3 Review(s)

Peace is Everybody’s Business is about conflict prevention, hope and peace for the oppressed and alienated, and the imaginative use of soft-power to win back estranged communities into the social and political mainstream. Past strategies in managing alienated societies have been derived from two extreme ideological positions—either imprisoning those who take up arms against the state or ultra-liberalism, which is denounced as impractical. The author suggests a three-pronged alternative strategy to reconcile these two extreme positions—preventing conflict by addressing human security through human development, pursuing a policy of atonement and forgiveness, and eliminating trust deficit between the state and the marginalized. The central focus of this strategy, which the author in his capacity as a General successfully executed in Operation Sadhbhavna, is the people. The author believes that killing is counterproductive and the army must change its role from ‘winning wars’ to ‘preventing wars’. About the Author A soldier-scholar of the Indian army, Lt. General Arjun Ray has wide-ranging experience in war, confl ict management and social transformation. Lt General Ray served as India’s Deputy Military Advisor in London. In his last assignment, he commanded the newly raised 14 Corps in Ladakh. As part of Operation Sadbhavana (Goodwill), he set up 13 Sadbhavana schools, 11 women’s empowerment centres and 60 adult education centres for non-literate women along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. In recognition of his services in nation-building, he was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, the highest award in the armed forces for distinguished service. His success story in change leadership has been selected as a case study for business and management schools in India. In his second calling—international school education—he has set up three International Baccalaureate Schools, the Leadership School, and the world’s fi rst Equal Opportunity School for children living below the poverty line. IB World has recently acclaimed the general as one of the six IB World School Leaders on rethinking education, especially by making high-quality education affordable to the poor. The author’s fi rst book, Kashmir Diary: The Psychology of Militancy (1997), is a purple primer in understanding the mind and motivation behind political violence.