Point of View Statement on Conflict in Ukraine: Negotiate Peace Now

The opinions and views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of the Carter School or George Mason University, its affiliates, or employees.

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Peace and Conflict Resolution scholars and foreign affairs practitioners convened at the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School’s Point of View research and retreat facility in Mason Neck, Virginia issued the following appeal to the conflicting parties in Ukraine:  
 
All parties to this conflict are now hurting.  The costs in human life and suffering are mounting and the damaging effects of the conflict are rippling around the world.  It is high time for the parties to agree to an immediate and complete cessation of hostilities.  Continuing the struggle inevitably multiplies the damage and poses increasing risks that nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction may be used.  
 
Along with the U.N. Secretary General, we believe that conditions now exist for negotiating an agreement acceptable to all parties.  The parties should therefore set about negotiating a comprehensive peace agreement with no preconditions.   
 
We call on the international community to support peace as it emerges, offering humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding support for the long-term process of recovery.    
 
In addition, it is imperative that all OSCE Participating States commit to a throughgoing review of the existing security architecture.  This review should begin immediately with a view to updating the Helsinki Final Act and other security agreements at the OSCE’s forthcoming 50th Anniversary in Helsinki in 2025.  
 

Signatories are listed below.  Others are invited to join the statement and to distribute it widely.  To be added as a signatory, please provide your information here.
 

John M. Evans
Former U.S. Ambassador to Armenia

Jeffrey Sachs
University Professor at Columbia University

Jack F. Matlock, Jr. 
U.S. Ambassador to the USSR, 1987-91

Richard Falk
Professor of International Studies, Emeritus, Princeton University

Ambassador Jacques Paul Klein
Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations (Ret.)

Alpasian Ozerdem
Dean, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University

Christopher R. Mitchell
Professor Emeritus, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University

Susan H. Allen
Director, Center for Peacemaking Practice, George Mason University

Richard E. Rubenstein
University Professor, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University

Karina Korostelina
Professor, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University

Sergey Utkin, Leading Researcher, Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Russian Academy of Sciences

Daniel Rothbart
Professor, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University

Prabha Sankaranarayan
President and CEO, Mediators Beyond Borders International

Hugh DeSantis
Former career office, U.S. State Department, Author

Sara Cobb
Professor, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University

Dr. Margarita Tadevosyan
Research Assistant Professor
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University

Ivan Kislenko
Fulbright Scholar 

Alex van Oss
(Former) Coordinator, Caucasus Area Studies
Foreign Service Institute

Michael Shank
Adjunct Professor at New York University's Center for Global Affairs and George Mason University's Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution

Dr. Lara Olson 
Consultant, Peacebuilding and Conflict Sensitive Development 
Research Fellow, Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies (CMSS), University of Calgary, Canada

David Carment
Professor of International Affairs, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
Fellow, Institute for Peace and Diplomacy, 

Cynthia Lazaroff 
Founder and Director, Women Transforming Our Nuclear Legacy 

Omar Grech
Director, Centre for the Study and Practice of Conflict Resolution, University of Malta

Rene Wadlow
President, Association of World Citizens

Kevin Avruch
Henry Hart Rice Professor of Conflict Resolution Emeritus
Professor of Anthropology Emeritus, George Mason University

Peggy Mason
Former Canadian Ambassador for Disarmament to the United Nations 
Current President of the Rideau Institute 

Antonio Carlos da Silva Rosa
Editor, Transcend Media Service

Jake Lynch
Associate Professor, Peace and Conflict Studies
The University of Sydney

Diane Perlman
U.S. Convenor, TRANSCEND

John Scales Avery, PhD

Michael Loadenthal
Executive Director, The Peace and Justice Association

Jeremy Wildeman
Adjunct Professor, Adjunct Professor at the School of Indigenous and Canadian Studies, Carleton University; and in International Development Studies, Trent University

J.M. Flagg
Chicago, Illinois

Jan Oberg, dr hc, director
The Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research, TFF
Lund, Sweden

Dr. Mary Wade
Founder, Building Respect in Community (BRIC), Philadelphia, PA

Professor Marianna Muravyeva
Russian Law and Administration 
For Legal and Peaceful Conflict Resolution
Faculty of Law, University of Helsinki

Tatsushi Arai
Associate Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies, Kent State University

Dr. Paula Garb 
University of California, Irvine Center for Citizen Peacebuilding

Alma Abdul-Hadi Jadallah
Advisory Board Member and Part-Time Faculty, Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution

Sean Howard
Adjunct Prof. of Political Science, Cape Breton University

Douglas Irvin-Eriksen
Assistant Professor, Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution

Dr. Peter Langille
Director, Sustainable Common Security

Marie Myers Lloyd
Member, Ceasefire.ca

Nicholas Ourusoff
Educator in Computer Science, Chomskian Activist

Dr. Gordon Yanchyshyn
Psychiatrist

Connie Duchene
Council of Canadians

Emmanuel K. Akyempong
Graduating Senior, Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution

Irene McPhee
Mother, Grandmother, Human

Dr. Paul Owen
Retiring Politician, Counselor

David Parnas

Phyllis Creighton
Honorary Life Member, Science for Peace

Sara Petite

Eleanor Coffey

Larry Kazdan
Global Citizen

Crl Boychuk

Sk. Tawfique M. Haque, PhD. 
Professor and Director South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance (SIPG) and Center for Peace Studies (CPS) Chair, Department of Political Science and Sociology, North South University 

Dr. Katherine Li 
Assistant Professor, Department of English & Modern Languages Adviser, Center for Peace Studies (CPS), North South University 

Ambassador Shahidul Haque 
Professorial Fellow South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance (SIPG), North South University 

Dr. Abdul Wohab 
Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science and Sociology Coordinator, Center for Peace Studies (CPS), North South University 

Dr. Ishrat Zakia Sultana 
Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science and Sociology, North South University 

Dr. M Jashim Uddin 
Associate Professor, Department of Political Science and Sociology, North South University 

Dr. Bulbul Siddiqui 
Associate Professor, Department of Political Science and Sociology, North South University 

Dr. Helal Mohd. Mohiuddin 
Professor, Department of Political Science and Sociology, North South University 

Dr. Harisur Rahman 
Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science and Sociology, North South University 

Dr. Md Rizwanul Islam 
Professor & Chair, Department of Law, North South University 

Dr. Norman K. Swazo 
Professor, Department of History and Philosophy, North South University 

Ahmed Hossain 
Professor, Department of Public health, North South University 

Dr. Nova Ahmed 
Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, North South University 

Dr. Raymond Kwun-Sun Lau 
Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science and Sociology, North South University 

Dr. Mohammed Nuruzzaman 
Professor, Department of Political Science and Sociology, North South University 

Ms. Parisa Shakur 
Senior Lecturer, Department of Economics, North South University 

Tata Zafar 
Senior Lecturer, Department of Political Science and Sociology, North South University 

Tasmia Nower 
Lecturer, Department of Political Science and Sociology, North South University 

Dr. Hasanuzzaman 
Assistant Director, Office of External Affairs, North South University 

Dr. Md. Jakariya 
Professor, Department if Environmental Science and Sociology, North South University 

Mizanur Rahman 
Senior Lecturer, Department of Political Science and Sociology, North South University 

Fahd Bin Zahed 
Lecturer, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, North South University 

Dr. Tasnuva Enam 
Assistant Professor of Psychology, Department of History and Philosophy, North South University 

Farin Shabnam Ritu 
Research Associate, South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance (SIPG) and Center for Peace Studies (CPS), North South University  

Md. Parvez Hasan Yousuf 
Research Associate, South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance (SIPG) and Center for Peace Studies (CPS), North South University 

Rudmila Khan 
Research Associate, South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance (SIPG) and Center for Peace Studies (CPS), North South University 

Miad Islam 
Research Assistant, South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance (SIPG) and Center for Peace Studies (CPS), North South University
 

Protest sign reading "Stop the war"

This image by Zach Rudisin is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license via Wikimedia Commons.