Stinson calls himself a Renaissance man. He doubts that happiness is an end in itself, praises relentless learning over pedigree, and considers Steve Jobs a brilliant yet egocentric “jerk.” Meet Walt Stinson—an unconventional thinker and a defining figure in U.S. consumer electronics.

From childhood he dreamed of electronics, yet he began with the humanities. He entered the consumer-tech world in the early 1970s, when the field was still taking shape.
In 1972 he launched ListenUp, which has spent five decades designing and deploying audio/video systems and smart-home solutions.

Stinson helped pull together a scattered industry—co-founding PARA, for years North America’s largest alliance of specialty audio makers and dealers—and pushing for the institutions the market needed to mature. In 2009, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) inducted him into the Consumer Technology Hall of Fame, an honor for leaders whose creativity, tenacity, and personal drive have advanced the industry and improved lives.

That year, his fellow inductees included Steve Jobs (Apple), Irwin M. Jacobs (Qualcomm), John Shalam (Voxx), and Richard E. Wiley, often called the “father of HDTV.” Today Stinson leads ProSource, a buying group whose members collectively generate about $6 billion in annual revenue.

ProSource’s ecosystem spans managed IT, cybersecurity, enterprise content management, print solutions, digital transformation, and office/industrial equipment. Beyond industry work, Stinson also engages with the U.N. Commission on Human Security.

Leadership begins with breadth

“My humanities background has been invaluable,” Stinson says. Strong speaking and writing gave him an edge—and so did deep technical fluency, rare among executives. “Leaders need expansive thinking. Aim to be a Renaissance person: rounded, curious, conversant across fields, able to weave scattered facts into a coherent view of reality.”

Art remakes us from the inside

Humanities don’t just polish style; they shape values. “Over-specialization shrinks you,” he cautions. He urges his engineers to widen their horizons—visit galleries, read novels, study philosophy. He sees how exposure to the arts slowly alters people’s inner lives—and how much more “art” there is in real-world business choices than outsiders assume. Apple is his favorite example of creativity at the core. At his own firm, they hang paintings on the walls and organize group trips to theatre and concerts.

Schooling can be informal—learning cannot

“Some of the greatest business minds I’ve met taught themselves,” Stinson notes. One acquaintance finished only eight years of school, never attended college, yet became a superb writer and thinker—eventually invited to teach at Yale, the first fellow there without a high-school diploma. “Formal credentials aren’t essential. Serious, continuous learning is. The more you learn, the more you see the size of what you don’t know—and even small steps forward feel thrilling.”

Trust life’s mystery—and grow on all planes

Good teachers can light the fuse, but self-propelled learning must follow. “You can’t lead if learning isn’t a joy,” he says. Real fulfillment also asks for spiritual depth: “Develop mind, body, and spirit—or you cap your potential. If you want to live like a Renaissance person, keep that wholeness in view.”

Happiness is a waypoint, not the destination

“I’ve never treated happiness as my purpose,” Stinson explains. “It’s a signal of whether you’re living well. If you’re unhappy, something’s off.” His aim is ceaseless growth, knowing it can never be fully ‘completed.’ Each day he asks: What did I do to develop? What did I learn about myself—about others? “Lives are like instruments—you can practice until they sing, or settle for noise.”

Competition as a forge

Business, to Stinson, is a training ground. It forces you to solve problems, understand people, communicate clearly, and keep improving. The market gives fast, unblinking feedback—painful at times, but priceless for growth.

Money, success—and difficult personalities

“Money matters—ignore it and you fail,” he says. “But if you chase only money, people won’t follow you or buy from you.” He admits that abrasive personalities can still win: “A self-centered ‘jerk’ can succeed by choosing the right strategy.” He cites Steve Jobs—visionary, obsessive about technology that improved lives, and by many accounts hard on people. “As for me, I won’t pursue success by harming others.”

The art of living is deliberate choice

Jobs also modeled intentionality. “Every decision was on purpose,” Stinson observes. Imitating someone else works only so far; eventually you must choose your own path. There’s rarely a single ‘correct’ option—only choices and their consequences. “When you decide consciously, you become the author of your life’s masterpiece.”

Taming the mind

Conscious choice requires a trained mind. “An undisciplined mind is a wild dog,” he says. “Your task is to domesticate it.” He recalls mentor Sidney Harman—the Newsweek owner and audacious innovator—telling him that 95% of people simply drift. Stinson once thought that an exaggeration; with time, he came to agree. “Mastery starts by noticing how many choices we make—and owning each one.”

On Ukraine and the politics of sanctions

Reflecting on U.S. politics, Stinson notes how some populists leveraged anxiety over energy prices to argue against aiding Ukraine—one ripple effect of sanctions. He worries that, if such figures gain power, they could block military support. Similar currents, he says, exist beyond America, where leaders capitalize on price hikes linked to anti-Russian measures.

In his view, sanctions seldom turn populations against their rulers; they often rally around them. For sanctions to bite, he argues, they must be near-universal. As long as major markets—such as India or China—buy Russian energy, he believes the economic pressure will be limited. Only global alignment would deliver decisive impact.

Enormous charitable gifts can coexist with questionable motives. If the twenty-first century is to meet its greatest tests, education must be reimagined—so it loosens the grip of stereotype and prepares people to act with wisdom.

These themes—and many others—run through my conversation with Ralph Wolff, founder and president of the Quality Assurance Commons, longtime accreditation leader, Trustee of the World Academy of Art and Science, and international advisor on educational quality.

Wolff’s path began in law. A Tufts University honors graduate in history, he later earned his J.D. at George Washington University’s National Law Center and, in 1976, joined the University of Dayton as a law professor. He is admitted to the Washington State Bar and helped launch the Antioch School of Law (now the UDC David A. Clarke School of Law), the first of its kind to train lawyers for public-interest practice serving underserved communities.

Over decades, Wolff’s work shifted toward transforming education itself. He has served with the International Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (Dubai), the Lumina Foundation, and the advisory board of the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (U.S.). He sits on the boards of Africa International University (Kenya) and Palo Alto University. From 1996 to August 2013, he led the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) as president and previously served as dean of Antioch University’s Graduate School of Education. In 2008, he received the Virginia B. Smith Award for innovative contributions to educational quality. He has co-authored books on pedagogy and written widely on accreditation, quality assurance, distance learning, and the civic role of libraries.

Education must not be a luxury for the affluent

“My journey wasn’t linear,” Wolff reflects. “Mentors shaped me at turning points.” After Tufts, he still felt unmoored and continued on to law school, where a professor running a legal-aid organization changed his outlook. “It opened my eyes: education should be built to serve more than the elite.” When he entered accreditation work, he saw a chance to push universities toward innovation and access.

Spiritual growth through relationships

Wolff’s inner life has long guided his outer work. He studied Transcendental Meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and has engaged seriously with Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, and Hindu traditions. “In my professional life,” he says, “I try to meet people at a deeper level.” Some choose retreat in spiritual communities; others build families and careers in the world. “For me, the richest spiritual learning has come through relationships. It isn’t the easiest path, but it is the most authentic for me.”

The unseen—and an inner discipline

Wolff believes human flourishing begins with recognizing that reality is more than what our senses register. “The unmanifest can be more powerful than the visible,” he says. People who grasp this—and live by it—exercise a different kind of influence. With climate change, rising authoritarianism, and other crises, he cultivates an inner practice to remain hopeful and oriented toward the good.

Talent grows from will and curiosity—not pedigree

Drawing on Carol Dweck’s Mindset, Wolff emphasizes that the “growth mindset” outperforms a “fixed” one. “Students at elite institutions can fall into the trap of thinking the name of their school makes them superior,” he notes. “But curiosity, persistence, and personal drive—not prestige—fuel real development. Admission to Harvard doesn’t confer originality.” His egalitarian view: learning never stops, and youthful accolades don’t guarantee lifelong integrity or contribution.

Breaking the spell of status

“Some of the most insightful people I’ve met never went to university,” Wolff says. Yet society still confers automatic respect on elite credentials or great wealth. He urges a reset: philanthropic scale doesn’t necessarily signal exemplary values, and celebrated innovators can be ethically inconsistent. (He offers examples to illustrate the point.) What matters is a new mental habit—remaining transformable at any stage of life.

A family lesson in growth

Wolff recalls a young entrepreneur whose father asked daily at dinner: “What idea arrived today? Is it big enough? Can you scale it?”—a household ritual that normalized growth. Wolff’s own father fled Germany in 1936 as antisemitism intensified. Without a college degree and wary of self-promotion, he still carved out success in a new country through resolve and steady purpose—another living model of the growth mindset.

Building environments where people can develop

Not everyone starts with the confidence to take a first step. “Mentoring and supportive communities matter,” Wolff says. He points to U.S. organizations that help high-school students discover purpose. Formal education is one tool among many, and inspired teachers often spearhead change—until the system pressures them to conform. “You can begin with great zeal, but after years of being told your approach is wrong, sustaining that zeal is hard. We must protect and reward creative educators.”

Learning as a generative process

Because knowledge of ourselves and the world evolves so quickly, Wolff argues for a “generative” model of learning. Textbooks can be outdated the day they arrive. The pandemic made this visible: guidance on vaccines and masks shifted as evidence changed. Tools evolve just as fast—from slide rules to calculators to smartphones—so “frozen” curricula age rapidly. Learners must be trained to unlearn and relearn continuously.

Teach values alongside knowledge

Technical mastery alone does not ensure ethical judgment. A scientist exploring nuclear energy, Wolff warns, must also weigh societal impact—or we risk repeating the errors that birthed the atomic bomb. Likewise, professional excellence can coexist with abusive behavior if values are never taught. Education should form people who ask: Who benefits from my work? Does it serve the many—or a privileged few at others’ expense?

A renewed vision for education

Values are the lodestar; ethics is their application. While many derive values from religion, no tradition holds a monopoly on truth. Mature education, Wolff says, raises learners to a higher plane of shared human concerns—climate change, nuclear risk, extinction, war, poverty—and, at the same time, fosters respect for others’ value frameworks. The mission of tomorrow’s schools must therefore be twofold: cultivate universal values and teach the civic art of honoring difference.

Esteemed colleagues and respected members of the academic community,

This is a call for action! We stand at a critical juncture in our shared history, where escalating political polarization, violence, and a marked disregard for universal human dignity challenge the very fabric of international relations. This present climate necessitates not only a re-evaluation of our strategies for conflict prevention and resolution but also underscores the unique positioning of the academic community to lead in this essential endeavour.

The urgency of this call is amplified by the scale of current global crises. Millions are refugees, displaced and in need of assistance. International institutions deputed to deliver that much needed humanitarian aid or health care, questioned for their efficiency or impartiality, are put out of business or will survive with budgets and operational mandates drastically reduced. The multilateral system and the international community are clearly paralyzed, and human rights principles are ignored by the most powerful. In a diffused power landscape, global diplomacy increasingly relies on diverse actors shaping international relations and policy.

We are entering unchartered waters, and the international system is very fragmented. The escalating geopolitical tensions—point to a systemic failure of existing peace-making and peacebuilding mechanisms and the critical need for innovative solutions based on human relations and the power of people.

Indeed, there are certain things that only governments can do: negotiating binding agreements; but there are other things only citizens can do: change human relations. This observation by Harold Saunders, a master of shuttle diplomacy instrumental in the Camp David Accords, underscores the pivotal role of social dynamics in achieving non-violent conflict resolution, fostering positive peace. The inherent connection between human security, in all its multifaceted dimensions, and core societal values is undeniable.

The term human security is the product of a correlation between human on one hand (meaning individuals, people) and security (meaning basic needs, opportunities, health and equity). But this syllogism also indicates that in its absence there is fear, growing insecurity, an enemy that no wall can contain. The fear of the unknown: of a virus, of drought, hunger, poverty, hazards, effects of globalization, technology, existential threats like nuclear weapons or climate change, intended and unintended consequences of war, in so many places.

Today’s global conflict landscape is increasingly complex, shaped by non-state actors like NGOs, multinational corporations, private military and security companies, and terrorist organizations active in all fields, including our ecosystem and the cyberspace. Their influence complicates the strategic environment, demanding comprehensive analysis and tailored conflict resolution strategies.

The current multipolar world features power centres beyond traditional states—corporations and oligarchs, including tech giants—challenging established geopolitical strategies. Traditional peacebuilding approaches, often relying on oversimplified societal views, are insufficient. Sustainable peace requires collective efforts; peace must be cultivated organically, focusing on societal contexts, and avoiding the illusion that external interventions (firefighters brigades spraying dust) can instantly create peace.

This inadequacy of current approaches stems, in part, from the perils of misperception, which consistently undermine peace efforts. Misunderstandings about intentions and perceptions of reality frequently lead to serious errors, especially among opponents with different cultural values. And history is full of illustrious examples of how misjudgements lead to devastating consequences. Some examples:

The Iranian Revolution of 1979, when western powers misread the nature of the uprising, failing to recognize the deep-seated grievances of the Iranian people. This misjudgement resulted in significant and lasting geopolitical repercussions.

The disastrous consequences of the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, based on an inaccurate assessment of Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction capabilities. Whether intentional or not, the conflict continues to reverberate through global affairs to this day.

The tragic failures of the UN in the former Yugoslavia, in the early 90s, which ultimately paved the way for NATO’s bombing and peace enforcement under its flag, exemplifies further the perils of misconceptions and dubious mandates.

Somalia, Rwanda, Libya and even Syria are other examples of misread, misinterpreted signals that resulted in tragic downturns and failed expeditions by the international community.

Presently, the existing geopolitical landscape is fraught with tension. In Europe, heightened tensions are due to the ongoing war in Ukraine but also to military buildup straining US-European relations over NATO spending and troops deployment; there are ethnic tensions in the Balkans (particularly in Kosovo, with over 400 recent incidents reported); military activity in the Black Sea threatening regional stability; ongoing tensions in Georgia related to its post electoral issues with Russia; and tension under the ashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh. All of them contribute to a climate of instability and underscore the urgent need for conflict prevention strategies, tension reduction and confidence building measures.

The persistent elusiveness of peace should not justify inaction or a neglect of urgent human security challenges. The current crises—born from tensions simmering over two decades—underline the inadequacies of traditional political approaches to sustaining peace, exacerbated by political polarization. Recognizing that each party’s perceptions create distinct realities is essential. Failing to account for these differing perspectives leads to misjudging the strategic environment and results in misguided efforts.

A deep understanding of local, national, international contexts is essential for successful peacebuilding. The roots of conflict are complex, often bound up with inequalities, grievances, inter-group tensions, ethnic disparities, and poverty. Addressing these issues demands rigorous academic research and informed dialogue among all stakeholders.

It is with this understanding that I now wish to turn attention to the central focus of my presentation: the new Global Peace Offensive. An initiative that is moving its first steps quite rapidly: less than a year ago I revisited the original Peace Offensive of the 60s devised by Charles Osgood that inspired the major breakthroughs of Kennedy during the Cuban missile crisis and, much later, the Camp David Accords brokered by President Carter. I presented a proposal to the General Assembly of the World Academy of Art and Science, which subsequently adopted the Global Peace Offensive principles, paving the way for a renewed commitment to peace efforts.

Later, the initiative was endorsed by the Black Sea University Network – BSUN at the rectors’ level and, last October, the European Academy of Science and Art (EASA) and the World Academy of Art and Science (WAAS) issued a joint vision statement to support the Global Peace Offensive. A common agenda is now being devised with the Club of Rome. In the meantime, the proposal has been presented to the summit of the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (with prospects to develop a joint curriculum) and to the Global Peace Education Network in Paris.

The Global Peace Offensive is intrinsically a proactive methodology fostering dialogue and promoting peace within civil society. This effort will be led by scholars and researchers to leverage technological innovations, identify emerging trends, and anticipate developments influencing conflict dynamics. The approach is crucial for developing effective conflict prevention strategies and promoting peace education. It is essential to use a multidisciplinary methodology as tensions derive from a multiplicity of factors, causes and effects that could be represented by an epidemic outburst, migratory patterns, corruption, infrastructure deficits, extreme violence, climate change. This requires contributions from different expertise with one single humanist entry point.

The initiative intends to strongly promote cross-cultural understanding, particularly among younger generations, to cultivate peaceful coexistence—a crucial step toward lasting peace. We aim to identify, create, and project peacebuilding opportunities, facilitate dialogue among conflicting parties, and improve analysis, decision making and narratives through innovative conflict resolution strategies.

Furthermore, central to the Peace Offensive is the understanding that sustainable peace cannot be imposed from the outside. Rather, it arises from within communities taking ownership of the peace process. Ultimately, solutions that are not truly shared by the local communities are not likely to be taken up and succeed. Therefore, we are committed to developing and implementing innovative educational programs, also utilizing the potential of artificial intelligence, to provide communities with the tools and knowledge they need to actively pursue and define their own vision of peace.

Advancing literacy, science, and education can help bridge divides and orient people in the vast information landscape. AI can enhance dialogue and help predict and avert crises through analysis of trends and collaborative interventions.

Developed as a collaboration with the WAAS and the EASA, our Global Peace Offensive embarks on a three-pronged / three pillars strategy designed to deliver sustainable solutions:
 

1. Localized, Strategic, De-escalation: This is confidence building at the grassroots level with people- to-people initiatives and a problem-solving approach. We advocate for localized initiatives that employ cultural, scientific, economic, educational, and environmental diplomacy. The academic community is well positioned to investigate and understand what the drivers of peace at the local community level are; which are the spoilers and inhibitors of peace; what are the elements that encourage local consent and legitimacy according to local and international norms. Local identities, traditions religions are all factors that determine positive peace as eventually the resumption of conflict.
2. Ownership and Trust-Building: Essential to lasting peace is prioritizing the voices of all stakeholders, assessing their needs, and promoting cultural exchanges. Through collaborative partnerships, we can enhance cooperation towards achieving human security and the Sustainable Development Goals. This entails bottom-up rather than merely top-down empowerment. It is more than just participation of local institutions and socio-economic actors and constituents. representation. It is the meso-level that can generate mutual support, empathy and the ability to transform reality. Forging relations through business, trade, and the arts belongs here. Like novel Marco Polo, we need to give new impetus to discoveries that bring people together.

2. Enhanced Dialogue: Using diplomacy, education, and technology (including artificial intelligence) to influence political decisions and peace efforts. Innovation plays a critical role for long-term solutions. Achieving lasting peace necessitates iterative processes of dialogue, employing diverse diplomatic approaches (cultural, scientific, educational, and traditional). We will pursue incremental, sustainable solutions by engaging political, economic, and media systems, addressing root causes of conflict. AI and social networks will enhance educational programs, informing policy and promoting peace discourse, while carefully considering ethical implications and technological limitations. The “do no harm” principle needs to be observers at all levels of this pillar of activities that span across the local, national, regional and international level. This is the area of peace-centred education.

These three pillars or parallel tracks correspond to three baskets of activities that can take place simultaneously or at different intervals according to the specific context in which we will operate, capacities and effective participation. One does not exclude the other one as actually thy reinforce one another. In our diagnostics, we should look at context specific entry points and the long-term evolution of crises (Tolstoy in War and Peace wrote that time and patience are the best warriors).

Our initiative enhances hybrid peace processes by combining traditional diplomatic methods with public dialogue, innovative technology, and science diplomacy to foster local consent and adhere to international standards. As an example, in Timor Leste in 2008, addressing youth grievances rather than just immediate security issues effectively reduced gang violence.

Successful hybrid peace processes require integrating local and international considerations. In Cyprus, peace efforts involve not only ethnic reconciliation and EU integration but also institutional reform, economic opportunities, and re-evaluating boundaries and sovereignty due to entrenched communal identities. Similarly, peace in the Middle East extends beyond the two-state solution, encompassing cross-territory reconciliation and potential economic cooperation.

Local peace benefits also heavily rely on addressing historical grievances within the framework of customary rules, identities, rights, dignity, aspirations, and international norms.
In my mind, we should avoid two fundamental mistakes which often mislead us in our efforts to comprehend the evolution of many political, economic, societal, environmental and security crisis: one being the oversimplification of the analysis that relies on predetermined theories of change with variables hardly accounted for; the second being the underestimation of the human component and its complex nature that cannot be explored merely in terms of parameters such as wealth, economic growth or ideological affiliation.

A problem-focused and context specific approach is a better lens for our investigation.

As agents of peace, we should increasingly concentrate on the positive side of the story. Even in the darkest pictures of the most intractable conflicts there is a dim light somewhere. That is the objective in sight. It’s not unusual that a positive discourse or project between rival communities or even governments can help overcoming stalled peace processes or remove negotiations’ deadlocks. Media systems can support in this endeavour.

The Peace Offensive paradigm has the potential to help strengthen confidence building by prioritizing prevention and supporting ongoing peace-building interventions.

In sum, what are the benefits of our approach? Cultural and science diplomacy bring significant benefits to our global community, especially through peace-centred education. By building public perception and engagement, we can strengthen viable science diplomacy solutions. The academic role is crucial in promoting mutual respect for diverse perspectives and scientific expertise, along with public outreach to educate communities on the values of international cooperation and multilateralism. Engaging the public effectively helps to demystify scientific concepts and garner support. Additionally, cultural exchanges promote understanding, and support research capacities in all countries fostering global collaboration. Ultimately, strengthening international research networks creates opportunities for shared knowledge and collaborative solutions to global challenges.

In conclusion, the Global Peace Offensive (a whole of the society approach) represents an urgent, I believe, innovative framework to sustain peace. Its emphasis on grassroots engagement, trust-building, and enhanced dialogue positions the academic community as a pivotal contributor in this effort, filling a void at international level.

By merging traditional methodologies with modern technologies and community engagement, models like the Peace Offensive aim to foster inclusive, enduring outcomes. It is also a way to champion a rules and knowledge-based renaissance of international relations.

In an era characterized by rapid communication and interdependence among diverse power centres, mutual understanding becomes crucial. In our call to the academic community, WAAS and EASA urge scholars, researchers, and practitioners alike to join forces in the research, development, and implementation of this initiative. As we try to bring opposing sides together (direct talks are always the preferable format to advance peace), our role will be to serve primarily as facilitators, convenors or active observers in these processes.

A coalition of civil society networks supporting local peace processes through cultural and scientific quiet diplomacy is essential for realizing this vision.

The time for a concerted, knowledge-driven peace effort… is now.

The awards recognize exceptional leaders in key industries for their innovations and bold actions in alignment with our values of empowerment, opportunity,innovation, lifelong learning, compassion, integrity, and sustainability. “Inclusive leadership means recognizing the potential in people who don’t necessarily fit your preconceived notions,” says Stinson.

Stinson has spent over 50 years building a legacy of innovation in the consumer electronics and home entertainment industry, shaping the way people experience music, film, and technology in their homes. He was inducted into the Consumer Technology Hall of Fame, class of 2009.  

His lifelong fascination with technology began at age 10, sparked by the enigma of shortwave radio signals. This early passion, combined with a strong entrepreneurial drive, led him to establish ListenUp in Denver at 24, after carefully selecting the market from a dozen contenders. By the mid-1980s, his work extended beyond retail; he managed the sound, live broadcasts, and recordings for over a thousand rock ‘n’ roll concerts, featuring numerous Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees.

He also committed to personal and professional growth, practicing Zazen and learning from seasoned mentors. His leadership in the industry included co-founding PARA, a trade association, and spearheading the adoption of digital audio in North America. These contributions were recognized with his induction into the Consumer Technology Hall of Fame in 2009, alongside luminaries like Steve Jobs and Irwin Jacobs. More recently, he concluded his tenure as Chairman of ProSource, a 500-company trade association focused on vocational education.

Accepting the award in Denver, Stinson had this to say:

“I’m honored to receive this recognition—and to stand among so many who share my belief that leadership is not a title, but a grand responsibility.

At the core of my work today is a simple but powerful idea: to measure security at the individual level. That’s the promise of Human Security for All—a United Nations initiative to frame security in human terms: food, health, education, the environment, and opportunity. The call for Human security challenges us to think not only in terms of technological innovation, but in terms of impact.

The World Academy of Art and Science—where I serve as trustee— is the implementing partner. It was founded by visionaries who understood that humanity’s greatest challenges cannot be solved in silos. They called for integrated thinking across disciplines, cultures, and generations. Today, that mission is more urgent than ever. Artificial intelligence now offers the possibility to scale that vision—facilitating collaboration and knowledge-sharing across domains. The Academy and its partners are working to accelerate that promise.

If you’re a young person here tonight, I invite you to see yourself not just as a student or future leader, but as a builder—of systems that uplift people.

And to those already leading: I challenge you to think not only in terms of innovation, but in terms of impact. Let us choose to lead not from unconscious habit, but from a conscious vision of the world we have the power to build—together.

A world defined by freedom from fear, freedom from want, and freedom from indignity.”

The two organisations initiated in 2024 different activities focused on war and peace, and have now agreed to exchange and develop synergies. The collaboration is starting with joint work on the implementation of the Global Peace Offensive, a dialogue-driven peace-building approach initiated by WAAS and spearheaded by the academic community across civil society. Its timeliness is compelling given the heightened political polarization and violence, the failure of global leadership to address such challenges, and the ongoing surge of social movements, youth groups and individuals that seek alternative solutions to a political discourse dominated by armed conflicts, fear and hegemonic threats. 

The Global Peace Offensive, through citizens´ diplomacy and peace building initiatives, intends to support peace efforts worldwide. Its approach has already been embraced by the European Academy for Sciences and Arts and it’s now gaining traction across a large range of stakeholder groups.

The Club of Rome and WAAS have decided to activate a joint working group that will focus on studying solutions based on: 1) Localised initiatives leading to de-escalation, and issue-specific solutions; 2) Partnership development and trust-building: 3) Iterative processes of systemic analysis and dialogue facilitation.

The two organisations will build and maintain a roster of interdisciplinary scientific and cultural advisers that will be able to provide on-call expertise in all crisis situations. The nucleus of this team includes senior specialists available to support peace processes, when need be.

It is anticipated that a repository of solutions in different contexts will be made available to inspire adaptation and replication, forming basis for real-time learning and problem-solving.

The initiative seeks to mobilise an intergenerational and cross-cultural ‘coming together’ which few other peace-building initiatives currently manage to actualise.

Create a Framework Everyone Agrees On

“You need to understand the history, people, and perspectives before you start to unravel a problem,” says Steward. “I was involved in one of the more successful peace processes in recent history.”
 
The number one rule, according to Steward, is that all parties in the negotiation must accept that there cannot be an armed outcome. “When one party still believes they can achieve their goal through violence and force, they are unlikely to make the compromises that peace requires. Nelson Mandela recognized in the late 1980s that a revolutionary victory was not an option and that continued conflict would leave the country in ruins.”

Take Bold Steps

Mandela opened a line of communication with then-Prime Minister PW Botha without first seeking permission from the leadership of his political party, the African National Conference (ANC), who were still exiled in Lusaka, Zambia. By stepping beyond the conventional boundaries of the time, Mandela prioritized long-term solutions over immediate consensus and recognized that dialogue with the “other side” was a necessary path toward resolution. This boldness can often invite criticism, alienate peers and risk reputation damage, yet it reflected a deep understanding of the stakes and the need to act while others hesitate. Some leaders see potential, whereas others only see a threat, and they understand that real progress often begins with uncomfortable, unpopular conversations.
 
The South African Defense Force and national security establishment had simultaneously reached the same conclusion — that a viable long-term military solution was not an option. “It was clear the only way forward was negotiation,” says Steward.

Create a Climate of Balance

“You need to avoid asymmetrical power relationships,” says Steward. “When the more powerful party is only prepared to talk if it doesn’t have to make concessions, you have a problem. Both sides need to accept that working toward peace will be painful, and they will need to make concessions on things that are of great importance to both. A degree of confidence in the opposing party is needed, too, something that strangely was always inherent among the citizens of South Africa.”
 
Steward does acknowledge that the Middle East conflict, where opposing sides harbor an implacable hatred for each other, poses a greater challenge. “One side can’t dictate who it chooses to speak with,” he says. “You need to speak with any party that can influence the outcome. You may call people terrorists and other derogatory names, but if those people can influence an outcome, they need to be at the negotiating table.”

Timing is everything

According to Steward, South Africa could not have achieved in 1980 what it achieved in 1990. “If a National Party leader had said in 1980 that the white minority government should speak with the ANC, he would not have stayed a leader very long. Watch the tide and catch the wave of history when it breaks,” he says.

Plan For Disruption

“Avoid giving extremists on all sides a veto over the continuation of the peace process,” suggests Steward. “In any peace process, you’re going to have radicals on all sides who don’t want a resolution and will do everything they can to sabotage the peace process by instigating violence. Expect this and create contingency plans to deal with it. In South Africa, there were elements of the government security forces that didn’t want peace and actively undermined FW de Klerk. Mandela, too, faced opposition from extremists within the ANC alliance, who tried to disrupt negotiations because they weren’t prepared to make the concessions that negotiations always require.

Build Mechanisms for Emerging Problems

“In 1992, we realized that the increase in violence flaring up around the country was creating enormous distrust among parties involved in the peace negotiating process. Business and faith groups teamed up to launch a national Peace Accord Initiative that included a Peace Secretariat and a code of conduct for all political parties.” Peace Accord organizers established peace committees nationally and throughout the country. The Peace Accord structure also included the Goldstone Commission, which played a crucial role in investigating allegations and incidents of political violence and intimidation.
 
The commission was chaired by respected judge Justice Richard Goldstone and consisted of five units, staffed by 13 police officers, ten attorneys, and five international observers, who submitted 47 reports to the President over three years. “This allowed any incidence of violence to be referred to an impartial party for investigation and remedial action,” says Steward. “This helped in the relationship between de Klerk and Mandela as it reduced suspicion that either leader was trying to subvert the process through violence.”

The Power of Face-to-Face Meetings

Regular meetings between adversaries were planned to help break down the stereotypes opposing groups had formed of each other. With a sizable number of ANC members still living in exile across Africa and the world, these meetings took on an international agenda. More intimate, individual meetings were held, too. “The head of our Intelligence Agency had more than 100 meetings with Mandela before any formal peace process or negotiation policy was known publicly,” says Steward. “Even the South African cabinet had no idea this dialogue was taking place.”

Stay Cool and Committed

“It’s critical that you don’t let crises derail the process. We had so many crises between 1990 and 1993, and any one of them could have scuppered the entire process,” recalls Steward. In 1992, the negotiations came to a halt after radical elements in the ANC embarked on a process of rolling mass action and strikes aimed at overthrowing the FW de Klerk government – in the same way that the East German government had been overthrown by massive national protests. The deaths of 28 protesters involved in a march against the Ciskei homeland almost brought the country to the precipice of all-out conflict. Despite Mandela having publicly broken off all relations with the De Klerk government, both sides made use of a back channel comprising key National Party and ANC negotiators who were able to get negotiations back on track. This led to the adoption of the Record of Understanding on 26 September 1992, which resolved most of the issues that had led to the breakdown of the talks. “It was an endless rollercoaster of crises, but after each crisis, we all had to get up, dust ourselves off, and get back to the negotiating table.”

Be Creative

During the negotiations and drafting of the new constitution, each delegation was allowed to have their own non-political experts on constitutional matters on their team. This led to a more practical and less ideological approach to solutions.
 
The ANC insisted that the new constitution could be drawn up only by a duly elected constitutional assembly. The minority parties feared that this might lead to the exclusion of their own basic concerns and demands. A creative approach was adopted in terms of which there would be two constitutions. The first was an interim constitution under which the country’s first democratic election would be held, and that would include 34 immutable principles with which the final constitution would have to comply. The newly elected parliament, sitting as a constitutional assembly, would draft the final constitution – but would have to do so within the framework of the 34 immutable principles – to the satisfaction of the newly established Constitutional Court.

Peace is Active, Not Passive

In the end, peace is not a passive state but an active pursuit, requiring the combined forces of imagination, resilience, and bold leadership. It thrives on the courage to bridge divides, the creativity to forge new paths where none seem to exist, and the unwavering commitment to justice and equity. While the road may be fraught with challenges, the actionable steps, as demonstrated by South Africa’s case study, are clear: build inclusive dialogues to promote mutual trust; work for a situation in which all parties accept that there will not be an armed solution – that there will have to be negotiations; Do not move too quickly – or too slowly in the pursuit of peace because all parties must be able to bring their constituencies with them; do not allow extremists to sabotage the peace process; accept that negotiations will require painful concessions from all sides to achieve win-win outcomes; be resilient – do not allow crises to divert you from the goal of achieving peaceful and just solutions. Though peace demands hard work, its rewards can be immeasurable and lasting — each small victory lays the foundation for a future where cooperation, and not conflict, is the norm.

The Global Peace Offensive is a proactive, dialogue-driven peacebuilding approach within civil society, spearheaded by the academic community.  The current climate of heightened political polarization and violence, coupled with a disregard for universal human dignity and moral principles in international relations, necessitates innovative strategies for conflict prevention and resolution. Strategies which the academic community is uniquely positioned to lead.

Above, from left: Klaus Mainzer, Ludvik Toplak, Donato Kiniger-Passigli

The academic community has the responsibility to leverage technological innovations, identify trends, anticipate change, contribute to conflict prevention and peace education. A coalition of civil society networks supporting local peace processes through cultural and scientific quiet diplomacy is essential for realizing this vision.

The Global Peace Offensive is anchored in a three-pronged strategy that includes:

1. Strategic de-escalation: Localized initiatives using cultural, scientific, economic, educational, and environmental diplomacy, engaging political, economic, and media systems. The focus is on incremental progress toward sustainable, issue-specific solutions.
2. Trust-building: Assessing the needs and claims of all parties, prioritizing stakeholder voices and promoting cultural exchange and partnerships for lasting peace. The goal is enhanced cooperation for human security and Sustainable Development Goals achievement.
3. Enhanced dialogue: Iterative processes with a cumulative effect for lasting peace through cultural, scientific, and educational diplomacy, supported by traditional diplomatic channels, parliamentary diplomacy, and peace education. Through this track of activities Innovative educational programs that harness the potential of artificial intelligence, and the reach of social networks will impact political decisions and the trajectory of peace. 

The time for a concerted, knowledge-driven peace effort is now. 

The three-day visit was held at the History Department of Florence University (Palazzo Fenzi) and hosted by Prof. Zeffiro Ciuffoletti, former director of the Department and founder of the Florence for Europe Institute (ISFE). Attendees included: Prof. Zeffiro Ciuffoletti (host, University of Florence), Prof. Tanja Angleitner (EASA Alma Mater), Prof. Alberto Zucconi, Prof. Ugo Bardi and Dr. Donato Kiniger Passigli (WAAS fellows), Dr. Gian Luca Corradi and Dr. Edoardo Tabasso (University of Florence).

Education is pivotal in fostering social cohesion, promoting cultural understanding and addressing global challenges. It’s on this premise, that inter-academic collaboration and ad hoc study programs are being evaluated and developed among major university networks, in the framework of human security principles. Participants of the meeting agreed that in view of its historical traditions rooted into European culture, and being the birthplace of Renaissance, Florence would be ideally suited to become a centre for inter-disciplinary humanistic studies and social sciences, bridging cultures for peace. In Florence, there are already 30 campuses of international universities whose students would benefit from a deeper understanding of European culture and historical traditions.

In a world grappling with escalating conflicts and entrenched hostilities, the World Academy of Art and Science (WAAS) and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (EASA) unveiled a bold vision for a Global Peace Offensive, that was launched in Maribor, Slovenia last autumn.This initiative, spearheaded by WAAS, seeks to identify practical measures to de-escalate tensions and foster cooperation through a multi-faceted peace effort.

The Global Peace Offensive proposes a three-tiered approach:

1. Initial Confidence-Building Measures: Pioneering, symbolic gestures and gradual tension reduction measures to initiate dialogue and build trust.
2. Cooperation for Human Security: Increased adherence to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while addressing broader, interconnected global challenges.
3. Long-Term Conflict Resolution: Fostering lasting peace through cultural, scientific, and educational diplomacy, supported by traditional diplomatic channels, parliamentary diplomacy, and peace education.

Central to this strategy is the concept of Graduated Reciprocation in Tension Reduction (GRIT), involving unilateral concessions to encourage reciprocal de-escalation. Historical examples, such as Gorbachev’s nuclear concessions and Sadat’s address to the Knesset, illustrate the potential effectiveness of this approach.

The Peace Offensive seeks to fundamentally shift the way we approach conflict, transforming crises from intractable problems into opportunities for building lasting peace. This begins by prioritizing conflict prevention and ensuring that any peacemaking efforts are deeply rooted in the needs and perspectives of local communities. It means tackling the root causes of conflict head-on, whether those are disputes over natural resources or deep-seated ethnic and religious divisions.

To build trust and encourage cooperation, the initiative proposes implementing a series of phased and highly publicized initiatives. These confidence-building measures create a foundation for broader engagement by mobilizing young people and diverse stakeholders, creating a broad and inclusive coalition for peace. Ultimately, the success of the Peace Offensive hinges on ensuring the sustainability of these initiatives and fostering a sense of local ownership, empowering communities to become the architects of their own peaceful future.

The initiative will leverage the expertise of like-minded organizations and individuals to catalyze ongoing peace efforts with WAAS playing a crucial role in incorporating the concept of human security into this project. WAAS completed the Human Security for All (HS4A) campaign last year in partnership with the United Nations Trust Fund For Human Security (UNTFHS).

The Global Peace Offensive calls for a coordinated effort to transform crises into opportunities through strategic unilateral actions, paving the way for a future of lasting peace and human security for all.