Letter from the President
As I approach the end of my second year at Seeds of Peace, I am increasingly taken with the urgency and importance of the work we do. With the formal Arab-Israeli peace process at a deadly impasse and four years of non-stop Israeli-Palestinian confrontation embittering the attitudes of both sides, Seeds of Peace has emerged as one of the few practical alternatives to hopelessness and despair. Our capacity to build bridges and bring people together is a testament to the compelling nature of this mission. I was reminded of this again at the Seeds of Peace Forum on Conflict and Diplomacy this fall in New York City. Former Secretary of State James A. Baker was our featured speaker, and at the Secretary's table, we managed to convene the Foreign Ministers of Egypt, Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, and the Secretary General of the Arab League. Such a gathering has not occurred during the past four years. Why has Seeds of Peace proven so resilient? Why are we expanding – bringing record numbers of Arabs, Israelis, Indians, Pakistanis, Afghans, and Cypriots to our summer program in Maine, particularly against the background of growing regional tension and conflict? I believe the answer lies in the simple proposition that people do not want to give up. Clearly this is the case with many of the prospective young leaders that we are empowering with the skills required for serious peacemaking and reconciliation. But it is also true of publics and political leaders caught up in conflict. No one wants to abandon the future to the cruel forces of history, which if left to their own devices would guarantee perpetual conflict. And Seeds of Peace offers a practical and realistic pathway forward to ensure that when governments are ready to conclude political agreements – as only governments can – there will be constituencies and leaders at both the community and national level ready to support their efforts.
“Having spent nearly 25 years working on Arab-Israeli negotiations, people often ask me what they can do to contribute to serious peacemaking. I never had a good answer. Now I do.”
Seeds of Peace also understands the importance of innovation and adjustment to cope with the new challenges confronting our world. This summer we developed a new program called Beyond Borders which brought 30 young Arabs from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan and Yemen together with 30 Americans from all over the country to engage on the critical cultural, religious and political issues that can fuel bias and misunderstanding. All left transformed and will never again look at Americans or Arabs in a way that stigmatizes the group at the expense of the distinctiveness of the individual. This is a crucial first step to create a solid basis for greater understanding on one of the most critical challenges facing America and the Arab/Muslim world today. We plan to conduct a follow-up session in Jordan in March of 2005 hosted by Their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania of Jordan. Having spent nearly 25 years working on Arab-Israeli negotiations, people often ask me what they can do to contribute to serious peacemaking. I never had a good answer. Now I do; Seeds of Peace can help create a new generation of young leaders – authentic and genuine representatives of their own societies, yet capable of reaching out to the other side. And we desperately need this kind of leadership. Investing in Seeds of Peace is an investment in the future. And no one can afford to abandon that future to the forces of extremism and despair. Thank you for supporting our effort to create a different alternative – one that offers a future based on understanding, respect and perhaps one day on real peace.
Aaron David Miller President, Seeds of Peace
www.seedsofpeace.org
Photo: Allen King
AARON DAVID MILLER