Global Vision, Technological Skills, and Systems Thinking Are Essential Qualities for Peace Engineering. Compassion too?

What capacities must an engineer possess for peace engineering? In addressing that question, this paper highlights two initiatives of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE): a roundtable jointly sponsored with the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) and a workshop on Engineering, Social Justice, and Sustainable Community Development, a project of the NAE Center for Engineering Ethics and Society. Then-NAE president Charles (Chuck) Vest opened the workshop by emphasizing the "intricate connections between science and engineering and larger social, political, and economic systems," stressing that "as the complexity of these interactions increases, they can geometrically increase the difficulties of determining the right thing to do, and determining the pathways for achieving sought after solutions" [1]. He called on engineers to adopt a global vision. Assuming that global vision can be taught (or at least fostered by engineering education), what other qualities are needed for peace engineering? The paper considers the perspectives of three peacebuilders whose insights seem to suggest that peace engineering programs must strive to prepare engineers with technical skills and systems thinking. But what about compassion or empathy? Are these essential as well? Possibly not empathy, given its associated emotional risks. But cultivating compassion may be important.