Not all dealmakers are peacemakers; all peacemakers are dealmakers.
The following Proposal for bringing Peace to the Ukraine War is merely an outline, a brief description of the steps involved in a robust effort to end the war. A more detailed plan will be created upon engagement in the process.
Stage One – Spiritual Preparation
Axiom: All conflicts are rooted in the spiritual realm.
A. Peacemakers will study the Ukraine Conflict to grasp it’s spiritual foundations; they will identify and “name” destructive influences driving “direct opposition to the Will of God”; they will locate demonic presences, those influences fostering suffering and destruction.
B. Peacemakers will recruit clergy (Russian Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, and Catholic) to serve as reconciliation specialists. Reconciliation Seminars will be convened as part of their preparation. These training sessions will provide a full briefing on the conflict; the reconciliation sessions will teach clergy collaboration protocols. Clergy will gather spiritual resources they will use in peacemaking.
C. Clergy will assemble Prayer Teams that will engage in 24/7 prayer until peacemaking is complete. Prayer Teams will gather on site, but will not be at “the table.” They will be an unseen presence at all dispute resolution events.
D. Clergy will provide spiritual counseling for participants who request assistance. They will offer spiritual views and resources that participants can use to address specific dispute issues; they will assist participants best represent their interests.
Stage Two – Wounds
Axiom: Unhealed and/or unacknowledged wounds cause persistence of conflict.
A. Wounds that will need to be acknowledged include two categories: historic wounds and recent wounds associated with the current War.
B. Collaborative teams of scholars, historians, and spiritual directors will comprise a White Paper Team that will compile comprehensive documentation of historic wounds, the kind of wounds that fuel emotions preventing reconciliation.
C. The “Wounds” White Paper will be published in a draft form, then will be revised with participant input, and finally will be published as a guide for participants, spiritual counselors, peacemakers, and stakeholders.
D. The White Paper compilation will be continually enhanced with ongoing addition of documents, photographic materials, oral accounts, and expert panel discussions. The “Wounds” White Paper will be archived at a War Memorial designed to honor those who suffered or lost their lives.
E. A second team will investigate, research, and draft a “recent wounds” White Paper that documents recent traumatic events that must be acknowledged. This second White Paper will also be archived in the “Wounds” section of the Memorial.
F. Wounds and breakdowns in trust related to treaty violations will also be researched and archived.
Stage Three: Identify Valid Stakeholders
Axiom: All valid stakeholders must have a seat at “the table”; invalid stakeholders must have no place at “the table.”
A. A peacemaker delegation will interview potential stakeholders. Interviews will be reviewed. A document summarizing stakeholder interests will be created.
B. Peacemakers will study stakeholder interests. Stakeholders with common interests may be combined into stakeholder groups.
C. Peacemakers will set aside stakeholder claims that appear invalid. Peacemakers will advise stakeholders who have been rejected of other approaches that might satisfy their needs and interests.
D. Peacemakers will constantly assess for destructive interests that will sabotage peace. This includes assessing for the presence of hidden destructive influences. Destructive “stakeholders” will be assessed by a Spiritual Warrior Team to determine if demonic agency is present.
E. A list of valid stakeholders, with a summary of their “interests and needs,” will be published in anticipation of negotiation. Preliminary lists of issues to be negotiated will be published in draft form.
F. Peacemakers will convene stakeholder caucuses during which stakeholders collaborate in a Divine Collaboration analysis of demands, interests, needs, and concerns. Clergy will assist in evaluating how interests align with the “Will of God.”
Stakeholders will learn to frame their requests in a manner suitable for negotiation. Stakeholders will work to find creative solutions that satisfy their demands or requests, anticipating such solutions will be considered during a subsequent collaborative process.
G. Peacemakers will compile lists of stakeholders whose interests will be represented in negotiations by “participants,” those who negotiate a peace accord at the final table.
Stage Four: Clergy Moderated Divine Collaboration Session
Axiom: The roots of conflict reach into the Spiritual Realm, thus resolution of conflict must also address spiritual matters. Peacemaking is, at its core, a spiritual reconciliation process.
A. Negotiation Participants (who will appear at the Final Table) will take part in spiritual exercises overseen by a select Spiritual Team. (Prayer Teams will convene in adjacent rooms.)
B. Participants will be guided to imagine and articulate their vision of future peace scenarios. They will be asked to conceive of a future consistent with the Kingdom of God; in other words, a future in which human relations align with the Will of God.
C. Participants will be asked to design a tentative civil society “Platform for Peace,” a design for how civil affairs will be conducted once peace is achieved. Designs for the formal and legal relationships will be developed.
D. Participants will construct Preliminary Peace Accords, templates that reflect their visions of the best possible outcome. Each participant, at this stage, will produce a draft Peace Agreement.
Stage Five: Final Table Peace Negotiations
Axiom: Worldly Peace requires well-designed accords to be negotiated and executed, providing clarity regarding implementation.
A. Participants, relying on work accomplished in the previous four steps, will negotiate and formalize a peace accord using a collaborative process.
B. The accord will include a Platform for Peace, a civil society road map for the continued implementation of peace protocols. This “Platform” will insure the longevity of the agreement and will provide security and hope at the “ground level.”
C. The Peace Accord will state clear spiritual and/or transcendent goals that honor the essential nature of men and women who must live under the agreement.
D. A summary of interests satisfied and dreams ratified will be created by peacemakers and participants, appropriate for public distribution.
Stage Six: Public Declaration of Peace Delivered
Axiom: Peace will endure only if the broader public is fully informed and consensus is achieved.
A. Peacemakers, in concert with Participants, will prepare a formal presentation of the Peace Accords. They will employ best practices with regard to event design and media production.
B. Public Announcements will highlight the spiritual grounding of the Accords. Clergy will articulate solemn promises to be honored before God. Clergy will call on the public to assist in peace accord implementation in a prayerful manner. Religious services designed to heal wounds and mourn losses will be delivered.
C. Public Announcements will include mourning for those who suffered or perished. Clergy will help deliver a solemn acknowledgement of Mankind’s violation of God’s plan, as well as an expression of a heartfelt desire to return to living in alignment with the Will of God. The spiritual essence of mankind will be celebrated in religious gatherings.
D. “A Signing Celebration” that truly acknowledges a profound change in the condition of Mankind, not simply the work of bureaucrats executing legal documents, will take place. Peace will be sanctified in a way that will encourage the Public to resist future violations of peaceful norms.
Stage Seven: Public Events convened.
Axiom: Healing does not take place overnight; healing is an ongoing process requiring persistence and patience.
A. Peacemakers will organize and oversee “healing wounds” events and “raising peace” events at numerous regional venues. Healing will be a priority. Peacemakers with assistance from leading clergy, will lift up individuals as spiritual peacemakers, and elicit their dedication to peace on Earth.
B. A War Memorial will be designed and built. It will house the story of the Ukraine Conflict as resource for teaching generations to come. The Memorial will be a site where scholarship and spiritual reflection can shine light on the drivers of human suffering.
Conclusion
The preceding is a brief introduction to peacemaking concepts. A final plan will be more detailed. Peace is possible if we approach this situation with all the tools available, especially faith-based tools. The horrors that have taken place arise from demonic urges. Only a spiritually grounded peace will be sufficiently robust to insure enduring peace and the realization of man’s highest aspirations.