Gewaltfreiheit und ihre Grenzen

Abstract

Can a peace movement consider military action to be a legitimate form of intervention under certain circumstances? Against the backdrop of the war in Bosnia, this question sparked a debate about non-violent action in the German branch of Pax Christi that was triggered by the positions adopted in public on this issue by the movement’s executive committee and general secretary and which tested the solidity of its German branch’s bonds and foundations. In this study, the author analyses the nature of the aforementioned debate and examines to what extent the internal conflict within Pax Christi boiled down to the issue itself or was rather a question of identity or even one of power.