From the Editor

Peace Magazine's content is an index of peace activists' preoccupations. Our old problem - the world's arsenal of weapons of mass destruction - is still urgent, arid some of our writers focus on it here (See M.V Ramana's article, Ron Shirtliff's review of Douglas Roche's new book, and Bob Baxter's review of a book on chemical and biological weapons.)

But now we are informed by a broadening conception of peace - including the importance of democracy and human rights. See, for example, Tim Donais' report on Ed Broadbent's speech, in which he insists that human and other social rights should be part of every international trade treaty. See also the Newsworthy page, with its story of the human rights abuses inflicted on peacefully demonstrating Canadian citizens by order of their own (democratic?) government what should we do about this shameful event?

Today's peaceniks are also preoccupied with the relationship between economic development an(l peace. This problematic is discussed in David Wurfel's article about Vietnam (where old enmities are less salient than the sale of motorbikes); in Howard Clark's piece about Kosova; in Broadbent's speech; in Ayad Al-Qazzaz's complaint about the suffering of Iraqi people under sanctions; and in Hanna Newcombe's report on a workshop on the ethics of economic sanctions. I predict that there will be even more serious debate this year about how trade (and sanctions) relate to social justice and the tranquillity of human relations.

The broadening agenda raises questions for the magazine about the appropriateness of our editorial policy. Certainly the sanctions in Iraq and Cuba are a peace issue - but is the Multilateral Agreement on Investments (MAI)? Or should we stay more closely focused on weapons? Tell us what you think, But given such a wide range of concerns within your peace activism, how do you keep up your morale? We all have moments of feeling overwhelmed - including Mary-Wynne Ashford, who admits to feeling like Sisyphus at times. But you'll benefit from Dr Ashford's prescription against burn-out, which appears in her article, "The Power of One."

Finally, here's a reminder: visit our web-page every month or two. we don't have room in the magazine for a full discussion, we often put the surplus onto our web page. And we invite debates. Perhaps you'll feel moved to join in. Our address is: www.peacemagazine.org.

Peace Magazine Jan-Feb 1998

Peace Magazine Jan-Feb 1998, page 4. Some rights reserved.

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