding of international issues. The Forum is an all-volunteer organization whose activities are supported solely by donations from those who participate in local events.