I loved the musical "Cabaret" well before visiting Berlin. An American director staging a production where the story is set was an obvious subject for Anglophone radio from Germany.
Women clearly must be involved throughout peace negotiations. Yet only in the year 2000, did UN Security Council Resolution 1325 specifically address the impact of war on women. The European Union adopted the groundbreaking resolution but scant media attention meant that civil society knew little about it. In Berlin, more than 150 women from 25 countries discussed the urgency of having female representatives at peace talks, and in civil police and peacekeeping missions. More than 20 years later, women are still excluded.
Only a non-violent approach can end a supposedly "eternal" conflict. Fighters from both sides must understand the pointlessness of continuing armed struggle. But taking the first step toward the enemy can be terrifying. "Combatants for Peace" – former Israeli soldiers and former Palestinian resistance fighters – speak together in Israel, Palestine and abroad: "If we can talk, anyone can talk, and no one has the right not to talk. We know how this conflict will end: There will be a peace agreement....The only question is when."