January 2012

Speech given in Oslo on January 27, 2012 Norway’s by any comparison greatest philosopher was born one hundred years ago today, and died close to the age of 97. A world philosopher, a human being with an incredible radiation. Nobody who came close to him remained the same. What was his basic theme? In one word: nonviolence, but in a broader and deeper sense than most approaching demanding idea. Arne Næss was very sensitive to verbal violence in debates; his answer was objectivity. He identified physical violence in political struggle; his answer was Gandhian nonviolence, strongly inspired as a student in Paris early 1930s by Indian students strongly convinced that nonviolence was the way.

/10/jonathanpower2.jpg”> Many of us doubt that Iran is on the way to build a nuclear bomb. Trying to find the truth is not easy. It was a bit of a one sided conversation since I don’t know the inner workings of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN body that monitors nuclear developments. But Robert Kelly, a nuclear energy engineer and ex-department director at the IAEA, has brought me up to speed. According to him the evidence described in a widely quoted report issued in November 2011 by the Director General of the IAEA, Yukiya Amano, is sketchy.

The Syrian pro-democracy struggle has been both an enormous tragedy and a powerful inspiration. Indeed, as someone who has studied mass nonviolent civil insurrections in dozens of countries in recent decades, I know of no people who have demonstrated such courage and tenacity in the face of such savage repression as have the people of Syria these past 10 months.

Finally, there is some argumentation in the West supportive of a nuclear free zone for the Middle East. Such thinking is still treated as politically marginal, and hardly audible above the beat of the war drums. It also tends to be defensively and pragmatically phrased as in the NY Times article by Shibley Telhami and Steven Kull (January 15, 2012) with full disclosure title, “Preventing a Nuclear Iran, Peacefully.”

By Daisaku Ikeda President of Soka Gakkai International (SGI) Every year Dr. Ikeda publishes his thoughts on what must be done to secure a better future for us all. He is a true contributor to the TFF pro-peace orientation that emphasizes how important it is to “imagine a better world”. We are proud to have had this wise, visionary leader of what is probably the world’s largest peace movement, as TFF Associate over many years. Much more about him here. The economist Amartya Sen, a renowned advocate of the methods and approaches of human security, has emphasized “the dangers of sudden deprivation.” Such unanticipated threats can take the form of natural disaster and conflict, and can also arise from economic crises and rapid environmental degradation brought about by climate change. It is crucial that we respond vigorously to such threats, which can grievously undermine people’s lives, livelihoods and dignity.

/10/jonathanpower2.jpg”> The talk is talk. Or will it walk? Mitt Romney, the US Republican candidate for the presidency, says that on his watch Iran would not be allowed to build a nuclear weapon but that on his watch President Barack Obama will let it happen.

EU förbjuder all oljeimport från Iran, och Iran hotar med att som svar blockera all trafik av olja genom Hormuzsundet. Till TT uttrycker utrikesminister Carl Bildt viss skepsis inför beslutet, risken är att vi ”glider in i en konfrontation som ytterst kan sluta i krig – och dit vill ingen”. På sin blogg Alla dessa dagar är Bildt ännu mera kritisk till sanktionerna, som han menar möjligen kan påverka Irans ekonomi men knappast landets politik. Men varför deltar Sverige då i beslutet??

1746?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0&color=ff9933″ width=”400″ height=”225″ frameborder=”0″ webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen> © TFF Video Productions 2012. Please share and embed!

What are the three credit rating agencies, Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, and Fitch – 95 percent of the rating “industry” – about? Not very transparent, yet “Standard & Poor’s: silent but deadly” (El País, 16 Jan 2012), stimulates some reflections. The agencies are US, which goes well with the tendency of the USA to sit in judgment of other countries. It also goes well with something more dangerous: the tendency of other countries to take that judgment seriously. The new prime minister of Spain said he needed no lecturing (from the agencies) on the Spanish economy; but the downgrading shook Spain. Why does Europe not have its own agencies, rating all 50 US states, for instance, like US agencies rate EU members?

A critique of western policies vis-à-vis Iran and two pro-peace proposals The public discussion in the West addressing Iran’s nuclear program has mainly relied on threat diplomacy, articulated most clearly by Israeli officials, but enjoying the strong direct and indirect backing of Washington and leading Gulf states. Israel has also engaged in covert warfare against Iran in recent years, somewhat supported by the United States, that has inflicted violent deaths on civilians in Iran. Many members of the UN Security Council support escalating sanctions against Iran, and have not blinked when Tel Aviv and Washington talk menacingly about leaving all options on the table, which is ‘diplospeak’ for their readiness to launch a military attack.

By Scilla Elworthy who speaks with Archbishop Desmond Tutu A TalkWorks Films Special www.talkworks.info Two peace prize laureates in conversation for TalkWorks about the question of nuclear weapons, disarmament and peace. St John’s College, Oxford, Saturday May 9 2010

For et par måneder siden erklærede den islandske præsident at folketinget, Det Hvide Hus og traditionelle magtinstanser næsten er blevet et ”side show” i forhold til sociale medier. Ligeså stille bevæger vi os væk fra nationalstaten som den suveræne magtinstans til globale netværk i forskellige udformninger. Med andre ord er det folk som dig og mig, der har ansvar for, hvor verden bevæger sig hen. Men hvilke værdier skal vi handle efter i denne nye verdensorden?