June 2009

The over arching mission of the Institute is a focus on the development of a model for creating sustainable peace on community, national and international levels.  This model includes the qualities of a culture of peace -the identification of the embedded ethical values, such as equality, justice, compassion and mutual respect - and how these qualities are established and accepted.  As part of this mission the Institute is creating an Academy for Peace. 

Its humanitarian programs are aimed at the peaceful resolution of conflicts, relationship building, the elimination of prejudice, and the broadening of perspectives through the modeling process in which selective conflicts are identified and engaged using its various peace mechanisms and technologies.

One of these efforts is in the support of a new Los Angeles Area Nuclear Disarmament Coalition.  In considering the term “Weapons of Mass Destruction”, their threat to society and their destabilizing effects on peace building, we need to include nuclear weapons.  For this reason, the Wallenberg Institute is supporting an Internet group dialogue process first developed by Roger Eaton, one of our Board members.  Each month participants write messages, and vote to elect one message to represent the coalition.  We hope to take this process global, in order to gain awareness and support of nuclear disarmament and build hope for peace.

This innovative approach to consensus building was first used by our Institute to engage in a Jewish – Muslim “Finding our Common Humanity” online dialogue in 2005.  The Wallenberg Institute is also considering launching an Israeli-Palestinian online dialog within an interfaith setting using the online process.  This is where our heart is.  The nuclear disarmament dialog will serve as a further testing ground for the technology.  But all these issues are interrelated.  Global nuclear disarmament will never happen if we don't find a genuine Middle East peace, and Middle East peace is going to be even more difficult to achieve if there is further nuclear proliferation. 

For more information about our Institute and how you can get involved check out our website: RaoulWallenbergInstitute.org, or email me at Sideroff@ucla.edu.  We need your help to further our goals of creating a culture of peace.

Stephen Sideroff, Ph.D.
Clinical DirectorMoonview Sanctuary www.MoonviewSanctuary.com