The Civil Peace Corps. Training in nonviolent direct action and unarmed defence

Abstract

In 1995, European parliamentarian A. Langer proposed the establishment of the European Civil Peace Corps, which would serve as a sophisticated army of civilians trained in the art of peace, both in a preventive sense and during conflicts through civilian non-violent defense. An innovative proposal like this traces its roots to Gandhian satyagraha and to the struggles for the rights of blacks, organized in the USA by J. Lawson. CCPE’s proposal comes to the fore again urgently during the war in Ukraine after several decades without institutional response. Organizations, civil society, and peace studies experts have demanded adequate training built on historical and accurate training models, upon which an analysis is provided.