A History of Beyond War

Behind the movement and the organization called Beyond War lies the living history of a huge collective endeavor. Beyond War emerged in the early 1980s, when an educational foundation called Creative Initiative, based in Palo Alto, CA, became concerned about the dangers of nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union. At the height of the Cold War, under the leadership of Richard Rathbun, President of the Foundation, Beyond War hosted thousands of "Interest Evenings" and hundreds of "Orientation Meetings" in living rooms across the United States and in Canada and Germany.

Through the work of Beyond War, citizens learned about the possibility of "nuclear winter,” which could have resulted if even a portion of American or Soviet missiles had been fired. This threat of nuclear annihilation formed the core of the idea, "war is obsolete." Beyond War's response to this threat was developed in reaction to Albert Einstein's statement: "Everything has changed, save our modes of thinking, and we thus drift toward unparalleled catastrophe." The most appropriate solution, Beyond War asserted, was to promote a new mode of thinking based on the principle "We are one."

Thousands of people adopted this new mode of thinking and people from all walks of life joined the movement, doing everything from giving presentations to researching the logistics of "space bridges"—the presentation of the 1985 Beyond War Award to the Five Continent Peace Initiative was the first event to link five continents by satellite.

The Beyond War Award was given annually in recognition of outstanding efforts to resolve conflict nonviolently. The award's nomination and selection process attracted national and international attention, and many distinguished people, including Jonas Salk, Rosalyn Carter, and Andrew Young served on the selection committee.

Beyond War was actively involved in the Contadora/Arias peace process in Central America, and also sponsored several international task forces creating multinational citizen diplomacy and facilitating cultural exchanges.

In an event sponsored by Beyond War, American astronomer Carl Sagan and Soviet physicist Sergei Kapitsa presented the concept of nuclear winter to more than eighty United Nations ambassadors.

International teams sponsored by Beyond War also collaborated on several publications, including Breakthrough: Emerging New Thinking, a book written jointly by American and Soviet scientists about the dangers of nuclear war, envisioning a future free of war and the process for change.

In 1991, as the Cold War came to an end and the Berlin Wall fell, the Beyond War headquarters in Palo Alto shifted its focus toward cultural and environmental issues and formally became the Foundation for Global Community.

In June of 2002, a group of citizens concerned about the events of September 11, 2001 and the resulting "war on terrorism" that was the U.S.'s response, were inspired by Gayle Landt of Eugene, Oregon, to explore the possibility of continuing the work of Beyond War in the context of 21st century events.

The heart of Beyond War has remained unchanged since its inception in the dark days of the cold war: People of goodwill engaging with transformative ideas and responding with activities to move the world beyond war.  To see a history and videos of Beyond War and its predecessor and successor organizations click here.