The proposed 'Department of Peace' would include mandates not dissimilar to those of the
United States Institute of Peace, as well as additional ones outlined below:
* Monitoring of all domestic arms production, including non-military arms, conventional military arms, and of weapons of mass destruction,
* Making regular recommendations to the US President for various arms reductions strategies,
* Assumption of a more proactive level of involvement in the establishment of international dialogues for international conflict resolution (as a cabinet level department),
* Establishment of a US Peace Academy, which among other things would train international peace-keepers,
* Development of an educational media program to promote non-violence in the domestic media,
* Monitoring of human rights, both domestically and abroad,
* Making regular recommendations to the President for the maintenance and improvement of these human rights,
* Receiving a timely mandatory advance consultation from the Secretaries of State, and of Defense, prior to any engagement of US troops in any armed conflict with any other nation,
* Establishment of a national Peace Day,
* Participation by the Secretary of Peace as a member of the National Security Council,
* Expansion of the national Sister City program,
* Significant expansion of current Institute of Peace program involvement in educational affairs, in areas such as:
1. Drug rehabilitation,
2. Policy reviews concerning crime prevention, punishment, and rehabilitation,
3. Implementation of violence prevention counseling programs and peer mediation programs in schools,
* Also, making recommendations regarding:
1. Battered women's rights,
2. Animal rights,
* Various other "peace related areas of responsibility".
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Funding for this new department -according to language in a proposed bill- is supposed to be about 2% of that given to the Defense Department.
And
here is a link to an advocacy group favoring the creation of the Department of Peace.
Poll
