STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

We note the high cost of war to the lives of those involved, directly and indirectly, and the increasing risk that the present military-dependent, competitive global security system will fuel uncontrollable conflicts between and within states.  We support and work for policies and institutions so that change within states can be achieved through peaceful democratic processes and so that international disputes can be managed without war. We support the creation of systems by which international disputes can be solved through negotiation, arbitration and judicial proceedings through an enhanced United Nations and other multinational institutions that will also address common global environmental needs while avoiding waste and enhancing international economic security. 

We seek opportunities to undertake both general and specific analyses that can contribute to clear thinking on the relative value of alternative policies and expenditures, especially when there are options that can reduce dependence on military power. 

We also seek to define and promote a concept of security which takes full account of the power and influence that comes from educated, economically sound nations, and from international systems that would be fully developed and creatively used for the peaceful settlement of disputes.

In the past, economists have tended to regard war as an external disruption of the normal peaceful course of events.  Yet war and large military budgets have reduced human welfare and harmed the environment far more than inflation, business cycles, and many other factors that economists regard as the business of their profession. ECAAR encourages economists to apply the tools of economic analysis to questions of war, security, and peace.