Barbara Lee Cosponsors Bill to Create Dept. of Peace
(Washington, DC) – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, joined Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) and other members of Congress today to reintroduce legislation that would establish the United States Department of Peace.
“The quagmire in Iraq is a perfect example of the failure the Bush administration’s doctrine of preemptive war and the idea that we can rely exclusively on military solutions to international problems,” said Lee. “From the war in Iraq to the genocide in Sudan, there is a clear need for a government body that will create and implement policies that support peaceful resolution.”
The legislation, which Congressman Kucinich introduced in the 107th and 108th Congresses, would create a cabinet-level office called the Department of Peace. The Department would have both an international and domestic influence, directing policy concerned with peaceful conflict resolution, democracy, and human rights globally and coordinating policy on domestic violence, abuse, and other civil injustices domestically.
The legislation would also establish a Peace Academy, modeled after the military service academies, which will provide a four-year concentration in peace education. Graduates will be required to serve five years of public service in programs dedicated to domestic or international non-violent conflict resolution.
“Dr. King said that ‘peace is not the absence of tension, it is the presence of justice,’” said Lee. “This isn’t something we should just hope for, we must work for it. We must dedicate the resources, and establishing a cabinet level Department of Peace is an important step towards doing that.”
There are currently 57 Cosponsors of the legislation.
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