Historian Jeff Rich of “Burning Archive” has developed what woefully few have even thought of: Constructive thoughts and concrete elements of a peace-first-then-security plan concerning Ukraine.
It is such an important piece of good thinking, and I say this while disagreeing with parts of his approach and some of his proposals.
This is how he starts out:
After four and a half years – or twelve years (depending on your perspective) – of the NATO-Russia-Ukraine War, some proposals for a peace process are emerging.
It is way, way past time.
On Substack in late 2025 TFF Transnational Foundation made a proposal, based on deep expertise in conflict resolution and peace studies. But the proposal made no headway, even in the alternative media. German MEP Michael von der Schulenburg has bravely and cautiously proposed “an initial rapprochement through a civil‑society initiative involving respected and influential figures,” but been greeted with stony silence.
[JO: Here is the correct link to TFF’s peace ideas and portfolio for Ukraine – we do ideas, mediation proposals/mitigation, etc but no plans because that implies snatching the conflict from the parties].
Very true, and your text will be met with silence too, dear Jeff — I can only say with a smile. You point to a large extent to one of the reasons: the omnipresent geopolitical punditry that never leads to constructive proposals (my words). It has nothing to do with peace plans or ideas not being needed; they certainly are. But it has to do with what I have, years ago, written: Peace has been disappeared from research, politics and media.
Militarism means conflict + resolution + peace illiteracy.
Such are the times of rampant, kakistocratic militarist thinking characterised by equally rampant intellectual and moral disarmament.
Constructive thinking. Conflict-resolution. The UN Charter norm that peace shall be established by peaceful means (Art 1) and dialogue with the people about their security – they have all been disappeared.
Even the so-called peace movements do not aim at exploring constructive, future-oriented peace and conflict-resolution and nonviolent methods, let alone peace culture; they are – existentially necessary but insufficient – movements against violence, wars, genocides and armament, but regrettably few focus on peace – and peace is quite a bit more and different from just being anti; it is to be pro. It is not to be in the past and present; it is to outline the future with new thinking and concepts different from those that have led to the violence.
Add to that that social democracies and whatever is left of them – and left to them – if the right/left perspective can still be applied (1) – that used to be at least armament-skeptical and stood up when small countries and people were bullied by the bigger ones, have turned politically correct and advocated no diplomacy but arming Ukraine to “defeat” Russia, chosen to believe in NATO’s influencer narrative that the invasion of Ukraine was “unprovoked” and “full-scale,” and that NATO cannot possibly be seen as a threat to anyone – despite the fact that since its bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999 it has violated its own Treaty provisions 24/7 (and has nothing to do in Ukraine either where it set up its first office just a few month after that country’s independence and when max 12% of the people wanted NATO membership – thus the Obama administration’s criminal regime change in Kiev in 2014 that Western omits).
So are those of us thinking peace irrelevant? Of course not.
We’re just militarism’s dissidents, and dissidents have turned out before to have been right in the longer perspective. When empires go militarist and have nothing to offer the world but threats, armament, bases, tariffs, confrontations, wars, absurdities and limitless arrogance without one rational thought, vision or plan – they are bound to fall.
Peace doesn’t fall.
Peace is eternally relevant, a constant struggle, a quality that can always be improved on – like health, beauty, convivality and art. It has a huge majority behind it – whereas warmongers may have less than 1% of humanity behind them. That is why I recommend everyone to study and discuss Jeff Rich’s peace plan and also study other intellectuals including, if I may, TFF’s Associates (and Gandhi, MLK and…), who have something life-wise and realistic to say, while the Realists and doomsayers ran out of steam decades ago – and militarism only accelerates the last-ever empire’s decline and fall.
You, dear reader, might like to read both Jeff Rich’s and TFF’s portfolio of thoughts on how to create peaceful coexistence with and for Ukraine and its people: See the similarities and differences in approach and proposals – and come up with more ideas and improvement…
As dissidents, let’s dialogue and have friendly quarrels. Let’s accelerate peace research, peace journalism, peace politics, peace dialogue and peace culture and education. True peace can be learnt. Militarism can be stopped and scrapped.
*****
Remember the old joke of a man who says to a friend that there must be something wrong with his brain because on the right side, nothing is left, and on the left side, nothing is right… 😊