April 2001

LONDON – So in the end the Bush Administration decided it was not going to approve the sale to Taiwan of the much-touted Aegis-class destroyers and their state-of-the-art missile tracking system. The deciding reason was political, although there is evidence a-plenty they wouldn’t have done Taiwan that much good in the military arena either. They wouldn’t be delivered for another seven or eight years and it that time China could have deployed enough missiles to easily overwhelm their capabilities. Simply put, they would be nothing more than a political provocation – a hint of other defensive systems to come- the anti-ballistic missile shield around America and theatre missile defence around Japan and Taiwan. All of which in the end will be similarly self-defeating, as China builds more nuclear-tipped rockets to overwhelm them. Along the way the political relationship would deteriorate from “strategic partner” (Clinton) to “strategic competitor” (Bush) to “enemy” (future)....

DEN VIKTIGASTE FRÅGAN JUST NU Det finns bara två saker som är värre än våld: den första är att kritisera våld utan att föreslå ickevåldsliga alternativ; den andra är att bemöta våld med våld. Den senaste tidens intensiva militarisering av den Europeiska Unionen (EU) är den i särklass viktigaste frågan på agendan för EU toppmötet som kommer hållas i Göteborg den 14-16 juni. Ska EU i första hand kunna döda för fredens skull och intervenera i konflikter som äger rum 6000 km ifrån Bryssel? Om ja, ska det då ske i nästan fullständig avsaknad av offentlig debatt och utan folkomröstning, och utan hänsyn till att det kommer att innebära att unga pojkar en dag kommer att transporteras hem i liksäckar? Stora EU-länder har kärnvapen, andra är NATO-medlemmar. EU:s byråkrater och diplomater arbetar frenetiskt med att integrera EU:s fredsstyrkor med NATO:s. Vill du att EU ska stödja existensen och ett möjligt...

THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION NOW Only two things are worse than violence: to criticise it without presenting alternatives and to fight it with violent means. The turbo-militarisation of the European Union (EU) is the most important on the agenda of the EU Summit June 14-16 in Gothenburg, Sweden. Shall the EU commit itself to killing by weapons in the name of peace and intervene up to 6000 kilometres away from Brussels? If so, shall it be allowed to do so virtually without public debate and without referendums, irrespective of the fact that it will imply that young boys, one day, come home in body bags? Major EU countries have nuclear weapons; others are NATO members. EU bureaucrats and diplomats work intensely to integrate the ‘Peace’ Forces of the EU with NATO. Do you want the EU to support the existence and possible use of nuclear weapons, or to be a...

Aftonbladet berättade den 19 april att kronprinsessan Victoria fick en lektion i Kossovosituationen på ett EU-möte i Ystad om civil krishantering. I den korta notisen framhölls att “behovet av praktiska åtgärder, inte prat och politik, betonades”. “Prat och politik”, det är förhandlingar om politiska lösningar och preventiv diplomati, det är opartisk medling och konfliktläkning, fredsundervisning och bearbetning av hat, kort sagt diplomati för fredliga lösningar, inte våldsanvändning. Sveriges blivande statschef utbildades tydligen i en militarisering av utrikespolitiken och nedtoning av diplomatin. Är det framtiden? Den korta notisen om kronprinsessan Victoria var Aftonbladets enda kommentar till den viktiga EU-konferensen om civil krishantering. Men på Debattsidan samma dag skriver FN-förbundets ordförande, Aleksander Gabelic tillsammans med Gustaf Lind och Eva Chinapah i samma anda som notisen om EU-konferensen. De argumenterar för två utrikespolitiska medel. Det ena är “ett militärt samarbetsavtal mellan EU och FN”, som sägs vara det bästa sättet att förbättra global...

The Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs did it again this year. TFF is now the only – and the first ever — among peace organisations that have received organisational support during the 1990s and is thrown out.*) The conclusion is clear: You and we did not succeed with our dignified appeals last year. So, let’s forgive these decision-makers – not because they do not know what they do, but because they do not know what we do and have never concentrated their minds and hearts on peace or read Gandhi. They seek international security in past paradigms and personal security in following orders. We will waste no more time or energy being disappointed or begging for handouts. Peace is more important than government grants. TFF will concentrate fully on its tasks and hopes that funds will come in little by little – for instance from you. Our thanks to all...

Bush d.y. (en mann som ikke ble valgt men blir utvalgt av en Hoeyesterett delvis utpekt av faren er ikke president) har hittil gjort åtte feil med tunge konsekvenser for USA og resten av oss: 1. Fortsatt bombing og sanksjoner mot det noedlidende irakske folk, med sterke reaksjoner i alle arabiske/islamske land; 2. Sanksjoner mot et av verdens fattigste land, Afghanistan fordi USA har problemer med en person de en gang stoettet (bin Laden). Som Chalmers Johnson papeker i sin briljante Blowback (Hevn) er terrorisme som regel hevn for amerikansk statsterrorisme, og den er det mye av, altsa stadig oekende terrorisme i kommende år. 3. Veto mot observatoerer i den kronisk betente Israel-Palestina situasjonen, stoettet av feige allierte som “avholder seg”. Til varig erindring: FNs Sikkeretsrad har fire kristne og ett konfusiansk medlem, intet av de 56 muslimske land er med. Hvordan vile vi ha reagert pa fire muslimske land, og Kina?...

LONDON – The arrest of the greatest European war criminal since Hitler could change the world. Significant though the arrest of Pinochet was in London two and a half years ago, in comparison that was dealing with a dead duck. This arrest is next to catching the bird on the wing. Milosevic only lost power a matter of months ago. His party still wields much influence in Serbian affairs. Yet the pressure to bring him to trail before the UN-created ad hoc criminal court for Yugoslavia has been strong enough to precipitate his arrest by the Serbian authorities. It is only now a question of time, although he may first stand trial in his home country on lesser charges, before he is arraigned before the international tribunal on a charge of genocide. For some time now the so-called Pinochet effect has been at play – encouraging authorities in many parts of...