The International Peace Highway: Reflections on its Role for

World Peace

Thomas J. Ward

Journal of Unification Studies Vol. 11, 2010 -- Page 199

The construction of a bridge and tunnel complex that would connect Russia

and the United States via the Bering Strait, along with the building of a tunnel

complex to connect Kyushu Island in Japan with Pusan, Korea represent key

components of the International Peace Highway which has been publicly

advocated by the Reverend Sun Myung Moon since 1981. This paper explores

compelling dimensions of this project through the optics of religion, history

and international political economy.

Reverend Sun Myung Moon's Proposal for an International Peace Highway

Figure 1: Section of the map of the International Peace Highway from a

booklet prepared for the 1981 ICUS

On November 10, 1981 at the Tenth International Conference for the Unity of

the Sciences (ICUS) in Seoul, Korea, Reverend Moon introduced his vision

for a world highway system that would require the building of a tunnel

connecting Kyushu, the southernmost island of Japan to Pusan, Korea. In that

proposal he also called for the creation of a one mile stretch of neutral

territory on either side of the proposed International Peace Highway. That

perimeter would constitute neutral territory and it would allow the

administration of the project to rely on international legal instruments rather

than the laws or dictates of any particular nation.

The maps developed in conjunction with that 1981 proposal also depicted a

connector between Russia and the United States via the Bering Strait and a

highway network reaching through the Americas, Asia, Europe and Africa.

(Figure 1) Excavation initiatives began to advance this project in Japan almost

immediately after the conference.

In his keynote address to the second meeting of the Summit Council for

World Peace on February 2, 1990, Rev. Moon again spoke of the importance

of this project and of the unique opportunity provided through President

Gorbachev's implementation of Glasnost. He recognized President

Gorbachev's efforts and observed, "I would like to extend my hearty

congratulations to President Gorbachev for his courage and leadership in

bringing about these constructive changes, enabling us to usher in this new era

of cooperation." He reiterated his support for President Gorbachev and also

spoke once again of the importance of the International Peace Highway:

As you may know, in 1981 I launched an International Peace

Highway project. When completed, this highway will allow a

family car to be driven from Tokyo to London. I am seriously

discussing the project with the governments of Japan, Korea and

China, and I hope that the Soviet Union will also welcome this

project. Of course, this is a lofty dream, but every great undertaking

begins as a dream. Not so long ago, no one could even have

dreamed of men walking on the moon, but with a vision and hard

work, it became a reality. So it will be with the International Peace

Highway.[1]

In 2005 Rev. Moon further elaborated on the need for a bridge/tunnel complex

connecting Russia and the United States, speaking specifically on the need for

a connector between Russia and the United States at the Bering Strait. He

described this construction as an historical necessity, given the long history

during which the physical separation between Russia and the United States

had served as a source of the physical and spiritual division of humankind. He

emphasized that an International Peace Highway would play a key role in the

fostering of reconciliation and peace:

The United States of America, Russia, Europe, China, India, Japan,

Brazil and all the nations and religions of the world should work

hand in hand. With the complete success of this project, humankind

will be one step closer to the Peace Kingdom on earth where there

is no more division and war.[2]

In a speech delivered on February 1, 1986, Rev. Moon intimated a direct

relationship between the International Peace Highway and his lifelong efforts

to overcome the invisible barriers that separate humankind:

The final problem is opening the blocked spiritual gates of hell and

heaven… The name of the International Peace Highway came from

this. This is to break down the wall, which has been blocking us.[3]

Thus for Rev. Moon, the world highway system represents not only

humankind's physical integration but it also furthers spiritual reconciliation

and integration.

Research institutes and foundations were established as early as 1981 in Korea,

Japan and the United States to explore the feasibility and development of the

International Peace Highway project. Symposia have been dedicated to this

theme and the project has drawn statements of support from political leaders,

philanthropists, engineers and leaders in management and civil engineering.

Exploratory excavations have already been conducted in Japan and Korea.

Reverend Moon has more than a superficial understanding of Alaska and the

Bering Strait. He personally spent a significant amount of time working there

in order to develop the fishing and the fish processing industries that he

initiated there. Alaska has served as a laboratory where he has deployed and

personally tested the many models of fishing boats that his companies have

built in Korea and in the United States.

Reverend Moon has strong feelings about the way in which the former Soviet

Union must develop in order to foster peace. He has stressed that the Soviet

Union's prime political and commercial partner should be the United States

rather than Europe. Following a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Il

Sung in November 1991, he sent a message to President George H. W. Bush

emphasizing that the United States needed to do everything to foster

friendship and reconciliation with the former Soviet Union.[4] The proposed

Bering Strait project connecting the United States and Russia would help to

achieve this.

The International Peace Highway in the Context of History

Religion and the Symbolism and Significance of Highways

Roads and highways have always played an essential role in facilitating the

communication of ideas and beliefs. Efficient travel from one city or from one

country to another was essential for the expansion of Buddhism and

Confucianism. Buddha and Confucius both traveled with their followers from

one venue to another in order to teach the implicit proprieties of leadership

and human interaction. Christianity spread quickly from the Near East to

Europe because of the expansive Roman highway system that the Apostle

Paul and other traveled as early missionaries. Paul, the pioneer and architect

of such mission activities, found his own faith on the Road to Damascus, a

highway where he came face-to-face with Jesus in a spiritual encounter. Islam

was also reliant on highways for its growth and development. The trade routes

of Central Asia helped in the propagation on that faith. Travel between

countries allows religious ideas to be cross-fertilized and enriched by other

cultures.

Highways, it would appear, can have more than utilitarian significance. In the

case of Christianity and Judaism, the call for the creation of an International

Peace Highway arguably resonates with certain foundational scriptures. Isaiah

35:8-10 makes specific reference to a "highway of holiness" in the last days

that will coincide with the realization of the Kingdom of God:

And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the

way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for

those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.

No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it

shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:

And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with

songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy

and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.[5]

Social and Political Significance of Highways and Bridges

Highways reflect a human desire to be connected, while walls reflect another,

darker human sentiment, to remain isolated and separated. Structures such as

the Berlin Wall, the Great Wall of China, the Demilitarized Zone between

North and South Korea, the wall between Palestinians and Israel and the

planned wall between Mexico and the United States reflect the fact that

humankind still has a way to go before there can literally be one human family

on earth.

Unlike walls, bridges and highways can heal distances and contribute to peace.

For example, Canada and the United States opposed each other militarily both

during the American War of Independence and during the War of 1812. In the

years following the War of 1812, Americans and Canadians actively began to

explore ways in which to address their differences. One of the symbols of this

process of reconciliation was the construction of a Peace Bridge between the

cities of Buffalo, New York and Fort Erie, Ontario (Canada) in the early part

of the Twentieth Century. On the occasion of the opening of the Peace Bridge,

an editorial in the Buffalo Post described this historical development as

follows:

Let us trust that the structure that is to bring these two great

Anglo-Saxon countries into closer contact with each other will

serve also to increase mutual respect and appreciation and prolong

indefinitely the years of peace.[6]

In a similar way the Chunnel, connecting the United Kingdom with France,

marked a new level of relationship between the United Kingdom and France,

two nations that had waged war on each other since the days of Joan of Arc.

France and Great Britain had stood at opposite sides of the Battlefield during

the Napoleonic Wars, the American War of Independence and the American

Civil War. Through the Chunnel project they were finally "joined forever."

Bridges and highways serve as a clear statement that partnership and

collaboration are viewed by both parties as keys to their mutual future

success.

Contemporary social movements have utilized highway construction as a tool

to facilitate peace-building. Sri Lankan Gandhi Peace Prize winner Dr. A. T.

Ariyaratne, founder of the Sarvodaya non-violent movement, has dedicated

much of his life to helping to mitigate the dispute between Singhalese and

Tamils in Sri Lanka. One of his major venues for bringing opposing camps

together was having them work together on the building of a road. Dr.

Ariyaratne describes the outcomes of these efforts, as follows: "We built the

road and the road built us."[7]

Significance of the Bridge-Tunnel Structures in the International Peace Highway

The connecting bridge-and tunnel structure over the Bering Strait and the

tunnel between Japan and Korea that are centerpieces of Rev. Moon's

International Peace Highway serve as both symbolic and tangible structures

for alleviating the ill feelings that have existed between Japan and Korea and

between the United States and Russia for approximately a century in both

cases. Under Japanese rule, Koreans were exposed to demeaning colonial rule

that included "ethnic cleansing," slavery, torture, human trafficking and the

forced participation of Korean women as sex workers for the Japanese

military during Japan's occupation of Korea.

The United State and Russia have also opposed each other beginning with

American involvement in efforts to destabilize the government of Vladimir

Lenin through providing support to White Russians after the 1917 Bolshevik

Revolution. The United States and the Soviet Union continued to oppose each

other through proxy wars beginning with the American efforts to prevent Mao

Zedong and Kim Il Sung from expanding communism beyond China and

North Korea following World War II. Since then, the proxy wars have

continued intermittently in Cuba, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Angola, Nicaragua,

and Ethiopia. Arguably the recent wars in Kosovo and in South Ossetia do not

bode well in that they again would appear to constitute proxy wars, not

between the United States and the Soviet Union but between the United States

and Mother Russia.

Value of the International Peace Highway for Peace

Strengthening International Peace

The United States Institute of Peace, the official peace research institute of the

government of the United States, describes the various stages of discord and

conflict that one passes through in moving from overt conflict to a state of

durable or lasting peace (or vice versa) through what is referred to as the

Curve of Conflict. The Curve of Conflict that was developed by Michael S.

Lund[8] identifies the spectrum of warm, stable relations to volatile, violent

relations that can exist amongst nations. Depending on the quality of relations

between states or populations different forms of diplomatic remedies are

required. Lund's categorization of the gamut of relations between Durable

Peace and War serves as a useful model for examining the current relations

that exist between the United States and Russia or the relations that exist, for

example, between China and Japan. We can use this model to gauge the

potential impact of the International Peace Highway on world peace.

Let us begin by looking at the possible flow of relations between nations from

war to lasting peace by considering a chart that I have adapted from Lund

(Figure 2):

Figure 2: Stages in the Curve of Conflict[9]

Notes

[1] Sun Myung Moon, "The Reunification of Korea and Cooperation between

East and West," February 2, 2009, www.unification.net/1990/900202.html.

[2] Sun Myung Moon, "God's Kingdom of Peace is our Family's Eternal

Home," June 25-28, 2005,

www.tparents.org/Moon-Talks/SunMyungMoon05/SM050625.htm.

[3] Sun Myung Moon, Cheon Seong Gyeong (Seoul, Korea: FFWPU, 2006),

677.

[4] Based on oral accounts provided by individuals involved in facilitating

these communiqués.

[5] Prophecies regarding Highways can also be found in Rev. 16:12 and Isa.

41:2.

[6] "The Bridge that Peace Built," excerpted from a 1925 Buffalo Post

editorial, from

www.peacebridge.com/docs/Peace%20Bridge%20Museum.pdf.

[7] From a speech delivered at the University of Bridgeport, October 11,

2007.

[8] See USIP Certificate Course in Conflict Analysis, where the Curve of

Conflict is explained, origin.usip.org/training/online/analysis/2_0_2.php.

[9] The following chart is an adaptation of a chart developed based on USIP

instruments. Normally nations possessing lasting peace relations do not see

said relations dissipate into an Unstable Peace and worse.

[10] USIP Certificate Course,

www.usip.org/training/online/analysis/2_1_1.php

[11] USIP Certificate Course,

www.usip.org/training/online/analysis/2_2_1.php

[12] USIP defines "Unstable Peace" as "a situation in which tension and

suspicion among parties run high, but violence is either absent or only

sporadic. A 'negative peace' prevails because although armed force is not

deployed [or employed], the parties perceive one another as enemies and

maintain deterrent military capabilities... A balance of power may discourage

aggression, but crisis and war are still possible." www.usip.org/

training/online/analysis/2_3_1.php

[13] USIP defines "Crisis" as "tense confrontation between armed forces that

are mobilized and ready to fight and may be engaged in threats and occasional

low-level skirmishes but have not exerted any significant amount of force.

The probability of the outbreak of war is high."

www.usip.org/training/online/analysis/2_4_1.php

[14] Track II diplomacy is contrasted with official government to government

diplomacy and it usually involves citizen-to-citizen exchanges, especially

influential citizens, on crucial matters in inter-state relations.

[15] Sun Myung Moon, "America and God's Will," September 18, 1976,

www.tparents. org/Moon-Talks/SunMyungMoon76/sm760918.htm.

[16] The Russian government in 2007 projected that a Bering Strait bridge and

tunnel would result in up to 100 million tons of increased freight traffic per

year.

[17] Sun Myung Moon, "True Unification and One World," April 10 to 11

1990, World Media Conference, Moscow,

www.tparents.org/Moon-Talks/SunMyungMoon90/

[18] Dr. King visited the University of Bridgeport as a Jacoby lecturer and he

also received an honorary doctorate from the University. Bridgeport was a

place that he visited often because there he received significant financial

support for the civil rights movement.

Lund's model describes "Durable Peace" as follows:

Durable (or Warm) Peace involves a high level of reciprocity and

cooperation, and the virtual absence of self-defense measures

among parties, although it may include their military alliance

against a common threat. A 'positive peace' prevails based on

shared values, goals, and institutions (e.g. democratic political

systems and rule of law), economic interdependence, and a sense of

international community.[10]

It can be contrasted with the definition of "Stable Peace":

Stable (or Cold) Peace is a relationship of wary communication and

limited cooperation (e.g. trade) within an overall context of basic

order or national stability. Value or goal differences exist and no

military cooperation is established, but disputes are generally

worked out in nonviolent, more or less predictable ways. The

prospect for war is low.[11]

One could certainly make the case that Stable Peace, if unattended, can lead to

"Unstable Peace,"[12] as indicated in the chart above; and this may then

escalate to the level of a Crisis[13] or to War. The lack of regular

communication and exchange could allow for the Stable Peace that currently

exists between the United States and Russia to precipitate into an Unstable

Peace. What would have happened, for example, if the United States had

deployed troops in Georgia in 2008 when Russia provided military assistance

to South Ossetia when it again asserted independence from Georgia? It would

appear that by becoming involved military, Russia had determined that this

was a matter of national interest for which they were willing to "draw a line in

the sand" and fight.

Let us next consider Lund's categorization in terms of US-DPRK relations or

Japan-DPRK relations. The nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula could lead

to the Unstable Peace that we find today between North Korea and Japan or

between North Korea and the United States deteriorating into the Crisis stage

indicated in the Chart on page 8. North Korea's leaders have made it clear that

they view infringement on their territory through a blockade or through the

forced inspection of their ships to be an act of war.

An International Peace Highway between the United States and Russia and

between Korea and Japan would facilitate communication and exchange

between former enemy nations and thus help to maintain a stable peace in the

case of Russia and the United States or help to prevent the unstable peace

between North Korea and Japan from deteriorating into what Lund identifies

as a "crisis" or even "war."

There are numerous reasons why it would be in the interest of disputing

nations to explore the building of highway that would connect them. In recent

years, the value of Track II diplomacy[14] has become increasingly apparent.

Track I diplomacy consists of official envoys coming together to represent the

studied diplomatic positions of their respective countries. Track II diplomacy

is unofficial and "off the record." It can often be merely an exchange of

private citizens. In such a case, there are far more opportunities for a "sharing

of hearts" and for frank and open discussion. Highways and bridges increase

the flow of people from divergent countries and create venues for exchanges

of ideas.

Fostering a Shared Vision of One World

Normally a shared value system can contribute to the realization of a major

project when it involves one or more countries. In the case of the Peace

Bridge connecting Buffalo, NY and Fort Erie, Ontario that we have already

mentioned, one notes that the Buffalo Post editorial that we have cited points

to a commonality based on the shared Anglo-Saxon heritage of Canada and

the United States that was still manifest at the beginning of the Twentieth

century. In the case of the Chunnel connecting the United Kingdom and the

European mainland, it was the increasing appreciation of a shared European

heritage and a shared democratic vision that could foment the desire to

solidify the ties between the British Isles and the European mainland through

the construction of the Chunnel.

What is the unifying vision that lies at the root of the International Peace

Highway? Rev. Moon has called upon the United States (and other nations) to

go beyond its commitment to "One Nation under God," and to join him in

aspiring to what he has described as "One World under God."[15] The

emergence of the European Union and the creation of the South American

Common Market (MERCOSUR) and the North American Free Trade

Agreement (NAFTA) as well as the strengthening of other regional customs

unions and other institutions promoting economic cooperation including the

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Asia-Pacific Economic

Cooperation (APEC), the African Union (AU) and the World Trade

Organization (WTO) itself all point to a trend towards further cooperation

within the world community of nations. The enhanced role of the United

Nations and the growth of international non-governmental organizations

(INGOs) in recent years also resonate with a growing proclivity, especially in

the economic sector, toward international cooperation.

Specific Sociopolitical Benefits

Although the increase in trade and commerce that would result from such a

highway may seem self-evident[16], it is also true that the proposed highway

could have important geopolitical implications. The United States could

support Russia in its efforts at modernizing its modes of governance and

commerce. It could also help Russia to fulfill her role as a bridge between

Asia and Europe.[17]

NAFTA Membership for Russia?

Furthermore, if a bridge were actually built between the United States and

Russia, the two nations would share a common border for the first time.

Perhaps the existence of a bridge, i.e., a concrete border between Russia and

the United States, could even provide the rationale for the United States,

Canada, and Mexico to view Russia as a partner in the North American Free

Trade Agreement. This could help to address the ill feeling perpetrated by

Russia being isolated from NATO. It could contribute to the strengthening and

the diversification of the Russian economy. It could also contribute to Rev.

Moon's call in 1990 for Russia to build an alliance and partnership with the

United States rather than doing so with in a way that would have Western

Europe as Russia's major partner.

Russia as a Mediator for the United States in the Middle East?

A partnership with Russia would also have important strategic implications

for the United States. For example, Russia could assist the United States in

establishing constructive dialogue with the Muslim world. The United States

has extremely complicated relations with countries such as Iran and Syria. In

1979 at the time that supporters of the Ayatollah Khomeini took over the U.S.

Embassy in Teheran, the United States called for an economic blockade of

Iran. The Soviet Union defended Iran in the Security Council. Iran has

become reliant on the Soviet Union as an ally over the years, as has Syria.

Russia has a political influence on Iran and on Syria that could be very helpful

in "mending bridges" and in mollifying the problems that have long existed

between the United States and the Islamic world.

Korea as a Mediator between China and Japan

The building of the Tunnel system between Korea and Japan could help Japan

in resolving the deep-rooted animosity that has existed between China and

Japan since the conclusion of the Second World War. By demonstrating a

commitment to partnership with Korea as has not been seen in the past, it

would go far to allaying China's deep suspicions of Japan. These have been

reinforced because of the fact that Korea has shared the same types of

reservations toward Japan. The building of the tunnel between Japan and

Korea would make a powerful statement about the need for China to reassess

its relationship with Japan, just as Korea would clearly be doing through the

Tunnel project. Korea could play an important leadership role in helping to

facilitate this dialogue.

Role of Religious Leaders

Religious leaders can provide important guidance to political and civic leaders

and also motivate the public for peaceful and constructive change. Many of

the dramatic positive changes of the twentieth century happened because of

bold initiatives by religious leaders. This included the movement of

non-violence (Ahimsa) led by Mohandas Gandhi that liberated the Indian

subcontinent after a long period of British domination. Likewise, Dr. Martin

Luther King's religious convictions led him to a path of non-violent resistance

and constructive engagement which ended segregation in the United States.

Religious leaders committed to non-violence also brought an end to the

dictatorship of Filipino leader Ferdinand Marcos. Each of the aforementioned

initiatives required not only prayer and meditation but significant financial

support and civic involvement. Dr. Martin Luther King frequently traveled to

the Northeast United States[18] to solicit financial support for the Civil Rights

Movement. Religious leaders can stir hearts and also inspire others to generate

the concrete measures and resources needed for dramatic change.

Religious leaders have at times gathered to pray for peace or to address social

injustices. Could religious leaders appreciate the vision of an international

highway system? Could they appreciate the appropriateness of building an

inexpensive transport system that would enable the international community

to reach areas of the world affected by epidemics, famine and natural

disasters? Could they be inspired and inspire others by the vision of a world

where former enemies become partners in building peace and prosperity?

Why not host convocations that invite religious leaders to join together for

spiritual reflection and prayer with a focus being the realization of an

International Peace Highway to bind humanity together? If such convocations

were held regularly, in time they could perhaps inspire the world's religions,

as representatives of international civil society, to play a key role in winning

support for the project from the media and from key political and economic

institutions.

Conclusion

In this paper we have tried to outline the symbolism behind the International

Peace Highway, some historical precedents and the inherent benefits of such

an initiative. It could go a long way in addressing the deep-rooted animosities

between the United States and Russia and between Korea, Japan and China.

Robert F. Kennedy liked to say, paraphrasing George Bernard Shaw: "Some

men see things the way they are, and ask why? I dream of things that never

were, and ask why not?" Reverend Sun Myung Moon is a man who,

throughout his life, has labored and dared to dream and ask, "Why not?" His

life of sacrifice allowed him to dream big dreams and, through them, strive

onward for the liberation of humankind and the liberation of God.

Some day in the not too distant future Russians and Americans will shake

hands and laugh in the cold Arctic air, and Japanese and Koreans will share

bulgogi, sushi and kimchi at the completion of the Kyushu-Busan Tunnel. The

International Peace Highway will allow all of us to feel part of one family.

When such things come to pass, the world may finally learn more about the

work of a still misunderstood individual who, throughout his life, dared to

dream and say, "Why not?"