Much of the rhetoric used by world leaders is one of violence, based on destructive myths and images, which increases the probability of war. Such leaders attempt to persuade the public that militarism, threats, and sociopolitical superiority are effective strategies for peace, when in fact they maximize cultural and political differences. The United States presently supports increased militarism to ensure a dominant political position in world politics, and hence it has increased armaments and proposed the militarization of space and the possibility of winning a limited nuclear war. Additionally, popular news magazines have characterized the Soviets as "savages, dupes, despots, and barbarians," prompting the United States to believe itself superior and adopt a "bullying" posture. History suggests that belief in such a "myth of superiority" can provoke violence in the most civilized nations. A solution to perpetuation of these "myths of violence" is a paradigm of nonviolence, which encourages communicators to abstain from the use of hostile speech and acts. Tenets of the paradigm include: (1) adopting a spatial view of the world, which sees humans as world citizens; (2) a willingness to abstain from physical or psychological violence; (3) social and political responsibility; (4) shared values; (5) creating new ethics; (6) long-term, future, macro-orientation; and (7) interaction among the paradigm's tenets. Such a paradigm, if it is adhered to, can create a more cooperative climate in which cultural and political interaction can occur. (JC)