June 1998

LONDON – If President Bill Clinton is feeling beleaguered by his many domestic critics of his trip to China he should perhaps recall the damning chorus he helped orchestrate against his predecessor George Bush for pursuing much the same policies. In his first presidential debate with Bush, Clinton tore into him, accusing him, in effect, of being soft on China and promising that if he were elected the age of conciliation would end. No more would America kowtow to the Chinese economic behemoth if it meant tolerating human-rights abuses and prison labour in Chinese factories. This line always plays well to the American public. But the centre holds, as it did before, and has for every U.S. president since Richard Nixon made his historic U-turn with his sensational Foreign Affairs article, “Asia After Vietnam”. Here Nixon spelt out the reasons for a more conciliatory policy towards China. His most important point...

LONDON – Two questions: Do we all accept that present day outbursts of ethnic hatred are due more to leadership manipulation than ancient animosities? And are we prepared, as a counter to this, to subordinate national loyaltiesbefore a law that transcends individual cultures and societies? If the answer is yes to both then common sense suggests there should be no roadblocks in the way of bringing to a speedy conclusion the negociations that opened in Rome this week to finalize the details on the establishment of a World Criminal Court, a body that will have the right to bring the likes of Saddam Hussein, Idi Amin, Pol Pot and Radovan Karadzic to justice. It is, no less, the most exciting judicial idea to come on the world scene since the writing of the American Bill of Rights in 1791. But we are not dealing with common sense. We are dealing with...

New Book from the United Nations University andthe International Peace Research Association, IPRA,edited by Chadwick F. Alger All desiring to be challenged to think creatively about potential for coping with a growing array of global problems will find this volume to be stimulating reading. Penetrating analyses of past and present experience in a broad array of “laboratories” in the UN system are pointed toward illuminating future potential. Twenty-two scholars from all continents contribute twelve chapters thatencompass prevention of violence, creating economic and social structures that sustain human fulfillment, sharing and protecting the commons and peace education. The search for future potential, based on experience in these twelve “laboratories”, leads to sixty-six recommendations for new institutions and programs on issues that include controlling weapons, humanitarian intervention, collaboration between UN peacekeepers and NGOs, human rights, economic policies, advancement of women, refugees, ecological security, communications, and peace education. These recommendations are brought together...

LONDON– If there had been no president Suharto there would have been no invasion and annexation of East Timor. Now he’s deposed, one of the world’s dwindling number of territorial injustices can be remedied in a week-end’s negociations–the leadership of East Timor is ready and waiting. If President B.J. Habibie, Suharto’s step-in, won’t do it then a newly elected president in the elections now being pushed for early next year will have to, if a new war is to be avoided. Indonesia invaded East Timor, a Portuguese colony in the Indonesian archipelago in December, 1975. It was a massive assault, involving bombers, paratroopers and marines. The army wrecked havoc; there were indiscriminate killings and rape. Later, the Indonesian vice-governor admitted that 60,000 Timorese had been killed–more than a tenth of the population. For too long the sounds of protest have been next to inaudible. But, gradually, the penny has dropped as...

LONDON– The only surprise is why Bill Clinton was surprised. People, even non-expert journalists like myself have seen the Indo/Pakistani bombs coming for a long time. (see columns of April 8th and April 15th). John Kennedy would not be surprised. He foresaw 20 to 30 nuclear bomb powers by the year 2000. Nevertheless, it will go down as one of the great shocks of the twentieth century. It is going to consume the minds and the political energies of the best and the brightest of the twentyfirst century how to avoid a cataclysmic nuclear war between these two antagonistic neighbours who rub elbow to elbow 365 days a year in one of the most densely populated parts of the world and how to avoid a struggle for power and hegemony between the two giants that are going to dominate the world in the future, India and China. Clinton, to my knowledge,...

The World Bank last week approved a DEM 74 million(US$40.6 million equivalent) Recon-struction Project forEastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Srijem Loan forCroatia. The project area is one of the most fertileparts of the Balkans and prior to the war, was known as the“bread basket” of the region. Due to damage to the extensiveflood control and drainage system, much of the agriculturalland has become unusable. The project will: 1) Repair and rebuild the flood control and drainagefacilities; 2) Clear the landmines left behind in the flood controlnetwork; 3) Provide for sound and sustainable environmentalmanagement of the adjoining nature reserve at Kopackirit; 4) Rebuild a partially completed wastewater system in oneof the major towns in the area. The World Bank explains that the project is expectedto make a major contribution in stimulating the localeconomy, thereby creating an incentive for people to returnhome. It is an important contribution to reconstructionand is the result...

“Postwar initiatives can help prevent future policies ofrevenge, violence and outbursts of repressed traumas. It ispossible to develop policies of reconciliation andtrust-building and take initiatives which encourage citizensto take steps toward forgiving. One such initiative could bethe setting up of history and school book commissions. Atruthful approach to history is a vital element in shaping afuture together and help the next generations livepeacefully in spite of what happened,” says TFF director JanOberg. In societies which have gone through civil wars, one ormore parties can choose to be triumphalistic, punishing orhumiliating, an option often chosen by winners. They canalso decide to be reconciliatory and tolerant and helpinnocent citizens irrespective of the side to which theybelong and thus set an example for the young who will befuture leaders. Reconciliation speech can replace hatespeech. This choice depends on the types of atrocities committed,on the configuration between winners and losers, if any. Itdepends on...

“Many people, particularly in politics and the media,seem to believe that peace will unfold when conflictingparties stop fighting and sign a ceasefire or peaceagreement. Nothing could be more wrong. It is sad enough tosee wars raging, but for professionals inconflict-resolution it is almost as sad to see how limitedthe understanding, the philosophy and the general capacityis for overall postwar peacebuilding,” says TFF director JanOberg. “Postwar trust- and peacebuilding has at least two dimensions: 1) Former enemies seek to clarify what happened and why,to find out what it meant to themselves and the others andlearn to live with the harm and pain. In short, notforgetting or concealing but living on with memories,forgiveness and reconciliation. This is basically anindividual process. 2) To develop normal relations, partly re-constructingthe past (e.g. infrastructure and houses) but also buildingsomething new for the future; it is about securing that theold conflict will not return. In short, violence-preventionand...

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“Most of what you hear from Croatia and the Balkansnowadays is negative. The good news is that it is possibleto bring young Croats and Serbs together and help themdevelop an atmosphere of trust, tolerance andreconciliation. It gives us hope,” says Jan Oberg, head ofTFF’s conflict-mitigation team, returning from thefoundation’s 30th mission to what was onceYugoslavia. Last month TFF conducted a series of reconciliationseminars in Eastern Slavonia with 120 Croat and Serbgymnasium students from Vukovar, Osijek and Vinkovci. Formost of them it was the first time they left “their” townand met “the other side.” Various techniques such as fishbowl, role play, groups discussions and brainstorming wereused. The students got to know each other and exchangedviews, made friends and sang songs. They cried when anyonewho so wanted told about the hurt and pain and what he orshe had experienced during the war; they did so withstatements like “I experienced, in my family…”...