Peace X Peace was founded in 2002 by Patricia Smith Melton. Following the terrorist attacks of September 11th, Smith Melton gathered experts in peace and women's rights from around the world (including Isabel Allende, the Chilean novelist; Susan Collin Marks, the Australian-born co-founder of Search for Common Ground; and Fatima Gailani, the Afghan head of the Red Crescent) to discern a women's response to the September 11 attacks. They agreed that women are the key to peace, and that women must stand together to claim their full power. Later in 2002 Smith Melton incorporated the organization and took a film crew around the world to interview extraordinary women. The award-winning documentary that resulted, "Peace by Peace: Women on the Frontlines", premiered at the United Nations on International Women's Day in 2003. It was also aired around the world and on PBS in the United States. Also in 2003, the organization launched a website and an online women’s news service, and began connecting women for virtual conversations across geographic and cultural divides.