THE SEVILLE STATEMENT 0N VIOLENCE

"The same species who invented war is capable of inventing peace."

Suppon Network c/o David Adams, Wesleyan Psychology Dept
Middletown, Connecticut USA, 06459—0408

NEWSLETTER - VOLUME 5, NUMBER 3, APRIL. 1991

--- Confronted by the terrible war in the Gulf, many of us have
tried to act, institutionally, collectively, and individually, to
help achieve a peaceful rather than violent solution. The failures
of initiatives, on many sides, have left us in a negative situation,
a setback to the progress toward peace of recent years. Not only
has there been the terrible destruction in the Gulf region itself,
but also there are setbacks in other areas, including the promise
of a new disarmament treaty and a comprehensive nuclear test ban.
And, as Robert Hinde notes on the letter enclosed, it seems as if
the very nature of the United Nations has been distorted.

--- Perhaps it had little effect, but a number of the Seville
signatories sent a letter to UN Secretary General, Javier Perez
de Cuellar. A copy is enclosed. It was not possible to reach
everyone before sending the letter. Letters of support came
later from Ashis Mandy and Jose Delgado. Nandy wrote, "I would
have certainly signed the letter . . but the struggle has not
ended. I am sure there will be other occasions such as this."
Rather than signing the letter, Federico Mayor sent us a copy of
his own official statement from Unesco, a copy of which is enclosed.
Bonnie Carter wrote that she would have signed an abbreviated form
of the letter that was a bit less politicized. And, sadly
connected to the war itself, we are still unable to reach Taha
Malasi.

--- The letter of Robert Hinde deserves our serious reflection
and consideration. To what extent can or should we go beyond our
role as scientific experts and try to intervene in "the affairs
of state?" How should we interpret the responsibility when we
say that "the responsibility lies with each of us" for the inventing
of peace? To facilitate further consideration, I enclose the part
of Unesco's 1974 Recommendation on the Status of Scientific
Researchers which deals with The Vocation of the Scientific
Researcher.

--- For many, the Seville Statement on Violence is a source of
hope in these troubled times. In announcing that the American
Sociological Association has endorsed the Statement, Stephen A.
Buff, the Assistant Executive Officer, wrote that "on a personal
note, I am proud to be associated. even in a minor way, with this
effort which has added meaning in these dark days." The Executive
Officer of the Association, William V. D'Antonio, goes into more
detail in his editorial enclosed from the March issue of the ASA
newsletter, Footnotes. Elsewhere in the same issue the entire text
of the Statement is printed, along with the announcement that as
part of its endorsement the ASA plans to disseminate information
about the Statement to authors and publishers of sociology texts
and to relevant workshops. Also, as stated in the enclosed letter,
Nobel Laureate Jean Dausset quoted extensively from the Statement
in Madrid (a copy of the speech in Spanish is available from me).