I am trying to promote the Arc plan and and a discussion at;

http://www.internationalpeaceandconflict.org/forum/topics/the-arc  

The Arc

 The arc A Formal Structure for a Palestinian State produced by the Rand Corporation. It is a giant leap in the right direction into finding a peaceful solution in the Palestinian-Israeli crisis. It is a ten year plan to develop the West Bank one day connecting it to Gaza. It addresses many of the problems the people of Palestine face in forming a viable state. Only with a prospers Palestinian society that resembles the society of the State of Israel will the people of both societies have any real security. 

They spent more than 3 million dollars and four years in the development of this plan. It is a thirty-three billion dollar plan over ten years that addresses the Palestinian issues of transportation, housing, education, commerce, justice and the contiguity of the State of Palestine. It is a very comprehensive plan creating a clear image of a much better way of life for the Palestinian people. Restoring their dignity and hope for a better future for their children is the best first steps towards peace.

This is the link to an 8 minute and 35 minute video outlining the Arc.The Arc: A Formal Structure For a Palestinian State | RAND 

http://www.rand.org/multimedia/video/2008/08/26/the_arc.html 

Here is a link to the Rand Corporation’s web page to the Arc Reach Brief. There is a link to the full outline version of the Arc at the bottom of the page.

The Arc: A Formal Structure for a Palestinian State | RAND  http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9119/index1.html

These are two links of Doug Sulsman presentation of the Arc at the J Street YMCA New York, NY.  

THE ARC AT J STREET Part 1.mov - YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5DMHSDPLS4 

THE ARC AT J STREET Part 2.mov - YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztM-9O1KBQg&feature=related

There is no way to peace, peace is the way. The Arc is the way for long term peace to become a reality in the Palestinian/Israeli crisis. The challenges are to make the Arc a reality that more people can see, as well as working out the full implementation of the Arc’s plan. The earlier more people get behind a plan like the Arc the sooner it could become a reality. Everyone should write to their elected representatives letting them know about the Arc and your support of the plan. Who could not support such a plan of a way to peace as the arc. Global Crier 

Dear Elina,

Nice to meet you here.

Peace.

Elana, I met someone , a Rwandan, on this website a year ago who said he had an OB connection. Wasn't able to contact him in 2009 when I was last there. I'm thinking of going back next summer , 2011. And maybe an OB/AGLI project might be a great idea to spread each other's programs. David Zarembka emailed me that he would be happy to confer with you as well. I think his email is on the AGLI website.

Elana, I saw your name on my inbox. Glad to see Outward Bound is involved in the peace building process. I taught for a year with the Outward Bound Mountain School in Loitokitok, Kenya in 1967 when I was a Peace Corps Volunteer. You might want to get in touch with African Great Lakes Initiatve to discuss partnering a course with them. I've been training community mediators for them the last three summers in Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Eastern Congo. They are very active in bringing people from opposite sides of the fence together for intense workshops , and Outward Bound in Kenya might be a great venue. Check out their website by googling African Great Lakes Initiative. David Zarembka is the contact person in Kenya. He lives in the western rift valley area.

This system of governance would help to eradicate injustice, discrimination, corruption and oppression - the four pillars of an evil society – and help to establish the “Rule of Law” and “Rule by ALL” for sustainable peace, tranquility and prosperity and a pleasant harmonious living with dignity and respect for all the inhabitants in the country. It is based on the principle that everyone must have similar powers, rights, duties and responsibilities and most importantly everyone should be deemed “equal” and treated “equitably” before the law not only on paper but also practically – be it the Head of State, The Chief Justice or the voiceless poor of the poorest in the country.

Since all political and other powers flow from the sovereignty of the people, it is proposed herein that these powers be not given to any ONE set of representatives but distributed among different sets of people’s representatives (groups) elected on different area basis (village and villages grouped) to perform the different, defined and distinct functions of one and the same institution - the Parliament – like the organs of our body – heart, lungs, kidneys, eyes, nose, ear etc. – performing different and distinct functions to enable us to sustain normal life.

In these suggestions the powers of the Parliament have been so separated and distributed among different sets of people’s representatives in different areas so as to dilute the powers of an individual representative or that of a set of representatives in any area. (Dilution is better than Devolution).



For further details and clarifications you may please contact



sie.kathieravelu@gmail.com

The suggestions below are being put forward by just an ordinary person who is not a constitutional expert, political scientist, leader of a political party or trade union BUT by a person among the vast majority, who has experienced and suffered in life due to the effects of the misrule of the country of Sri Lanka from the date of its independence from the much criticized colonial rule. The trust of the vast majority placed on those who were elected to govern the country has been betrayed. So some suggestions for an Alternative System of Governance based on PEOPLE’S SOVEREIGNTY.




The best way for the people to empower themselves with a system of governance to address the various problems faced by various sections of the society - particularly the poor, the politically weak and the various categories of “minorities” who do not carry any “political weight” - would be to DILUTE the powers of all elected representatives of the people by separating the various powers of the Parliament and by horizontally empowering different sets of people’s representatives elected on different area basis to administer the different sets of the separated powers at different locations.



The present system is based on the principle that the “parliament is sovereign” or "State is sovereign" whereas the new concept is based on the principle that the “people are sovereign” and further in the new concept of democracy it is ALWAYS COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP with a tiny section of the Parliament functioning in each and every village and in ALL the various administrative areas throughout the country.