Brussels

Response to Ongoing Terrorism and Violence:

An open letter to world leaders and concerned citizens

I

n the past two years, a tragic series of attacks—in Brussels, Lahore, Orlando, Nice, and elsewhere—has confirmed once again the grave and pressing threat of terrorism and violence to the safety and security of societies everywhere. Every nation is vulnerable: current military, intelligence, and security protocols have proven insufficient to prevent these attacks and to protect innocent citizens. Clearly, a fundamentally new approach is needed.

Following the Paris terror attacks in November 2015, the Global Union of Scientists for Peace presented such an approach—a scientific, field-tested solution to global terrorism and conflict. The compelling outcomes of these large-scale tests have been published in leading peer-reviewed scientific journals and confirm steep reductions in social violence, warfare, and terrorism. We summarized this approach and the evidence supporting it in a full-page announcement in the International New York Times—an open letter to world leaders. Had this highly effective and cost-effective solution been implemented at that time, the people of Brussels, Lahore, Orlando, and Nice—among thousands of others—would almost certainly have been spared the tragic events we have witnessed this year.

The Global Union of Scientists for Peace stands ready to implement this approach in any nation seeking to reduce the risk of terrorism, crime, and social conflict. All a government needs to do is to designate a group of trainees large enough (usually a few hundred to a few thousand) to generate a powerful effect of social coherence that can prevent the outbreak of terrorism and other manifestations of acute societal stress. The Global Union of Scientists for Peace will then engage with the government to quickly complete the requisite training and thereby ensure peace for the nation.

We urge every government to implement this effective, cost-effective, scientifically verified solution to terrorism and conflict—before another city or nation suffers further devastation and loss of life. The time to act is now.

John Hagelin, Ph.D.
International President
President@GUSP.org