Since the United States (the world’s “sole superpower”), Canada , the United Nations, and the rest of the countries of the world are being childish, being complicit and/or directly or indirectly exhibiting violent and victim behavior to the detriment of the whole world, I would like to provide the following guidance to stop Inter- or Intra- Country Bullying and Violence.  I am very disappointed in our Community, Provincial, National and World Leaders for not taking corrective action, for which they should be thoroughly reprimanded.  I know that they are capable of much better behavior than this.  If not, they should consider a career change.  We have a vested interest in the behavior of all countries in our world, and particularly Canada ’s behavior with the International Community.

Stop Inter- or Intra- Country Bullying

The first step to stopping bullying behavior anywhere is to recognize the problem exists.  A refusal to acknowledge and to stop bullying implies tacit approval of the behavior.  We have a moral if not legal obligation to stop it.  Know that there are consequences for bullying behavior. Determine the underlying cause of the bullying behavior to keep it from recurring. Bullies have a lot of hate inside themselves.  When no one speaks up against the behavior, the bully learns he or she can get away with it.

Bullying

Bullying occurs when a country repeatedly harass, intimidate, hit, or shun another country who is weaker physically or has less social standing. Bullying often involves verbal or physical aggression and may include physical attacking, or taking money or belongings.

Repetition is necessary for bullying. An isolated fight between two countries of similar size and social power is not bullying; neither is occasional teasing.

Bullying can be stopped through the coordinated efforts of the United Nations, other countries, the world’s citizens, and/or professional counselors. The world should have zero-tolerance policies regarding bullying and teach countries that such aggression will not be tolerated.

Characteristics of Countries Who Bully  

Countries who bully:

• Are aggressive with others (including aggressive with the United Nations and international agencies).
• Frequently physically attack other countries.
• Are physically strong and socially dominant.
• Have a positive view of aggression.
• Have trouble following rules.
• Show little respect and empathy for others.
• Have a propensity to lie, cheat and steal.

Countries do not bully because they are insecure and lack self-esteem. On the contrary, they think highly of themselves (arrogance). They like being looked up to and tend to make friends easily. They often expect everyone to behave according to their wishes.

Some countries both bully others and are bullied. These countries, sometimes called "provocative victims," can be anxious and aggressive. They may have been bullied and then lash out at others. They may tease bullies, bringing on more aggression against themselves.

Bullying should be a "red flag" for the world community, alerting them that these countries have not learned to control aggression. The country and its victims will need professional help.

Bullying countries are at risk of committing criminal acts.

How Countries Can Discourage Bullying

Countries can take steps to deter bullying. They can:

• Stay away from countries who appear to not like them.
• Hang out with friendly countries.
• Role play with the U.N. or other countries on how to handle bullying nations
• Try to send nonverbal signals that they are confident and can take care of themselves, including standing straight, looking other countries in the eye, and speaking firmly.

What Countries Should Do if They Are Bullied

It's normal for countries to be frightened or angry when other countries harass them. But they can discourage attacks by showing confidence and not overreacting to bullying.

Countries should not fight with a bullying country or make verbal insults. This could lead to more aggression and possibly serious injury.

"Walk, talk, squawk"

Experts recommend a catchy expression to help countries remember how to handle bullying: "Walk, talk, squawk."

• Countries should walk away from the bullying country or countries.
• They should talk to the country by looking them in the eye and saying strongly but calmly, "Leave me alone," or "You don't scare me." Countries who are being bullied should not run (even though they may want to) because this undermines their show of confidence and reinforces a feeling of power on the part of the bullying country.
• After the encounter, countries should squawk to the United Nations and other countries and media about the episode. The United Nations should intervene to prevent bullying, and be aware of its responsibilities and capabilities. Countries not involved in bullying who see another country being harmed also should seek help from the United Nations immediately.

Countries may worry about making other countries angry by telling on them, but exposing the abuse is the only way to stop the problem.

What the United Nations and International Community can do to help their bullying country

No country wants to think that their peer country harasses and hurts other countries. It's painful and disheartening. However, countries can use the following suggestions to help turn around the offending country's behavior.

• Take your offending country's actions seriously and let your offending country know that bullying will not be tolerated. If bullying incidents occur, negative consequences will follow, such as losing privileges.
• Involve as many other countries, media, organizations, etc. as possible to help stop the bullying.
• Talk to your offending country about the importance of understanding the feelings of others (empathy). Ask your offending country how they would feel as the target of bullying.
• Supervise your offending country's activities. Encourage them to follow good role models.
• Be a good role model yourself by not reacting to disappointments with verbal or physical aggression.
• Try to get the offending country to rebuild trust and relationships.
• Praise your offending country for kind words or deeds.
• If the behavior does not improve, seek help for your offending country from key leaders and citizens within the offending country, and professionals.

Countries who show aggression need supervision and rules, but other countries should not punish them physically, such as with physical attacks.  Physical punishment only reinforces the belief that people can get what they want through aggression.

Peer mediation often does not work because bullying involves countries who have different levels of physical power and social status. Greater powers, such as the United Nations and the international community, almost always need to intervene.

We recommend that key leaders and citizens of countries who bully seek help from the United Nations, other countries and professionals.  These professionals can help evaluate your country's behavior and make a referral to a counselor who can work with your country.

The Role of the United Nations and International Community in Bullying

The United Nations and International Community play a critical role in stopping bullying because most aggression happens between unequal parties, and leads to great harm, death and destruction. The United Nations and International Community should develop zero-tolerance programs that make it clear bullying won't be tolerated.

Bullying has been well studied, where institutionally-based programs have reduced the incidence of bullying by 30% to 50%. Institutions that are successful:

• Increase awareness of bullying through conferencing and discussion of the problem.
• Increase key stakeholder involvement.
• Increase supervision of belligerents (in this case, around the world).
• Form clear rules about behavior that will not be tolerated.
• Provide support and protection for countries who are bullied.

Violent Behavior

Topic Overview

Anger and arguments are normal parts of healthy relationships. However, anger that leads to threats or violence, such as physical attacks, is not normal or healthy. Physical, verbal, mental or other abuse is not an acceptable part of any relationship. Verbal threats erode the spirit and are very damaging in the long term.

Violent behavior often begins with verbal threats or relatively minor incidents, but over time it can escalate to involve physical harm.

Violence is a major problem in the United States , and other countries.

Violence is learned behavior, so it is especially important to help countries learn that violence is not a healthy way to resolve conflict. Living in a violent environment increases your country's chances of developing behavior problems, poor achievement, and lowered expectations for the future.

Countries are easily influenced by media exposure, propaganda and politics. They learn by observing, imitating, and incorporating behavior. After exposure to media, propaganda and political violence, countries exhibit more aggressive behavior. This aggressive behavior persists for many years.

Violence is a greater health risk to every country’s citizens than infectious disease, cancer, or congenital disorders. Direct violence (homicide, suicide, and violent injury) and Indirect violence (starvation, lack of sanitation, health care, etc.) are the leading causes of death in children and adults, in the United States and all countries.

Review the Emergencies and Check Your Country’s Symptoms to determine if and when your country needs to see a violence prevention professional.

Prevention of Violent Behavior of Countries

To prevent violence:

• Seek nonviolent ways to resolve conflicts. Arguing is fine, even healthy, as long as it does not turn violent. For more information on anger control, see the topic Anger and Hostility.
• Teach countries (and citizens) that violence is not a solution.
  • Give your countries consistent love and attention.
  • Settle arguments without yelling or hitting.
  • Do not use physical discipline. If you need help with discipline, consider taking a course in discipline skills.
  • Do not glamorize weapon carrying or using firearms, and secure them.
• Be alert to warning signs, such as threats or belligerence, so that you can avoid a dangerous situation. If you cannot predict when violence may occur, have an exit plan for use in an emergency.
• Learn how to recognize signs of violent behavior in your countries.

Assessing the risk for International violence

Violence (direct and indirect) is a greater risk to everyone in the world than any other danger or cause.  Nuclear weapons and ecological degradation are the most dangerous problems to the world as a whole. 

While there are many different factors that cause violent behavior (see below), there is a single predominant explanation for the overall rise in violence: unscrupulous leaders who, out of greed for power and resources, exploit their followers to commit violence by using fear, religion, racism, ignorance, etc. The more these factors are present in a country's life, the more likely it is to commit an act of violence.

Warning signs

Countries usually give hints that they are considering violence toward other countries. Signs that may indicate that a country is thinking of harming others include:

• Talking about violence, especially violence directed toward specific people or groups of people, such as another country. 
• Talking, writing, or drawing about death and violence.
• Having unexplained mood changes.
• Intense anger or losing their temper every day.
• Frequent fighting.
• Acting aggressively toward others. This may include:
  • Hurtful acts.
  • Teasing or taunting others by calling them names, making fun of them, or threatening them.
  • Making threatening phone calls, media statements, etc.
• Vandalism or damaging another person's property.
• Risk-taking behavior.
• Carrying or talking about a weapon, especially a military action. Having access to military might increases the likelihood of harm and killing.
• Buying or talking about other means, such as new weapons, that could kill or harm others.
• Not taking responsibility for a country’s actions or saying that the actions are justified because of how the country has been treated.
• Lying, cheating and stealing.

The possibility of International or Intranational violence also increases when the following signs are present over several weeks or months:

• Aggressive or violent behavior
• Gang membership or having a strong desire to become part of a gang (including economic gangs)
• Having access to or a fascination with violent weapons
• Threatening other countries or groups regularly
• Withdrawal from the international community and international activities and law
• Fear of other people or countries (paranoia)
• Feeling rejected, alone, or disrespected
• Being a constant victim of bullying
• Poor economic or social performance  
• Frequent problems with figures of authority, such as the United Nations

What you can do

When you recognize violence warning signs in a country, there are steps you can take. Don't count on someone else to deal with the situation. Taking action and telling someone, such as the United Nations, who can help can prevent harm to your country and others. It also will protect another country with potentially violent behavior from making a mistake that will affect the rest of their life.

• Don't spend time with countries who show warning signs. Tell someone you trust and respect, such as the United Nations, other countries/organizations, about your concerns and ask for help.
• Don’t trust the offending country or any of its propaganda (they will use misinformation as a policy of offence/defense).  Verify everything independently.
• If you are worried about being a victim of violence, ask someone in authority (the United Nations/International Community) to help you.
  • Avoid resorting to violence or using weapons to protect yourself.
  • Don't try to deal with situation by yourself. Ask for help.
  • Develop a safety plan to help you if you are in a potentially dangerous situation.

Managing your own anger

You can manage your own anger without becoming violent.

• Talk. Find a trusted friendly country and/or the United Nations to help you one-on-one if you're afraid to talk or if you can't find the right words to describe what you're going through.
• Be calm. Express criticism, disappointment, anger, or displeasure without losing your temper or fighting. Ask yourself whether your response is safe and reasonable.
• Listen. Try to listen and respond without getting upset when someone tells you something you may not want to hear. Don't overreact; try to see the other person's point of view.
• Seek solutions. Work out your problems with someone else by looking at different solutions and compromises.

What you can do as the United Nations and International Community

You can help protect your countries from violent situations in the following ways:

• Be involved in your country's life.
• Know what your countries enjoy and what they are doing.
• Know who your countries spend their time with.
  • Explore ways your countries can avoid unsafe situations and can avoid hanging out with troubled countries.
  • Peers have a strong impact on a country's behavior. Talk to your countries about the effect a group can have on their life.
  • Be aware of what your countries watch, reads, listens to, or does while using their media. Countries may model what they see and hear.
• Discourage physical violence. Help your countries find ways to resolve conflict without resorting to violence.
  • Role-play conflict. Let your countries determine which style fits them best. Role-play ways to help your countries walk away from fights.
  • Be a positive role model. Use nonviolent ways to resolve conflict in your home. Countries who witness violence in their home or community are more likely to chose violent means to resolve conflict.
• Remove violent weapons from your countries.
  • Violent acts are more likely to lead to death in countries that have more weapons.
• Encourage participation in cooperative activities. Encourage your child to become involved in organized, cooperative activities.
  • Participation in international activities gives countries a sense of skill mastery and contributes to a positive self-image.
  • Being part of a team is a healthy way to release energy.
• Organized international activities provide countries with good role models.
• Establish violence reducing programs and verify.  Help to re-establish trust.
• Be a positive role model.
  • Utilize safety measures, whenever possible.
  • React to difficult situations in a calm, relaxed manner. Avoid yelling or name-calling.
• Get help. If you notice that your countries view the world as a harsh place where people are either bullies or victims, or adhere to “realpolitick” power politics, they may be more prone to violence. Talk with your countries about your concerns. Talk with a violence professional or counselor if you think your countries may need help responding to conflict.

Factors that may contribute to Inter- or Intra- Country violence

Inter- or Intra- Country violence is a complicated problem. While there are many different factors that cause violent behavior (see below), there is a single predominant explanation for the overall rise in violence: unscrupulous leaders who, out of greed for power and resources, exploit their followers to commit violence by using fear, religion, racism, ignorance, etc. Known risks for violent behavior include:

• An association with belligerent countries or organizations.
• A history of early aggressive or violent behavior.
• Exposure to violence in the home country or community.
• Exposure to media violence, such as television, videos, and computer or video games.
• Involvement in illegal drug trading.
• Possession of weapons, especially weapons of mass destruction.
• Poverty, racism, religious intolerance, fear, ignorance, etc.

Other factors that are thought to contribute to Inter- or Intra- Country violence include:

• Access to violent weapons.
• Being a victim of bullying.
• Child maltreatment, and maltreatment of the weakest people in the society.
• Inability to maintain relationships.
• Frequent moves and changing policies and affiliations often.
• Hyperactivity or poor impulse control.
• Ineffective leadership.
• Citizen Neglect.

SPEAK UP AND STOP INTER- INTRA- COUNTRY BULLYING AND VIOLENT BEHAVIOR!

I hope this summary, tailored from Anti-bullying in schools and communities, may be of use.  I hope Canada speaks up about international bullying, and takes action to stop being a victim (and prevent potential future disaster).

Regards,
Bob Stewart
http://www.peace.ca