[Opinion] The World Peace Foundation’s Propaganda War
[Excerpts]
Throughout recorded history, nations and peoples have waged war against each other. In response, prophets and idealists have decried the destruction and prayed for peace, generally with meager results. After the devastation of two World Wars in the 20th century, a number of academic programs were established with the proclaimed mission of reversing this dismal history.
Unfortunately, as is clear from the state of the world today, they have made little progress. And in some cases, groups operating under the banner of promoting peace have become partisans to conflicts and joined in amplifying hatreds between peoples.
The World Peace Foundation at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University is a depressing illustration of Orwellian hypocrisy and doublethink. Established by Edwin Ginn, a Boston-based publisher of educational texts and an advocate for international peace, the WPF’s stated objectives are to educate “a global audience” on “the waste and destructiveness of war and of preparation for war,” and, based on “justice-informed research,” to promote “international justice and the brotherhood of man … peace and goodwill among all mankind.” But like other well-intentioned frameworks, the declared objectives must be measured against the results, and here, the chasm is massive.
