Gun. Revolver. Rifle. AK47. Thompson. Fighter-bomber. Katchusha. How close are these notions to you? Peacekeepers and weapons. Pacifists. Conscientious objectors. Peacekeepers and/but not pacifists?

What is your relation towards weapons? What is your real relation towards weapons?

You could never use weapons? Never. Even in your own defense? Even to protect your love ones.

This is not an article about pacifism. This is an article about IZMIR.

In which there are conscientious objectors. About IZMIR who wants to contribute so that there is less weapons, no weapons at all. For not to exist a need for weapons. For conflicts to be resolved without weapons.

Without violence.

In IZMIR there are those who took weapons, who used it. Who shot. Who ordered the use of weapons. “Because of peace” - they say. I’m not sure that’s the road to peace.

But I believe them. Many took weapons in their hands because their peace was endangered. Or at least they felt it was. Which actually is the same thing. Even if they didn’t went to war to protect peace, many soldiers, warriors, started to believe that their engagement will contribute to peace. There are lots of those who threw away the weapons after the war. Or realized that weapons don’t bring peace. Or started to reexamine the essence of war, of weapons.

I belong to the peacekeepers. I wasn’t at war. I didn’t carry weapons. I’ve been recognized as a conscientious objector since 1995. I work actively on peace building almost 15 years and I don’t believe that peace building can be successful without those who took weapons in their arms.

For many reasons.

Many people ‘took guns’ in their hands to protect the peace, their own, those of their loved ones, without the wish to endanger the others. They didn’t see an alternative. Or they didn’t think that the alternative stood any chances. I talk about the war veterans, in Croatia the “defenders”. I also talk about the unpreparedness of the peacekeepers and NGO activists to realize the importance of the communication with the veterans.

“Communication yes, cooperation not”, said a friend of mine, peace activist, not long before she started to cooperate with veterans.

Prejudices are big, deep rooted, strong. They exist on both ‘sides’, but for me painful are those from my side, from those who easily say “I got rid of my prejudices”. The cloak of moral superiority.

This is not an article about the dilemmas of pacifism. Or is it?

This is a story of IZMIR, Initiative for building peace and cooperation, started in 2004, but probably a lot earlier. Driven by the enthusiasm of the defender, the war veteran, the volunteer from 1991 - Gordan Bodoga, peace activist since 1998.

You’ll read more about IZMIR in other places. Soon on www.izmir.org or some similar internet page. IZMIR was registered in 2006 as an NGO with goals, as stated in paragraph 12 from the Statute:

• encourage and promote dialogue, cooperation and tolerance among different actors in the civic society; (distinctly between the organizations of defenders and other organizations that came from the war and peace organizations who promote and protect human rights);
• lessening and overcoming personal and community traumas as a result of the war;
• dealing with past and bridging obstacles regarding the war;
• recognition and respect of minority identities on national, religious, gender or any other base;
• building of permanent and sustainable peace in Croatia and the region;
• development of dialogue and cooperation in atmosphere of tolerance with the actors form the civic society form the neighboring countries.

IZMIR has an office in Zagreb. President is the retired colonel of HV, Bruno Cavic, coordinator is Gordan Bodog. IZMIR realized dozens of three day workshops of nonviolent resolving of conflicts in Vinkovci, Osijek, Zagreb with the participation of mothers of dead soldiers but also generals.

Until now IZMIR organized few ‘big’ marches in Mrkoplje, Selce, Groznjan, Trakoscan, Osijek and Zagreb on which participated more than 30 people from various organizations, who until recently didn’t even dream of talking to each other, let alone cooperate.

IZMIR is here, the test of our own tolerance. Are we ready for it?

Goran Bozicevic, Miramida center, Groznjan, Croatia