Five Days to Change the World

"When governments don't act, people must." This idealistic statement sums up the spirit of 1999's Hague Appeal for Peace and Justice, a gathering of 10,000 activists from 100 countries who had five days to forge a common agenda. Marking the 100th anniversary of the first Hague Peace Conference, chaired by Tsar Nicholas and other world leaders (who, a few years later, used trench warfare and poison gas in World War I's appalling slaughter), 1999 conference participants try to deal in limited, achievable goals, such as the abolition of child soldiers (worldwide, almost 300,000 child soldiers serve under arms, some as young as eight). Narrated by Martin Sheen, Five Days to Change the World applauds the role of youth who use tools such as the Internet to promote peace education. Other conference objectives concern the elimination of land mines (so destructive in nations like Afghanistan), the end of the small arms trade, the reduction of civilian casualties, forgiveness of Third World debt, and small steps on the road to nuclear disarmament. As the conference progresses, we see or hear from celebrities such as singer Judy Collins, Jordan's Queen Noor, and U.N. Secretary Kofi Annan. Unfortunately, there is no mention of the problem of rogue terrorism, and as we know since September 11, 2001, ending war is much easier said than done. Despite poor sound quality and graphic war footage, consider this well-meaning effort a strong, optional for larger collections. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)