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Dr. Charles Mercieca ~ STWR Member President of International Association of Educators for World Peace NGO,
United Nations (ECOSOC), UNDPI, UNICEF, UNCED & UNESCO
Professor Emeritus of Alabama A&M University Nuclear Disarmament: Confronting the War Industry In the field of politics, nuclear disarmament seems to refer to the abolition of atomic weapons, which were used in World War II by Americans to devastate Nagasaki and Hiroshima in Japan. The human life was so much devastated that numerous articles and books were written in this regard. Besides, several videotapes were made to commemorate this satanic war device that is destined to make everyone a loser and no one a winner. Barbarism of Nuclear Industries To this end, the Center for Defense Information in Washington, DC had made a videotape entitled: The Legacy of Hiroshima. In spite of the fact that it shows in a very vivid way, the brutality and barbarism of the atomic bomb, the United States proceeded to manufacture well over 70,000 nuclear weapons over the past 60 years since they were used in World War II. In the Semitic culture, there is a proverb, which is still being used widely in Malta among others, that runs as follows: Min jghamililek darba, jghamililek elf darba -- the one that frustrates you once, will frustrate you one thousand times. Since the United States was the only one nation that used the nuclear bomb, it is highly probable that this nation would use it again sooner or later. This is revealed by the fact that when all the nations of the world voted to eliminate nuclear weapons, and even landmines, the United States was virtually the only dissenter. It explains by Nelson Mandela stated, at the outbreak of the Iraqi war, that “the USA has emerged to become the most dangerous country in the world.” Mandela’s statement was vindicated by US President George W. Bush when he said that “the USA reserves the right to launch pre-emptive strikes against any other nation without warning if such an attack would benefit the American nation.” The United States always pursues this war policy to get what it wants through the military when it fails through diplomatic means. Since World War II ended, the United States has been responsible for the overthrow of numerous governments in every global area that included Iraq. Several videotapes were made that reveal how the United States, regardless of what its political leaders claim, survives economically on the continued waging of wars. Hence, peace, in the strict sense of the word, is viewed as the economic enemy that must be obliterated from the surface of the world by all means. We may understand why this nation has emerged to become the greatest manufacturer of weapons of destruction and military machinery. We may realize why this country sells all kind of military equipment for profit to all the nations, friends and enemies alike, as we witnessed in the Iran-Contra Affair. Nation of Plutocracy at Work Nuclear disarmament is easier said than done. As former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark said: “The United States has never been a democracy; from the outset it proved to be a plutocracy where everything is ruled and governed by the wealthy.” Of course, the wealthy own all the big corporations that run the entire nation, including the government. What is ironic in this lies here. The American people elect their public officials who then use their office to promote the exclusive interests of the products manufactured by such big corporations, even when it proves to be fully detrimental to the welfare of the same people that elected them to the office they hold! This constitutes a real problem not only to the American people, who are beginning to feel literally hopeless, but to the entire world as a matter of fact. Since the United States is run by big corporations that control the government with iron fist, with whom are the nations of the world going to deal when they feel fully exploited? This is one of the greatest problems that the United Nations has been facing in dealing with the United States. The United Nations, by its very structure, exists for the people to enable them to live a healthier life where they all have adequate food to eat and decent homes to live in. Governments are expected to make sure their industries do not damage the people’s environment. On the other hand, the United States exists for the exclusive financial interests of big corporations even when it is detrimental to the health of the people as to let them live homeless, without food, and deprived from all necessities of life. This explains why the USA cancelled the Kyoto agreement that would have regulated the deadly pollution of toxics that are emitted by big industries. As a result, in the United States alone some two million people incur and die of cancer every year. Political leaders of various countries are bribed with millions of dollars so that US big corporations would get the green light to exploit the rich resources of such nations, while letting the native population starve to death and die in the streets lie strayed animals. Some political scientists remarked that the difference between the Chinese and the American government lies here. In China those who become openly critical of their governmental policies, soon disappear and no one ever knows what happened to them. On the other hand, in the United States those who become openly critical of their governmental policies are totally ignored by the news media. Nothing is ever said on television and in the press about what the American people are saying and doing through well elaborate demonstrations for peace. Those that know of such events are the participants and the people who live in the area. US big corporations, which nowadays own the major news media in the nation, keep tight censorship of any event that is critical of wars. Emergence of Reliable Sources A new movement in the United States seems to be emerging that is taking over where the US news media leave off. More and more people in the United States are increasingly becoming more skeptical of the news they receive especially through television and the press. More and more are seeking to know what is going on in both the United States and the world at large through the internet, through videotapes that are made objectively by several conscientious groups, and through DVDs that can be seen repeatedly by all those who are genuinely interested in the universal welfare of all people without exception. Such unique opportunities that are available to us cannot be taken lightly. To this end, both the Center for Defense Information in Washington, DC and the Maryknoll World Productions have produced several videotapes that will enable viewers to see the reality of the mess that surrounds us objectively, as God sees it without any distortion and deceit. Besides, several individuals who are highly dedicated to the cause of harmony, prosperity and peace have gone out of their way to produce audio-visual material that brings into the open the elaborate deceptions fabricated by government officials always in the best interest of US big corporations. Such material is not easily obtained in bookstores out of fear of harassment. However, they could be obtained directly from the source of origin. Since such material that exposes the war industry is highly informative, we must take the initiative to secure such items by all means. After all, our greatest and most important challenge in this life is to find out the truth and to see things into proper perspective same way as God sees everything without any deception whatsoever. Two of the most important videotapes may be enlisted as: (1) School of Assassins and (2) Arms for the Poor. Both are produced by Maryknoll World Productions, P.O. Box 308, Maryknoll, NY 10545, Phone: 800-227-8523. School of Assassins refers to the US Army School of the Americas whose job is supposedly to bring young men from South American countries to train them in freedom and democracy. In practice, such a school teaches these young men to overthrow their democratically elected government and establish dictatorship. In this process, they are taught psychological warfare, which consists of going into a village and just kill everyone they find: women, children, the elderly, the sick, priests, nuns, you name it. Arms for the Poor shows how the United States government furnishes to governments all over the world with weapons of destruction, commonly known as military aid, instead of food, educational material, medicine, homes, hospitals and anything constructive. It also shows how such governments use then such weapons to kill their own people brutally when they dare to protest in the streets the injustice they are experiencing through numerous governmental abuses. Beneficial Contributions The Center for Defense Information in Washington, DC has produced numerous videotapes all of which are pertinent in the sense that they help us understand how the war industry has emerged into becoming our number one mortal enemy in the world. Ironically, the politicians that boost the financial interests of the weapons industry tell their people that “such weapons and military equipment are needed to “defend the United States!” They also use as justification the well elaborate gimmick that goes by the name “national defense and security!” Among such videotapes we have: (1) Why Military Spending Goes Up, (2) Arming Dictators, (3) Protectors and Polluters, (4) Does the US Need Nuclear Weapons? (4) Selling Weapons, (5) Lifting the Veil of Military Secrecy, (6) The Media and the Image of War, (7) The Military and the American Society, (8) Conversation with Noam Chomsky, (9) Defense Jobs at the Economy’s Expense. All of these videotapes, each of which lasts for 29 minutes, demonstrate clearly how in the United States the continuous promulgation of wars has become a lucrative business and how the war industry is determined to survive through unending wars till the end of times. This means very clearly that, as long as we let the weapons industry gets its way, our life is constantly being endangered and the future of our children is utterly dark with their longevity shrinking faster than possibly imagined. The above mentioned videotapes may be secured from: Center for Defense Information, 1779 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, 6th Floor, Washington, DC 20036, Phone: 202-332-0600. Can we bring the war industry under full control in spite of the fact that it controls the US government with iron fist? Needless to say, the answer is a qualitative yes, if we were to follow what Socrates advised some 2,400 years ago. He said: “Every problem we encounter, no matter how big it may be, could be solved if we were to take the first step, namely, bringing it into the open for everyone to see.” He added saying: “Unless people are aware of a problem they will do nothing about it, but once they do become aware, then they will proceed to take needed steps and the problem is solved.” Enlightenment of Americans Among the most advanced nations, the American people have emerged to become the most ignorant in the world when it comes to knowing the real sources of all the crucial problems their nation and the world at large are facing. As stated earlier, this is due to the censorship imposed by US big corporations, headed by the war industry, which control all the major American news media. Mr. Frank Dorrel of California is a dedicated peace activist whose concern is the abolition of needless human suffering in the world. He tried to follow Socrates’ advice by bringing into the open the real intent and purpose of the war industry. He did this: (1) through the printing of a fully illustrated book entitled: Addicted to War: Why the U.S. Can’t Kick Militarism, which has been recently updated to include the War in Iraq, and (2) through a DVD entitled: What I’ve Learned about the U.S. Foreign Policy: The War against the Third World. In this two hour DVD presentation, he covers ten brief segments: (1) Martin Luther King, Jr., (2) John Stockwell, Ex CIA Station Chief, (3) Cover-up: Behind the Iran-Contra Affair, (4) School of Assassins, (5) Genocide by Sanctions, (6) Phil Agee, former CIA Case Officer, (7) Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now, (8) The Panama Deception, (9) Ramsey Clark, former U.S. Attorney General, and (10) S. Brian Wilson, Vietnam Veteran for Peace. Both the Dorrel’s book and DVD may be secured from: Frank Dorrel, P.O. Box 3261, Culver City, CA 90231, Phone: 310-838-8131. His website is: www.addictedtowar.com If we were to become familiar with most of the above items, our minds are bound to become fully alerted to a sad reality that it cannot be kept in secret any longer. The inspiration we are bound to receive will enlighten us as to what steps we could take to convey the truthfulness to everyone concerned but in particular the younger generation who has a moral sacrosanct right to live in peace by bringing the war industry fully under control. We have now enough knowledge at our disposal to replace the culture of war with the culture of peace. |
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Dr. Charles Mercieca ~ STWR Member President of International Association of Educators for World Peace NGO,
United Nations (ECOSOC), UNDPI, UNICEF, UNCED & UNESCO
Professor Emeritus of Alabama A&M University Peace Event in Macedonia: Looking into the Future For those who may not know, Macedonia is a landlocked country in the heart of the Balkans in Eastern Europe. It has a long history, which dates back to the Roman Empire and goes even beyond. The famous Alexander the Great was a Macedonian. This nation forms boundaries with Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Montenegro. It is certainly a beautiful country with a mountainous territory covered with deep basins and valleys along with three beautiful lakes. The Vandar River, which bisects the territory, adds life to the Macedonians.
Nation’s Perspective
The population of Macedonia is a little over two million. The nation’s form of government is parliamentary democracy. Macedonia became independent from Yugoslavia on September 8, 1991 and two years later joined the United Nations. The two major cities are Skopje, the capital, and Ohrid, which is located on a large and beautiful lake a small portion of which forms boundary with Albania. Ohrid has been declared historic city by UNESCO and it is being very well preserved. The people’s wish in this nation is to prosper and to live at peace.
To this end, the government is very cooperative as it is revealed in its set of priorities and in its style of ruling. Its policies are anything but belligerent. Although Macedonia does have a small military with a conscript duty for merely six months, it plans to phase out such conscription completely by 2007. Its present military expenditure amounts to $200 million dollars, which is equivalent to 6% of the national budget. That is quite a contrast to the military budget of the USA which is running to 51% of its entire national budget!
The government of Macedonia, under the leadership of Prime Minister Vlado Buckovski, is fully aware of the traditional Roman dictum: Si vis bellum para bellum, si vis pacem para pacem – If you want war prepare for war, if you want peace prepare for peace. The American dictum: Si vis pacem para bellum – If you want peace prepare for war, has been proven historically to be fallacious. Macedonia wants to pursue the course of peace by any means within its power.
The International Association of Educators for World Peace (IAEWP), which is a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) of the United Nations, was officially established in 1969 for the purpose of promoting and implementing the following objectives: (a) Promotion of international understanding and world peace through education, (b) Protection of the environment from air and water pollution, (c) Safeguard of human rights in accordance with the UN Universal Declaration on Human Rights, and (d) Disarmament and development of the human resources merely for positive and constructive purposes.
Diplomas, Awards and Certifications
Over the past four decades or so, this organization, which now has branches in over 90 countries across every continent, has instituted a number of awards as a means to recognize outstanding work by individuals that relates to one or more of the above stated objectives. They are given seldom and only when confronted with a unique opportunity. Some are classified as diplomas, like the diploma of leadership and the diploma of scholarship. Some are viewed as awards like the ambassador of peace and the fountain of universal peace. Others are enlisted as certifications, like certificate of confirmed officers or membership in good standing within the organization.
Over the past decade, the organization’s Secretariat Executive Council initiated the World Grand Prize Award, which is given occasionally to an individual of who performs conspicuous public service “in recognition of humanitarian services performed with notable dedication and genuine concern for all people in an effort to bring about progress, prosperity and world peace.” In view of this objective, Dr. Robert Tafra of Split, Croatia, IAEWP Vice President for Europe, was advised to recommend that the Prime Minister of Macedonia, Mr. Vlado Buckovski, would receive the said award.
To this end, the IAEWP President traveled all the way from the USA to Macedonia to convey the said Prime Minister with this unique award in addition to the IAEWP World Peace Medal. Needless to say, an evening was set for this unique occasion that was followed by a nice reception. The Macedonian news media was there to bring this wonderful news to the rest of the nation and the world at large through the internet. However, instead of focusing on the good things the Prime Minister performed that enabled him to merit such a distinct honor, the news reporters focused on who were those in the past that got a similar award. In doing so, they enlisted names of world figures that were given other type of awards by the same organization, but not the one that was eventually given to Mr. Vlado Busckovski.
Besides, some reporters who learned that the International Association of Educators for World Peace was an NGO of the United Nations surprisingly concluded that the World Grand Prize Award was given by the UN rather than by IAEWP, which instituted the award! This was inaccurate reporting. As already stated, reporters focused more on who were the names of others that got this award rather than on the Prime Minister’s actions that led him to this honor.
Nobel Peace Prize Reporting
We are all familiar with the Nobel Peace Prize, which is quite prestigious. Among its recipients we have Mother Teresa who was born in Macedonia and who contributed a lot to alleviate suffering everywhere. We have Oscar Arias of Costa Rica who demilitarized his nation and turned it into an island of peace in Central America. We have Nelson Mandela of South Africa who with his slogan – Let bygones be bygones – managed to bring the numerous divisions of his nation together without resorting to civil war. The news media reporters focused primarily on the peace work such outstanding world citizens.
It would have been unwise for reporters to focus on a list of names that have secured the Nobel Peace Prize since some of the recipients were hardly peaceful. We may refer here to Yassir Arafat who was linked to terrorist groups in the past. In fact, one of the five committee members protested and refused to sign. We may also refer to Henry Kissinger who gave Indonesia the green light to invade East Timor where thousands were massacred as a result. He also supported military aid to several dictators who then used received US weapons to massacre the natives who protested against their inhumane treatment.
In other words, the news media reporters in Macedonia could have done a much better job if they used their energy to show how their Prime Minister’s philosophy of government was fully conducive to bring about peace in the Balkans and the rest of Eastern Europe. Instead, as stated earlier, they seemed to be more concerned on enlisting other personalities who might have been awarded the World Grand Prize Award and the World Peace Medal.
In conclusion, we need to congratulate Macedonia’s Prime Minister Vlado Buckovski for his courageous leadership in his effort to demilitarize his nation to the best of his ability. As a result, Macedonia would be in a better position to improve the present health care system through better hospitals. Besides, this historic nation of the Balkans would enable itself to promote a better and more competitive educational system through the improvement of schools at all levels of education. |
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Christopher Brauchli The object of torture is torture.
George Orwell, 1984 It's probably just because we have a shortage of good jails. Otherwise being a country concerned with human rights we'd not consider it.
Back in 2001 there was a human rights report by the U.S. Department of State. It described life in jails in Uzbekistan and no one reading the report would wish incarceration in that country on even the most heinous of criminals. The New York Times description of the report says that the police routinely tortured prisoners. Some of the methods employed included beating, often with blunt weapons and asphyxiation with a gas mask. That was, of course, only the view of the State Department. According to the Times, human rights groups included even more horrific description of torture such as applying electric shock to genitalia, plucking off toenails and fingernails with pliers and, perhaps least appealing of all, boiling body parts. The reports failed to indicate whether or not the boiled parts were attached to the person before boiling.
Following release of that report, 9/11 occurred and within a week Mr. Bush suggested that Uzbek militants posed a threat to the world. Given the comments made about Afghanistan at the same time, Uzbekistan was understandably nervous and anxious, one suspects, to avoid the wrath of the Burning Bush who was promising to avenge the events of 9/11 with all his might. Within a short time Uzbekistan gave the U.S. the right to use a military base on Uzbekistan's border with Afghanistan. In return Uzbekistan was promised a handsome aid package. The fact it had recently been accused of boiling body parts of prisoners (presumably while still attached) was not a matter of concern for Mr. Bush. It was for Congress, however.
Congress said that the money could not be released unless its president, Islam Karimov, followed through on promises he'd made about human rights in his country when visiting the White House in 2002. In a photo in the New York Times showing him shaking hands with Mr. Bush the caption said that Uzbekistan was welcomed as a partner in the fight against global terrorism. Congress thought it would be nice if the alliance were more than a pretty picture in a newspaper. It required certification by the State Department, semi-annually, assuring that progress was being made. It received that assurance when in May, 2003, the State Department issued a memorandum stating that Uzbekistan had made "substantial and continuing progress" in human rights, specifically describing torture as one of the areas in which progress had been made. It did not mean there was more torture-it meant there was less. It was wrong.
In June, 2003 Human Rights Watch described the death of Otamaza Gafarov. Mr. Gafarov died in prison on May 3. Authorities attributed his death to a heart attack. According to Human Rights Watch, those who helped prepare his body for burial observed a large head wound apparently caused by a sharp object, bruising to the back of the head, rib cage, chest and throat and scratched hands. The infliction of those wounds might well have given him a heart attack. His death and other abuses did not go unnoticed by the State Department.
In January, 2004, the State Department announced that Uzbekistan had not met international human rights standards. In July the United States cut off $18 million in military and economic aid to Uzbekistan. This probably seemed harsh to Uzbekistan, coming as it did, less than two years after its president had been a guest at the White House. It was welcomed by those concerned with human rights.
Tom Malinowski who is a human rights analyst for Human Rights Watch, observed that: This is the first time that the administration has allowed a lack of progress on human rights to have a significant impact on its relationship with a critical security partner in that part of the world.
The news is of course wonderful. We won't give Uzbekistan any more money until it quits torturing prisoners. The only thing we are presently willing to give it is people. According to a recent report in the New York Times, it is believed that the C.I.A. is sending some of the people it has captured to Uzbekistan. The people it is sending are terror suspects. Estimates are that as many as 150 suspected terrorists have been sent abroad to a number of countries, including Uzbekistan. Asked about the practice one official refused to say whether prisoners went to Uzbekistan but he did say reassuringly that: "The United States does not engage in or condone torture". That explains why the aid was cut off. It doesn't explain why prisoners get sent there. That is probably none of our business. It should be.
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Christopher Brauchli There is but one law for all, namely, that law which governs all law, the law of our Creator, the law of humanity, justice, equity-the law of nature, and of nations.
Edmund Burke, Impeachment of Warren Hastings The risk, of course, is that the International Court of Criminal Justice might agree with United States Military investigators and decide to prosecute. That would be most unwelcome. It was all brought to mind again when the United States abstained from a vote on how to deal with events in Darfur. But first a bit of history. One of the first things George Bush did when he was elevated to the White Palace, from which he now rules, was to remove the signature of the United States of America from a treaty. The treaty pertained to the International Court of Criminal Justice that was established through an agreement reached in Rome and signed by 78 nations. It was signed by Bill Clinton, Mr. Bush’s predecessor. With the affixing of the signature, the U.S. became a party to the treaty subject to its being ratified by the U.S. Senate. Following his ascendancy, Mr. Bush said to his counselors, although not in these exact words: “Can no one rid me of this troublesome treaty?” Eager to please, John Bolton, newly designated U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, but then undersecretary of state for arms control and international security (a title that subsequent events such as 9/11 suggested was more of a joke than a description of what he did) fetched an eraser and erased Mr. Clinton’s signature. He was later quoted as saying that erasing the signature was “the happiest moment in my government service.” (If wielding an eraser was the most fun thing he ever did while in government service one has to wonder whether he won’t find serving as a U.N. ambassador a bit of a let down.) Notwithstanding the erased signature, that was not the last Mr. Bush would see of the treaty and most recently it came back to haunt him during the dither over what to do about Darfur. Darfur is the part of Sudan in which 2.4 million people have been displaced and more than 300,000 people killed during an internal conflict that is less than 3 years old. The United Nations has decided that something should be done and on March 31 voted to send those accused of war crimes there to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. The vote was 11 in favor and four abstentions among which was the United States. It had first been thought that the U.S. would veto the resolution since it doesn’t believe in magic or in the International Criminal Court. Following amendment of the resolution to provide that Americans would not be subject to the court’s jurisdiction, the United States agreed not to veto the measure. Commenting on the United States’ action, Anne W. Patterson, the deputy U.S. ambassador to the U.N. said: “We have not dropped and indeed continue to maintain our longstanding and firm objections and concerns regarding the I.C.C.” Her principled statement may have been motivated in part by a bit of news that came out a week earlier that might have had implications for the United States were it a signatory to the treaty. On March 25 recommendations made by army investigators looking into the deaths of three prisoners in Afghanistan and Iraq in 2003 and 2004 were made public. The Army Criminal Investigation Command concluded 17 soldiers should be charged with murder, conspiracy and negligent homicide. Among the deaths that were investigated was the death of an Iraqi colonel who was lifted from his feet by a baton pushed into his throat. Of all the methods of hoisting someone into the air this would seem like one of the least desirable and it proved so. The colonel sustained throat injuries that contributed to his death. Not all the men that investigators thought should be charged got off scot-free. One of them received an official letter of reprimand and another was discharged. If the U.S. recognized the jurisdiction of the ICC, the court might agree with the Army Criminal Investigation Command and bring charges against the soldiers that the American commanders thought should be ignored. The men might even be found guilty of the charges that were recommended and end up going to prison. The unwillingness of their own commanders to prosecute them would not afford them any protection. They would find they were subject to the rule of law even though the people they killed and abused were foreigners. That would come as an unwelcome surprise to Mr. Bush. It would be a welcome surprise for the rest of the world. There won’t be any surprises. Mr. Bush doesn’t believe in them.
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Massoumeh Ebtekar Vice-President, and Head of the Department of Environment, of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Natural Peace Our new age is characterized by rapidly increasing, previously unknown, features driven mainly by the cumulative results of human technological advance. The information revolution has permeated human life, thought and consciousness like no previous technical phenomenon. The information superhighway has enabled people worldwide to access knowledge and news, and promoted the awareness needed to make informed decisions and choices. Trends in global opinion can now be identified which indicate how people generally think, irrespective of their governments’ policies. International reporting and reliable global statistics have evolved to expose previously unknown and underlying trends. The broad anti-war sentiment expressed through the media, mass demonstrations, international forums and organizations, civil-society institutions, and through the arts, is a vivid example. International reporting and statistics also provide empirical evidence that such worldwide trends as widening economic gaps between rich and poor, tribal and ethnic strife and conflict, and environmental degradation have worsened, or at least not improved. There is general understanding that these tendencies in many parts of the world are leading to a heightened sense of insecurity and a loss of direction for both individuals and societies. An increase in unsustainable trends is confounding our enormous and unprecedented advances in information, and threatening human existence as never before. It is creating imbalances and strife in nature, in human societies and within individual psyches. Essential Prerequisite Now, more than ever, everyone longs for a world at peace. So much has been said about its importance. Vast treasures have been spent for the rule of peace. Countless politicians have come to power and too many wars have been waged in its name. Peace elusive as it may be is universally recognized to be an essential prerequisite for sustainable development, the eradication of poverty, the advancement of societies, the enhancement of the quality of life for both men and women, and increased standards of living. Prominent academic and international organizations are beginning to recognize, acknowledge and appreciate the interrelatedness of peace, the feminine factor and environmental protection as indicated by the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to a woman environmentalist from Africa, Professor Wangari Maathai. The current world order has increased the incidence of violence, aggravated instability, and deepened the sense of regional and global insecurity. We need to address the underlying causes of the current global circumstances and opt to improve or change the root factors that have created the havoc. This requires not just a new vision and paradigm in dealing with social, economic, security and environmental issues but a deeper commitment inspired by clear ethical principles. Underlying Principles Diplomatic and political remedies have not resolved the dilemmas or changed the trends. It could be time to revisit the underlying principles that shape decisions and influence the global order. Politics as usual, and professional politicians in particular, apparently lack the answers so urgently needed. The politics that we have known cannot be those of the future or there may not be one. We have set standards for good governance at the national level, while many mechanisms work to promote coherence and order at global and international levels. But the ethical element is the key factor in seeing our responsibilities through, and in ensuring the accountability of governments and major stakeholders. When we see double standards and injustices at the highest levels of global and national governance, and when we witness a certain arrogant determination reaping the final fruits in many global equations, a crystal-clear reality emerges. It tells us that the root of the problem is within ourselves, and in the way that we have evolved and accepted methods of learning to cope with the requirements and restraints of the post-modern age by denying certain intrinsic traits. A consideration of C. G. Jung's analytic psychology could shed some light. His ideas are very relevant to the psyche of the modern materialist man that shapes the world economy and politics and to how it affects the concept of peace and sustainable development. He held that archetypal ideals of conduct can be defined to reflect personal psychology. The anima is defined as an inner feminine part of the male personality, the animus as the inner masculine part of the female one. The conditions of modern life the corporate lifestyle of urban working groups, the rigid and ruthless race for money and jobs, the unequal status of social groups, particularly the marginalized have created an elite class in every country that governs social, economic, state and corporate affairs. It has evolved to rule, guide and manage, whether in democratic systems or autocratic settings and shapes the state and mentality of all societies. Ruling Elite This growing elite adopts control-specific techniques in order to compete, be accepted among its peers, stay in power and manage its affairs. As a rule, these many men and few women have learned to manage and suppress their inner anima while strengthening their animus traits to promote themselves in relentless social and economic competition. Vivid expression of feeling, concentration on detail, looking for the connotation behind phenomena, wondering about tomorrow more than today, and a certain creative moodiness and trendsetting in lifestyles are anima traits that are generally unwelcome in the political and executive circles that govern the world. Women need to deny them to be accepted in social, economic and, particularly, decision-making spheres. The few men who exhibit them are regarded as exceptions and are usually unappreciated in governments and corporations. Recent studies point to the importance of inspiration and emotional intelligence as motivating factors in organizational management; but, in practice, inspirational leadership relying on feminine archetypes for management remains a very remote concept. The reins of decision making are held by the wealthy to increase their wealth, by the powerful to increase their power and by the lustful to sustain their pleasures. Once politics deny the vibrant and emphatic expression of feelings and the spirit behind life, wars become routine even against defenceless civilians. Crimes against humanity arouse few reactions in the diplomatic circles mandated to stop them: more energy seems to be spent in denying than uncovering them. Human dignity and life is all too easily and carelessly lost, while nature becomes the foremost victim. Moody and sensitive archetypes bring vivacity and colour to life. Their responses to outrages against society and the environment pulsate with a higher consciousness of commonweal. They create hope and inspire people. Their aspirations are in harmony with nature and with the spirit of life, for the anima is its caring, nurturing and altruistic dimension. Yet the routine software programming of our age and the comfortable refuge of fast-food technologies leave no room for the dynamic tensions of the moody or for breaking the fault-ridden mindsets that have closed in on human life and the spirit of humanity. The rush for doing and working has not left any time or priority for simply being. To compensate for this outright denial of the feminine spirit, economic and business concerns have programmed the globe for the commodification of bodies, the obsession with looks and the sex trade. The aspects of feminine traits that convey instant pleasure and appeal have been increasingly advertised while the anima that may arouse the sleeping conscience in both men and women is avoided and frequently denied. The crucial details that make the whole picture the scent of the cedar, the humming of wetland birds, the passive anxiety of urban children and the brutal treatment of wildlife have become irrelevant to the ruling elite. They have to attend to the more important affairs of governing and ruling the world, sorting out economic conflicts and establishing the promised global order. News of civilian killings and acts of terror and violence have numbed the sensory receptors of those who profess to advocate democracy and human rights. The alarming rates of corruption in many governments and corporations point to a morally impoverished ruling elite that denies its anima in order to promote its priorities. The relentless human spirit has been denied for the sake of a predetermined and largely unquestioned school of reasoning and the narrowly contemplative mind it begets. One of its commandments is that all beliefs are confined within the material and tangible. Another is to deny the feminine traits that are the secrets of life and motivating factors for individuals and societies and to bar critical discussion of the enormously high price paid for this singular contradiction. The multidimensional anima archetypes have given place only to the animus, upsetting the inner equilibrium of individuals and hence societies. Our selfish pleasure-driven self has led us to deny eternity for the sake of the moment. Government and business leaders need inner peace to promote peace among societies. Lacking inner peace and equilibrium, we seek in vain to make peace, prosperity and security work in the world. We have denied our inner selves, our natural god-given traits, and so find ourselves at war with nature, with the laws and regulations of creation. Our environment is responding negatively to our inner restlessness, to our selfishness, greed and arrogance. Even as we struggle for peace and security, the outcome does not measure up to the effort. Sustainable livelihoods are at risk until the vicious cycle of poverty and environmental degradation is eradicated. Inner Peace Throughout history, leaders, Eastern philosophers and thinkers have pointed to the need for inner peace. Nahj-ul Balagha a compilation of the eloquent words of Ali Ibn Abi Talib, the outstanding Islamic leader after the Prophet Muhammad (SA) makes a direct reference to the forces and temptations which shape the human psyche: The ego is like unto a wild stallion, if not tamed and guided by wisdom, it will take itself and its rider to the depths of an endless chasm. This description of the need for a balance between inner forces and taming them with the reins of wisdom is the key to inner peace in Islamic ethics. In the words of the 12th century Iranian philosopher Sohrevardi, human betterment and advancement is based upon reasoning and knowledge, as well as on spiritual uplift and purification. Both the realms of reason and knowledge and of the spirit must be strengthened to achieve inner balance: a coherent tie between them could enable the inner peace that humans seek. Women decision makers in global affairs may be able to contribute to peace, security and sustainability if they appreciate their profound potential as educators, mentors and role models in promoting peace of mind and heart. More important is a return in men and women alike to the balance between anima and animus, between the body and the spirit, between the heart and the mind, and between inner temptations and ethical concerns. Inner peace is elusive while the corporate powerful and wealthy only pursue their profits in global equations and media policy. We need to work to define and promote a culture of inner peace and equilibrium, through the media, and through effective cultural and international mechanisms. The need to prevent confrontation whether ethnic strife, aggression against a neighbour, occupation of a homeland, or blind and ruthless terror is tied to the need to promote inner peace and understanding among people. The concept of Dialogue among Civilizations, proposed by President Mohammad Khatami, rests on the need to turn the imminent confrontations between the East and West, between the North and South, between the wealthy powerful and the poor and weak, into balanced relationships of just distribution of wealth, protection of natural resources, dialogue, tolerance and understanding as opposed to force and oppression. Can we help women, men and, particularly, youth to recognize the incredible and indispensable role they have in promoting sustainable development, peace and security? Those who enjoy peace of mind and heart can bring the anima and spirit back into government governance structures. They can restore balance in global policies. They can ensure the sustainable aspect of development. They can provide inspirational leadership to change decision-making processes, to shift and change parameters and mindsets, and to create a fresh vision for young people who aspire to live in a better world.
This article appears courtesy of Our Planet |
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Anne Casparsson STWR Contributing Member.
Journalist Jayyous Jayyous is a peaceful little village with 3000 habitants. It is green and beautiful, with kind and generous people. But the wall, the so called security wall, even called the apartheid wall, is now built through the village. Last night I could not sleep because of the machines and noise from the building not far from our house. All fertile land is being systematically confiscated at the moment, I am told again and again. The wall does not get built on the green line that separates The West bank from Israel, instead it is built far into the West bank, sometimes only some meters from peoples homes and the farmers in Jayyous are loosing their land. “People know about the wall, but not how it affects the people on the west bank. It has nothing to do with security, that’s a big lie. Then it would not be built on people’s properties and so close to their houses. It is the settlements that are the reason for the wall. They want to expand their territory”, Jamal says, the coordinator at Pengon, The Palestinian Environmental NGOs Network, when I met him a few days ago in Jerusalem. Pengon tries to stop the wall, through campaigns against the wall and with advocacy and media attention around it in Israel and internationally. I was at a meeting with them the other week, at the UN office in Jerusalem. Jamal says that the wall is not even mentioned in the Roadmap, and shows us maps over the planned wall. “There is nothing left for the Palestinians. No land, no water, no power. Tell us, what shall we do? Our future is to be cheap labour for the Israelis. We will live in ghettos and work in industrial zones within the settlements”. He says again and again that we need to put pressure on our governments to act now, before it is too late. The plans for the wall started in 1996 he says, when a professor in Haifa University, drew up the maps for how to construct the wall, to have the maximal control over the Palestinians and put them behind the wall.
“In 15 years this land will be densely populated”, he continues. “The Palestinians do not have any more hope. The conflict will be even more bloody and this forces people to be extremists”. Despite all this, we were welcomed with enormous hospitality in Jayyous, it was touching. The first day we met all the women in the village. They had a meeting and had all been gathered to welcome us. Most of them spoke very bad English, but somehow we found ways to communicate quite well. We rent an old house of Sharif Omar Khalid. It’s very simple, but nice. He’s a farmer and has lived all his life in Jayyous. Rather proudly, he tells us how he is the biggest farmer in the village, and has been able to send all his seven children to university. But today all his land is on the other side of the wall. He sold his goats, sheep, and his wife’s jewellery to build a fence around it to protect the land from the Israelis. 72 percent of the total land of Jayyous and 168 greenhouses will be behind the wall when it is finished he says. 95 percent of the income in Jayyous comes from the land cultivated by the farmers. The people are suffering but don’t want to leave the village. They know that if they do that, they will never be able to return. “My land is what I love most on this earth. The Israelis can’t take it away from us. I will protect my land if it means that they shut me on it. If they want to build a wall, build it on the green line, not 5.5 km into Jayyous. As they treat us now, they make us enemies forever. They destroy everything that we have built up. Democracy and human rights is only for the Israelis in Israel, not on the occupied territories”, he says. He went early this morning to participate in a big demonstration in Ramallah, but had to come back because he wasn’t allowed in. Sharif told me about several demonstrations he has attended, peaceful demonstrations, which ended with harassment, arrests and teargas from soldiers. I have spoken with many of the farmers in Jayyous and they all say the same thing. “I’m scared to go to my land now, because I’m always afraid that the soldiers will come. I can’t work, eat, or think. I think about it all the time”, says one of the farmers. In a couple of months the wall may be so high that no one will be able to reach their land anymore. What do they do then? No one answers. They just look down. Many of these farmers have put all their savings, efforts and time into their land, which is their only income. To loose the land is something they can’t even bare to think about. |
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Dr. Charles Mercieca ~ STWR Member President of International Association of Educators for World Peace NGO,
United Nations (ECOSOC), UNDPI, UNICEF, UNCED & UNESCO
Professor Emeritus of Alabama A&M University Peace Education and Voluntary Service If there is one element that all people would rather have by all means is peace. Yet, people in general do hardly anything to secure this priceless gift. It is an element that we cannot purchase with all the money and wealth of our earthly planet. However, this element is at our disposal at any moment. It all boils down as to whether we seriously want it or not. Peace is the source of our joy and happiness, of our tranquility of mind, and of the secret of success in our spiritual sphere especially. Concept of Peace If peace is viewed as the treasure or crowning achievement of our life, we need to promote it and to cultivate it in the heart of everyone beginning from early childhood. Above all, we need to implement it as a primary objective in our school curricula. This kind of promotion and implementation is commonly known as peace education. Because peace is spiritual in nature, we need to follow certain criteria that are based mostly on some fundamental principles that are furnished by ascetical writers. We need to go to some of the gigantic figures of spirituality that appeared throughout the past several centuries. Among these we find Buddha, Lao Tse, Confucius, Jesus of Nazareth, Mahatma Gandhi, Francis of Assisi, and Mother Teresa of Calcutta, among numerous others. These great advocates of peace all resorted to detachment from the material things that surround us. When we become attached to a variety of objects, our spirit becomes a slave of such items to the extent that we lose our peace automatically. To this end, it would be appropriate if every now and then we were to go through everything we have at home and start getting rid of anything that we do not need, that is superfluous, and that cannot be viewed as a matter of life and death. We are all familiar with the proverb: The art of giving is the art of living – the more we give the more we get. Peace comes to our soul when our soul feels free of the burden of material things. The freer our soul is from these material elements the more peace we feel permeating throughout our entire self. Peace has many advantages. It enables to generate in us a greater power of concentration. It let us experience the joy of tranquility in our heart. It instills in us a tremendous amount of courage to move forward in life gallantly and with perseverance. It implants in us a large dosage of wisdom, which allows us to see things into truer perspective. Besides, it develops in us a sense of perception relative to anything around us. Role of Education Education plays a big role in the promotion of peace at both the individual and collective level. In fact, every teacher should develop the ability to use its subject matter as a means to promote peace in the heart of each of his/her students. This way, students could become an instrument of peace in the community and nation where they happen to be. For example, teachers of history may demonstrate how history tends to repeat itself, how we may learn from history to retain anything positive and constructive we have inherited and how to avoid repeating anything negative and destructive that took place. The teacher of geography may demonstrate the unimportance of political boundaries and how our pride should not be linked to the flag of our nation but rather to the individual character and personality. The teacher of biology may demonstrate how the longevity of our life depends on the kind of food we eat and the kind of air we breathe. This would amount to the importance of keeping our environment free from air and water pollution that comes from deadly toxic wastes emitted from big corporations headed by the weapons industry. In other words, teachers could use their subject matter as a means to promote awareness in students of the importance of peace. One of the greatest problems we face in our wholehearted effort to promote peace lies in most of our governmental priorities. It is ironic that most of the governments speak of peace while they proceed to promote war! Besides, several governments tend to put the bulk of expenditure not on the health care and the education of their people, but on the manufacture, sales and purchase of weapons of mass destruction! The United States is a typical example in this regard. This nation criticizes countries that have weapons of mass destruction. Then, this same nation continues to manufacture such weapons and sells them to any nation that is ready to give the right price, friends and enemies alike. Fortunately, many more humanitarian organizations are now becoming increasingly concerned about the indispensable need for a permanent peace. The alternative to peace is war, which we have been witnessing almost without interruption for a very long time. Here we are faced with a problem that the vast majority of the world’s population seem not to be fully aware of. The weapons industry is determined to remain in business. This satanic corporation views peace as the enemy of its lethal and deadly product. Hence, as long as we allow the continued existence of this cursed corporation, the world is going to have a very hard time in witnessing a long period of peace. Importance of Voluntary Organizations We are all familiar with the proverb: When there is a will there is a way. This means that we can eventually do something substantial about bringing the weapons industry under full control. We cannot expect the government to do this job, since the government seems to be an integral part of the problem in this regard. However, we may rely on voluntary organizations to take over where the governments left off. Such organizations may become the foundation of a permanent peace all people would love to see. Among other steps that could be taken in the direction of peace, voluntary organization may do the following: - Get hold of several videotapes, which were made by the Center for Defense Information in Washington, DC that show how we can bring the weapons industry under full control. As Retired Admiral Gene R. LaRoque said in some of these videotapes, the aim of the weapons industry is not the defense of the United States, or any nation as a matter of fact, but the making of profit.
- Approach those who work for the weapons industry and convince them to quite their job by all means, trying to show them that the money they make from this lethal industry is merely blood money, which carries with it a curse. Let them see that in the sphere of morality, not only those that use such weapons are viewed as murderers, but also those who produced them.
- Persuade those who are seeking for a job never to consider getting one with the weapons industry. Agencies should be created to provide alternative jobs that are oriented toward being positive and constructive instead of being negative and destructive. If the weapons industry becomes short of manpower, it will have either to change its product or simply proceed to dismantle.
- Bring into the open on a periodical basis the negative and destructive aspects of the weapons industry. People must be fully aware of this fact and to begin to realize that, after all, this industry is not there to defend them but to destroy them literally in the long run. In fact, the toxic waste this industry emits is already killing some two millions Americans alone every year.
- Device an effective plan that would replace all those members of the government that are putting the bulk of the money on this deadly industry. Such government officials should be replaced by those who view the machinery of weapons as the source of world wars, instability, widespread of epidemics, terror, suffering and death of numerous innocent people.
Role of NGOs in the World The Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) of the United Nations could serve as a gigantic step in the promotion of peace and the elimination of war. The hope of the world lies in volunteer organizations, which do not have to become hostages of big business that is determined to control the economy of the whole world. Such organizations have the potential and capability to whip things into order. They may take an active part to prevent fanatic and ferocious fundamentalists from implementing their biased will in the name of God. Fundamentalists at this stage of history have emerged to become the most dangerous people on earth to the security of our global community. No one is able to dialogue with them. Whatever they think, whatever they say, it’s always final since they believe they are directly inspired and guided by God! Surely this God of theirs is not that God of Abraham found in the Old Testament or the God that Jesus brought to our attention in the New Testament. It is a different brand of God: a God of love and mercy when friends are concerned and a God of cruelty and revenge when assumed enemies are involved. Whereas the God that Jesus presented has warned Peter to put the sword away because “he who kills by the sword will die by the sword,” the God presented by the fundamentalists advocate the continued manufacture of devastating weapons and the constant military build up to solve all world problems through wars that take off the lives of countless millions of innocent people brutally and mercilessly. Fundamentalists are for war and not for peace, they are for death and not for life, they are for the inflicting of enormous pain and suffering and not for the healing of such unfortunate maladies. This is not a matter of an opinion. If it is true that actions speak louder than words, then we may safely conclude that what it has been stated is a tangible and undeniable fact. As we might have heard over and over again, the best way to deal with fundamentalists and extremists is simply to expose them day in and day out. Once they are exposed, people will begin to see things in true and clear perspective. This way people could draw the line and once this is done the whole world would be on its way to permanent safety and security. Elements to Keep in Mind To this end, peace education may have a good role to play in the creation of a new generation that is capable to take over the reign of government whose peace philosophy would bring the present culture of war under full control. We need to keep in mind that not all that glitters is gold, that actions speak louder than words, that politicians, unlike statesmen, cannot be trusted, that the future of the world depends on us individually and collectively, and that peace education is the best instrument we have at our disposal to replace the present culture of war with a culture of peace. - Not all that glitters is gold: Ascetical writers tell us that when the devil comes to deceive us, he comes to us generally disguised as an angel.
- Action speaks louder than words: It is easier said than done. We may safely judge people by their records rather than by their promises.
- Politicians cannot be trusted: This means we need to replace politicians, who are concerned with the welfare of one group to the exclusion of others, by statesmen, who are concerned with the welfare of all people without exception.
- The future depends on us: We as people are the foundation of the nation. As such, we have the power to replace government officials who are determined to promote the culture of war and to suppress the culture of peace.
- Peace education is the key to world stability: Peace generates stability, progress, prosperity, tranquility and serenity that everyone years to have.
It is obvious that peace education and voluntary organizations go hand in hand in helping create a new generation capable of replacing the culture of war with the culture of peace in the best interest of all people without exception. |
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