First International Conference on Invincible Defense:
Scientific Principles to Create Invincibility for Every Nation and Lasting World Peace

Page 19: Research Findings Indicating Reduced International Conflict—Radiating Harmony to Prevent the Birth of an Enemy

• Improved International Relations [35][36][37][38]
• Reduced Regional Conflict [23][36][39][40][41][42]
• Decreased War Intensity and War Fatalities [23][36][39][40][41][42]
• Decreased Terrorism [37]

The Maharishi Effect has consistently been found to reduce conflict and violence on the regional and international levels.

For example, in 1978 Maharishi implemented a 'World Peace Project', in which 1400 experts went to five trouble spot regions (Southeast Asia, Middle East, Iran, Zimbabwe [southern Africa], and Central America) to reduce violence through collective practice of the TM-Sidhi Programme. An extensive analysis of international relations and conflict data from an independent research group (the Conflict and Peace Data Bank of the University of Maryland) showed that during the three months of the project there was a significant reduction of hostile acts and an increase in cooperative events in these trouble-spots [36].

In one of these areas of conflict, the Middle East, a series of research studies repeatedly demonstrated reduction of armed conflict and increased progress during towards peace during periods when there were large groups of individuals participating in Maharishi's Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi Program. These studies, begun by Professor Tony Nader, MD, PhD, and extended by other researchers, indicate that the effect of very large groups of Yogic Flyers extends over a larger geographical area.

The first of these studies was conducted on a Lebanese town that was situated in a major conflict area of Lebanon. When one percent of the population of this town was instructed in the Transcendental Meditation Program, the result was an immediate cessation of hostilities, and an improvement in social, economic, and ecological conditions in the town. These improvements were in sharp contrast to the continuing violence in surrounding control towns [39].

A second study by Professor Nader and colleagues examined the influence on Lebanon of three large assemblies of TM-Sidhi Programme Yogic Flyers held in a six-month period—one assembly in Lebanon, one in southern Europe, and one in North America; each assembly was large enough to positively influence Lebanon according to the square root of one percent formula noted earlier. Time series analysis found that during each assembly there was significantly increased progress toward peace, as indicated by daily news reports and a significant reduction of war deaths [40].

A later investigation (refer to chart below) replicated this study and extended it to a longer period of time, two years and three months (1983-1985). During this period of time seven assemblies of TM-Sidhi Program Yogic Flyers were held in the Middle East, in Europe, or in North America, which were predicted to have an influence on Lebanon according to the size of the group of Yogic Flyers. A time series analysis of daily data found that during these seven assemblies there was a 71% reduction in war casualties, a 68% reduction in war injuries, a 66% mean increase in cooperation among antagonists, and a 48% reduction in level of conflict; each of these effects was statistically significant. When all four of these variables were combined into one overall index of peace, a statistically significant increase of peace was measured in Lebanon during each of the seven assemblies [41].

One of these assemblies held in the Middle East was also evaluated in a separate research study. This study, published in the Journal of Conflict Resolution, found that during the period when the size of the group was large, there was a significant decrease in war intensity and war fatalities [23][42].(Refer to chart below.)

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