(17 December 2002) His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi offered a prudent alternative to President Bush’s strategy of pre-emptive strikes against nations suspected of harbouring weapons of mass destruction. Maharishi called for the implementation in every country of the prevention-oriented Vedic system of defence of ancient India, which will eliminate the enmity between nations that fuels conflict and war.

Maharishi’s comments came during his weekly global news conference held on Wednesday, 11 December 2002. The news conference was broadcast live via satellite, Internet webcast, and teleconference call. Maharishi’s next news conferences will be held on Wednesday, 18 December and Thursday, 19 December. (Please see page 3 for details.)

Responding to a question about President Bush’s decision to abandon a 50-year military policy of deterrence and containment in favour of a strategy of pre-emptive force, Maharishi acknowledged that the President was trying his best to defend America based on the limited knowledge that he has – even though his actions could destroy the world.

However, Maharishi emphasised, any military strategy based on offensive weapons – no matter how destructive or how numerous they may be – will never safeguard a nation against unseen terrorist enemies, or even against a single missile that can turn society to ashes. Rather, the use of destructive weapons will invite retaliation and attack. "Offensive strategies are not defensive," Maharishi said. "If you are offensive to a nation, that nation – or friends of that nation – will be offensive to you."

The only way to stop war is to prevent enmity from arising, Maharishi said, and that can be accomplished through Vedic defence, which will transform today’s stressed world consciousness – a breeding ground for negativity and conflict – into a coherent, harmonious family of nations. For that, Maharishi called for establishing throughout the world several large groups of 8,000 experts practising his Transcendental Meditation and Yogic Flying, including one larger group of 40,000 experts in India. In addition, 3,000 Peace Palaces are to be built in the world’s largest 3,000 cities, including 51 in the UK – each Peace Palace to be home to 100 to 200 Yogic Flyers.

According to extensive research published in leading scientific journals during the past 30 years, these large coherence-creating groups effectively neutralise the acute social, religious, and political tensions that fuel violence and conflict, promoting peace and harmony in the world family.

When asked by a reporter if he would seek government support to establish the groups, Maharishi said that he is in too much of a hurry to waste time waiting for governments to respond. Instead, Maharishi said, he is accomplishing the task on his own, with support of individuals worldwide, and he is doing so quickly – "because we don’t know what will happen in the world tomorrow." However, Maharishi assured the press, "through our global efforts, within just a few months, the world will be a better, brighter world."

Maharishi also declared that just as war will never be stopped through offensive means of defence, crime will never be stopped through punishment. "Every country has laws to punish the offenders, but crime has never been eliminated. Any crime that is committed anywhere is due to the lack of proper education. The fault lies with government because government is responsible for education."

Maharishi said that His Majesty Raja Raam, the First Ruler of the Global Country of World Peace, is promoting Vedic education so that students will develop their full brain potential, and he is promoting Vedic administration so that the administration of every nation will be as nourishing and evolutionary as the Administration of Natural Law, which governs the infinite diversity of the universe with perfect order.

"Such ideal education will ensure that people don’t create problems for themselves or for others, and such ideal administration will prevent the birth of an enemy, both from within the country or outside its borders," Maharishi said.

His Majesty Raja Raam is the world’s leading neuroscientist whose research into human physiology has revealed that every physical structure in the universe, including the human body, is an expression of consciousness. His discovery has established the primacy of consciousness over matter.

Maharishi concluded by emphasising that religions share the same truths: "As you sow, so shall you reap" and "Help thy neighbour." Maharishi said that when every country has a peace-creating group of Yogic Flyers, then no enemy will be born for any country. "Every country will radiate only good to the world, and then only good will return to every country. Our global effort to establish these groups is creating a new time of peace and prosperity for everyone born in our dear world – now and for all times to come."