Civilian Diplomacy by Bob Koehler

Peace is no more — and no less — than the audacity of sanity, reaching past the dubious geopolitics of national self-interest and standing, as Hank Brusselback did, underneath the ancient bridge in Esfahan, Iran, listening to the men who had gathered to sing.

It’s called civilian diplomacy, and it is one way we will create the peace our leaders don’t believe we’re ready for. “If the government isn’t willing to talk to people, then the people need to be willing to (talk to each other),” Brusselback said. “It comes from a belief in the nature of security — it’s not about weapons, fear and posturing on the world stage. It’s about communication, talking to people, everyone having their basic needs met. If you understood security that way, you’d see that security is about dialogue.”