From the beginning of time political leaders have followed the perverse adage “si vis pacem, para bellum”, that is, if you want peace, prepare for war. The absolute power of men has always been exercised from a position of imposition and dominance.
At the end of World War II during which the most abominable methods of extermination were used, President Roosevelt devised a great plan for democratic multilateralism. His design of the United Nations System inceded a series of institutions to ensure its relevance in areas such as food (FAO), education, science and culture (UNESCO), health (WHO), employment (ILO)… funds for children (UNICEF) and development programs (UNPD)… The UN System would have undoubtedly ushered in a new era if it had been possible to implement the brilliant preamble of the United Nations Charter: “We, the Peoples... are determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”.
Today, faced with the possibility of reaching points of no return, these three principles –“We, the Peoples”, building peace, and taking into account future generations- provide the solution to our present challenges: the “peoples”, that is, democracy; building peace through our daily activities at all levels; and taking into account the future generations, since it would be an inconceivable irresponsibility to leave our descendents a world in which the habitability of the earth has been jeopardized. In its early years the United Nations’ key concepts were sharing and cooperation. Development had to be socially and economically comprehensive, endogenous, sustainable (as established by the commission presided by Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland in the 1980s) and essentially “human,” as underscored by Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF Richard Jolly in 1989 in his book “Development with a Human Face”.
The “cold war”, with the arms race between the superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, together with the US’s operations to impose its dominance (Condor Plan, following directives of McCarthyism) made it difficult for the United Nations to exercise its functions worldwide.
In the 1980s, when everyone demanded peace and foresaw a “new beginning” at the dawning of the new century and new millennium, neoliberal impositions on the part of President Reagan and UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher prevented any improvement in the prospects for humanity which, according to the UNESCO Constitution, should be guided by “democratic principles” and “intellectual and moral solidarity”.
In effect, after 27 years of incarceration, the latter of which were served on the island of snakes, Robben Island, across from Cape Town, a South African prisoner named Nelson Mandela had offered an outstretched hand upon being released, rather than seeking revenge. And, with the complicity of another great leader, President Frederik de Klerk, Mandela achieved an end to the most abominable form of racism, apartheid. In another totally unexpected action similar to Mandela’s, USSR President Gorbachev achieved the transformation of the Soviet Union into a Commonwealth of Independent States. And peace was achieved in El Salvador, and the peace process in Guatemala was resumed…, everything pointed toward peace.
But neoliberalism not only weakened the Nation-State, but also alienated the United Nations and placed world governance in the hands of 6, 7, 8… 20 countries. How can anyone, particularly the West, accept the fact that groups of plutocrats (the G6, G7, G8… G20) govern over 190 countries? Cooperation was replaced with exploitation, aid with loans and, what’s worse, ethical values were replaced by the laws of the marketplace. The European Union ceased to be the model for human rights and dignity so clearly proclaimed in its Charter of Fundamental Rights, to be become a mere monetary union, incapable of achieving a political and economic union. The result is there for all to see: social inequality has increased, creating situations of unfair advantage, while extreme poverty is continually on the rise; the environment is in a constant state of degradation; and, instead of shoring up aid for development, it has practically disappeared, while waves of refugees and emigrants continue to arrive.
It is essential to urgently re-found democratic multilateralism, with a United Nations endowed with the moral authority and the strength to prevent the future spread of terrorism and decisions to launch invasions and enter into conflicts based on simulation and lies, as was the case in Iraq in 2003… It is clear that having entered the Anthropocene and having scientifically established that we can reach points of no return concerning the habitability of the earth, it is essential to adopt emergency measures to implement the appropriate regulations, both from a social, as well as an economic and environmental perspective, before it is too late.
President Obama, Pope Francis and former President Mikhail Gorbachev have underscored in a timely and courageous declaration (https://declaracionconjunta.wordpress.com/) that the present generation will be the first to face challenges of this nature… and will undoubtedly be the last one to be able to resolve them.
It is essential to facilitate the transition from an economy based on speculation, outsourcing of production and war (each day thousands die, the majority of whom are children between the ages of one and five, while at the same time 3 billion dollars are invested in weapons and military spending) to a knowledge-based economy for global sustainable and human development. Instead of “si vis pacem, para bellum”, “si vis pacem, para verbum”!!.
These transitions were previously impossible because “the peoples” were invisible, anonymous, silent and fearful, confined physically and intellectually to very limited spaces, unaware of what transpired even a few kilometers away… But thanks to digital technology, today people are becoming progressively aware of what is happening in the world; they can express themselves freely and, especially women (the “cornerstone” of the new era, according to Nelson Mandela) are increasingly involved in decision-making processes. The United Nations’ priorities can now be implemented: ensuring food, adequate supplies of drinking water, health, environmental protection, quality education for all and peace, in order to reverse the present tendencies and enlighten our dark horizons.
To effectively implement the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) and the Paris agreements on the environment adopted in December, 2015, it is essential to firmly support the “disarmament for development” proposal put forth by the International Peace Bureau, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1910. Without in any way affecting global security, 20%-25% of present investments in weapons and military spending would suffice to address the abovementioned vital priorities and, in a very few years, to usher in a new era with full recognition of the equal dignity of all human beings.
Intermon-Oxfam recently reported that fewer than 100 people are wealthier than half of humanity (3,300 million!). I am sure that, once we become aware of the problems presently facing humanity, there will soon be an outpouring of solidarity and generosity. We will remember what President John F. Kennedy said on July 23, 1963 at the International University in Washington: “Peace is possible. Disarmament is possible. There is no challenge beyond the reach of the creative capacity of the human species”.
The future has yet to be written. We will make the transition from the reason of force to the force of reason, to a culture of peace and non-violence, of mediation, conciliation and reconciliation.
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