Articles | Other websites | Media critique | Other resources |

Beyond September 11th - Introduction

In the aftermath of the attacks on New York and Washington, the first response in any community – including the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding – was one of horror, grief, and anger. Watching the heroic rescue work unfold and grieving for the thousands of victims of this tragedy, we began to ask what we could do in this situation.

We acknowledge the anger and drive to revenge in others and in ourselves, but as people of faith and professionals in conflict transformation, we also know that sustainable peace cannot be built through violent means. Many of us have lived and worked in contexts of violent conflict, and have experienced first hand the effects of cycles of violence, retaliation, and ever-increasing violence.

We have determined that our best contribution at this time is:

• to provide options for reframing the discussions about what has happened
• to explore ideas about how to pursue responses that will lead to a sustainable, just peace rather than a continued escalation of conflict and violence

To do this, we will create and disseminate a series of analytical papers based on our various areas of expertise and interest, including peacebuilding, responses to violence, trauma healing, work with victims of violence, restorative justice, worldview conflicts, and crisis management. These articles are intended to promote open and creative dialogue in society about immediate and long-term options in response to the events of September 11.

The articles will be updated regularly. Please keep checking back with us. You may use the ideas in the articles freely. If you wish to use an entire article, please attribute it to the author and the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding.

We also invite your feedback, your ideas for other paper topics, and your questions.

Send comments to:

Center for Justice and Peacebuilding
1200 Park Road
Harrisonburg, VA 22802
Telephone: (540)432-4490