The Fellowship of Reconciliation

Since 1915, FOR has carried on programs and educational projects concerned with domestic and international peace and justice, nonviolent alternatives to conflict and social change, and the rights of conscience. From on-the-ground accompaniment in rural Colombian conflict zones to civilian diplomacy delegations in pursuit of peaceful relations between the United States and Iran to training a multi-cultural cadre of youth skilled in nonviolence as a way of life, FOR works at the grass roots and policy levels to replace violence, war, racism, and economic injustice with nonviolence, peace, and justice. FOR has over 38,000 members and supporters and approximately 100 chapters and affiliated groups distributed across 39 states in the US. Moreover, FOR has experience in leading delegations that have built trust with the Iranian government.

The United States must immediately engage more constructively with Iran (a) to address the risks of its rapidly developing nuclear program and (b) to seek help in the deteriorating and enormously costly war in Iraq (Iraq Study Group Report, 2006). Unfortunately, decades-long policies of mutual isolation by the United States and Iran have resulted in mutual demonization, misinformed public discussions, and poorly conceived policy. If the "Great Satan" and a key state in the "Axis of Evil" are to move closer to any accord on these critical issues, they must come to better understand each other.

Achieving better understanding and shifting policy will require effort on many fronts, including the grassroots civilian diplomacy. According to a number of sources, including the UN's 2005 People Building Peace, civilian diplomacy efforts change the underlying conditions that influence perceptions, trust, and relationships across conflict lines - these informed processes are critical to the success of formal diplomatic efforts. In the long term, FOR's Iranian Civilian Diplomacy Initiative goals are: (1) connect peace constituencies in the U.S. and Iran; (2) broaden their understanding of each other; and (3) then mobilize their advocacy for peaceful, proactive alternatives to current confrontational policies by both countries.