June 2007

Jerusalem, June 27, 2007 On the occasion of the passing of 40 years since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and Israel’s subsequent occupation of the Palestinian Territories, the causes of the on-going conflict between Israelis and Palestinians were once again being hotly debated by political analysts. The Arab world is pointing the finger of blame mainly at the “international community” and its inability, or unwillingness, to apply appropriate pressure on the Israeli government; the western wing of the “international community”, in turn, is pointing the finger of blame largely at the Palestinian Authority as evidenced by its boycott of the Hamas government; Palestinian groups are pointing the finger of blame at each other, perhaps due partly to the long years of frustration and apparent hopelessness since 1967 and before that 1948; and within Israeli society itself there is no shortage of internal frustrations and conflicts with regards the on-going Occupation. In...

We at SGI’s HQ reported to President Ikeda that you had put his peace proposal up on the TFF website and your comments about his meeting with Wen Jiabao. He was very happy to hear from you and sent the following verbal message to you in response: “Thank you so much for once again sharing the contents of my annual peace proposal through your network and website. I am honored to be an Associate of TFF and wish you every success in your vital and tireless endeavors to communicate ways of building a peaceful world. Thank you also for your kind comments on my recent meeting with Wen Jiabao. With my warmest wishes to you and Christina.”

Vicky Rossi: In which ways are the causes of mental illness in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (oPt) the same or different to the causes of mental illness in a European country like the UK, for example, or another Arab country such as Lebanon? Rajiah Abu Swai: On the whole, the causes of mental illness are the same in every country in the world. What is different here in Palestine, and what creates a potential for higher levels of mental illness, is the particularly stressful situation people find themselves in. The Palestinian Territory under the Israeli Occupation is characterized by a lack of freedom of movement, continuous shelling, isolation and a poor economic situation, which has led to feelings of insecurity and hopelessness amongst the people. Palestinians feel that they are not in control of their own lives. These are the kinds of things which can trigger mental illness in people who are...

Jonathan PowerConundrums of Humanity, The Quest for Global Justice,Leiden & Boston, Martinus Nijhoff PublishersThe Raoul Wallenberg Institute Human Rights Library, 2007 A slightly different version has been published in Prospect Magazine When Jonathan Power told a friend that the book he was writing was meant to solve eleven of the most formidable contemporary threats to peace and human rights, the friend replied that Power was bidding for the Nobel Peace Prize.  Now we have the book, and Power’s answers to these problems, and they are extraordinarily impressive. They don’t really solve the problems but they provide extremely well-informed and professional analysis of the issues with which Power has been concerned throughout an exceptional, thirty-year career of working and writing mainly on subjects western audiences would prefer not to hear about, and on which people are reluctant to listen because they don’t really believe there is much that can be done to...

1:a juni, 2007 Konsult Göran Persson minskar chanserna för att Norge ska köpa Jas, skriver fredsforskaren Jørgen Johansen. I 54 år har Norge köpt amerikanska stridsflygplan. Nu ska de gamla bytas ut och kampen står mellan Jas 39 Gripen, Eurofighter och det amerikanska Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). Den norska staten har redan satsat hundratals miljoner i utvecklingsarbete på var och en av de tre kandidaterna. Nu kan Göran Persson bli en viktig bricka i spelet om vem som får denna order. Hans nya arbetsgivare jobbar för amerikanska Lockheed Martin. Totalkostnaden blir långt över 25 miljarder kronor för 48 flygplan. Särskilt för den minsta av flygplansproducenterna, Jas, är detta stora pengar. Men det handlar också om så mycket annat.Många aktörer kämpar i dessa dagar för sina särintressen. Uppköp av militära flygplan är stora industriella samarbetsprojekt där många intressen vägs in. Militära, ekonomiska, politiska och teknologiska intressen är på banan för att...