Sydney Dawson Bailey (1 or 2 September 191626 November 1995) was an English author, pacifist, and expert on international affairs. He worked at and was head of the

Quaker United Nations Office The Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) is a non-governmental organisation representing the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) at the United Nations in Geneva and New York City. Parent bodies of QUNO are the Friends World Committee for Consult ...

during the 1950s. He was a

conscientious objector A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to object ...

during World War II, and spent several years in the Friends' Ambulance Unit. Bailey wrote 17 books and worked at the

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) is a nonpartisan international affairs think tank headquartered in Washington D.C. with operations in Europe, South and East Asia, and the Middle East as well as the United States. Founded in ...

from 1958 to 1960 as a visiting scholar. He then left the endowment and was involved in various negotiations and advisory councils before his death in 1995.

Biography

Sydney Dawson Bailey was born on 1 or 2 September 1916, in

Hull, England Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a ...

, to Frank Burgess Bailey, a grain broker, and Elsie (May) Bailey, a teacher. He attended Worksop College, and left at the age of 15 or 16 and worked in various careers, including: at a bank, in a factory, and in insurance. When

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

began, Bailey was a

, as he had become a dedicated

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...

. He served for six years in the Friends' Ambulance Unit, stationed in

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

and China from 1940 to 1946. While with the unit, he was infected with

schistosomiasis Schistosomiasis, also known as snail fever, bilharzia, and Katayama fever, is a disease caused by parasitic flatworms called schistosomes. The urinary tract or the intestines may be infected. Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloody s ...

, which Bailey would deal with for much of his life. It partially paralyzed him, and he would later use a wheelchair. He formally became a member of the

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...

while in China, and, upon returning to England, he married Jennie Elena Brenda Friedrich (1923-2021) on 26 April 1945. They had a son and daughter. For several years after the war ended, Bailey worked as a

bank teller A bank teller (often abbreviated to simply teller) is an employee of a bank whose responsibilities include the handling of customer cash and negotiable instruments. In some places, this employee is known as a cashier or customer representative. ...

and then briefly in insurance. He also helped people left homeless by

The Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

. Bailey also edited the ''National News-Letter'' of

Stephen King-Hall William Stephen Richard King-Hall, Baron King-Hall of Headley (21 January 1893 – 2 June 1966) was a British naval officer, writer, politician and playwright who served as the member of parliament for Ormskirk from 1939 to 1945. Early life and ...

. From 1948 to 1954, he served as secretary of the Hansard Society. Bailey taught himself

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

and began to research

parliamentary system A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...

s around the British Commonwealth, though his primary focus soon shifted to be on the

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the Organs of the United Nations, six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international security, international peace and security, recommending the admi ...

and

disarmament Disarmament is the act of reducing, limiting, or abolishing weapons. Disarmament generally refers to a country's military or specific type of weaponry. Disarmament is often taken to mean total elimination of weapons of mass destruction, such as n ...

. From 1954 to 1958, Bailey and his wife worked at the

, and he was Quaker representative to the United Nations. After leaving the Quaker office, Bailey worked at the

from 1958 to 1960 as a visiting scholar. As a peace negotiator, Bailey worked in various regions, including Ireland, South Africa and the Middle East. He traveled to the Soviet Union several times and worked at the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. Bailey was also involved in the establishment of the International Institute for Strategic Studies and several other similar groups, including a lectureship at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

on ethical problems with war and the Council on Christian Approaches to Defence and Disarmament (CCAD). He worked to develop

United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 (S/RES/242) was adopted unanimously by the UN Security Council on November 22, 1967, in the aftermath of the Six-Day War. It was adopted under Chapter VI of the UN Charter. The resolution was spons ...

in 1967. He also worked in internal affairs for the

British Council of Churches Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) is an ecumenical organisation. The members include most of the major churches in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. CTBI is registered at Companies House with number 05661787. Its office is in Ce ...

and was a member of the Anglican Working Party. From 1952 to 1976 Bailey organized several 10-day conferences, where diplomats from nations around the world met, notably including groups that "were not on talking terms" like the Arabs and Israelis. Bailey delivered the 1993 Swarthmore Lecture, titled "Peace is a Process". For his pacifist advocacy, Bailey was given the Rufus Jones Award by the

World Academy of Art and Science The World Academy of Art and Science (WAAS), founded in 1960, is an international non-governmental scientific organization and global network of more than 800 scientists, artists, and scholars in more than 90 countries. It serves as a forum for s ...

. In 1985, he was granted a Doctor of Civil Law Lambeth degree by

Lord Runcie Robert Alexander Kennedy Runcie, Baron Runcie, (2 October 1921 – 11 July 2000) was an English Anglican bishop. He was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1980 to 1991, having previously been Bishop of St Albans. He travelled the world widely t ...

, the

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...

. Michael Quinlan considered Bailey "one of the most significant of" the moral critics of

nuclear deterrence Deterrence theory refers to the scholarship and practice of how threats or limited force by one party can convince another party to refrain from initiating some other course of action. The topic gained increased prominence as a military strategy ...

, because he understood "strategic realities of the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

". Bailey died on 26 November 1995, at his home in North London. After his death, the CCAD established a fund in his memory, part of which went towards establishing the "Sydney Bailey Memorial Lecture", which was first given on 10 March 1997, by Prince Hassan bin Talal.

Partial bibliography

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Biography

Partial bibliography

Sources

Further reading