Abstract
Proposes a Ministry of Peace in each country representing peace and human rights groups to counter lobbies for arms, war, state terrorism, annihilation and destruction. Recalls Capitol Hill's arrogance and double-standards in dictating world affairs; its destruction of Afghanistan, Serbia, Iraq and Palestine. Considers humanitarian challenges to the super-power; China, Russia, Europe, the non-aligned or a grass-roots Global Commons. Each Ministry would be non-governmental, serving the public: To nurture ideas and intelligence, to distribute information, plan conflict resolution, call conferences, take legal action against belligerent governments and represent public opinion, using the internet in crises and facilitate a more peaceful world.
War-mongers cast an increasingly ugly blot on human history, not only killing or ruining millions of lives but reversing the delicate equilibrium between rich and poor, aligned and non-aligned nations and between different creeds and cultures.
There is an urgent need for a vehicle by which the public can make its concern for distressed peoples felt and its objections to bombing and bankrupting them heard. It needs to be robust enough to restrain the war mongers, and take legal action against them. But to do this it must access the 'democratic' lobbying system, expose the corruption, the media disinformation, and be able to command enough public support to threaten bent politicians to adopt peaceful, humanitarian strategies. This requires massive resources which could either come from a relatively benign organ like the European Commission or from public charity or both.
Before we can design such a vehicle we need to know who the war-mongers are, what their agendas are and how they can be brought to democratic account, if not to court. They include arms lobbies and virulent political groups, covertly pushing their vested interests with no concern for justice, humanity or the environment.1 Hence they are on the criminal fringe. These are people the Geneva Conventions aimed to outlaw. But they have infiltrated top positions of global power; in Capitol Hill2, the Pentagon, Whitehall, NATO, the WTO and key areas of media, law, banking and secret services.3 There is thus no higher authority to restrain their illegal acts of aggression. They manipulate the media4, duping the public into thinking the Palestinian resistance to oppressive occupation is terrorism while Israel's massive armaments used against them is not. Terrorism is especially terrifying when it comes from F16's and helicopter gunships.
Capitol Hill's shameful record of arrogance and double standards towards the rest of mankind is exposed by its negation of several highly principled initiatives: Refusing to ratify the International Criminal Court unless its personnel are exempt! Abrogating the ABM Treaty, arrogating supreme power to build Full Spectrum Dominance: Manipulating the WTO to elicit trade advantages for its companies: Refusing the Kyoto Accords so it can continue adding 25% of world pollution to the environment, and: Sabotaging the UN Conference on Racism rather than censure Israel's racist policies against the Palestinians. This are signs of global dictatorship.
This arrogance also makes it a global threat to peace and human well-being, exemplified by four anti-civilian wars in the last decade
The Devastation of Afghanistan
The people who tried to attack the Pentagon and Capitol Hill (but were diverted by US fighters) were careful not to implicate any country. They all died and none were Afghans. There is no justification to bomb Afghanistan, let alone the Red Cross and UN HQ's, impoverished villages, prisoners or a convoy of politicians. Yet no sanctions or legal action against the USA have been mooted. Peace groups protest angrily, but to no avail, except that the US and UK governments have taken draconian powers to incriminate, intercept, search and indefinitely arrest without trial, anyone even 'thinking' about 'terrorism', in perfect line with Orwell's 1984.5 Capitol Hill illogically hopes to 'destroy' a 'terrorist' movement trained by its own CIA. It avoids due process; eschewing the Taliban's offer to extradite bin Laden for trial in a neutral country. It did not ask if the 20 people who martyred themselves had given up diplomatic efforts to rectify wrongs to their fellows. As bin Laden's video shows, Capitol Hill, the Pentagon and WTO are responsible for terror, devastation and poverty, suffered in many countries, especially Palestine, without remorse.
The Illegal Bombing of Yugoslavia
NATO's lawless bombardment of Serbia, under Mrs Albright, destroyed half the economy, killed thousands and made half a million refugees. This was to 'stop ethnic cleansing'. But more Serb police were killed by ethnic Albanians entering illegally than vice versa and still more by the bombing. Bombing is an unjust way to restore a sensitive, war-torn region to peace and harmony; especially without UN approval. Now, instead of NATO appearing before the International Court for the volumes of war crimes charges by the Yugoslav government6, President Milosovic is falsely extradited on charges of 'financial fraud', in a new Court and then charged with 'mass murder' already discredited by the Spanish investigative team: A clear case of 'victor justice.'
The Interminable Blockade and Bombing of Iraq
Iraq has also been demonized, blockaded and bombed but for over a decade, with intent to kill and disable the nation.7 As Mrs Albright affirmed when asked "Is the price justified?" [of 460,000 child deaths as result of 'sanctions']; "Yes. We think the price is worth it": Thus admitting murderous intent, incriminating her under the Genocide Convention.8 The US also committed War Crimes during the Gulf War, as by massacring 408 civilians in Baghdad's Amirihya Shelter and untold refugees on the Road to Basra. 40% of weekly strikes by US/UK war planes in the 'No-fly' Zones kill civilians and damage infrastructure still unrepairable since the War; an offence under the Geneva Conventions.9 The US and UK claim authority to bomb the 'No-fly' Zones in UN Resolution 688 'to save people from Saddam'! But 688 gives no such authority: It is about humanitarian assistance to the Secretary General.
The Inhuman Obliteration of Palestine
Israel's terror campaign against Palestinians is also aided by Capitol Hill, providing $3B a year10 and a similar value in arms to expand its huge arsenal of nuclear and other armaments, F-16's. tanks and helicopter gunships used to further repress a people already deprived of their homes and freedom. The US vetoes all UN Resolutions against Israel, ordering cessation of occupation; of harassment of occupied people; of summary executions and torture; of Apartheid against Arab peoples; and over 100 other charges. Yet under the UN Charter 'a party to a dispute forfeits its right to vote on the Security Council'.11 So all those vetoes should be void. This is the longest, most cruel and illegal form of 'ethnic cleansing' of the last Century; the slow oppression and dispossession of a whole nation which had hurt no one and stolen nothing. Yet the public ignores the tragedy because the media is under heavy Zionist pressure not to report it.12 The world should be alarmed that no authority is immune from this covert pressure or strong enough to bring justice and peace to a Holy land where the seeds of Christian ethics were sown. Senator Pat Buchanan has called Capitol Hill 'Israeli-Occupied Territory'2 Such criminal behaviour, emulated by Capitol Hill, is a threat to humanity's peace and stability and must be arrested.
A New Super-Power: EU + CIS, China,?
One solution to this escalating violence from the super-power and its friends is the creation of a new super-power out of, say, a pact between Europe and the Soviets. But even this is unlikely to stand up against the USA. A more robust opponent of Capitol Hill would be Beijing, if it can resist borrowing more Western finance. These challenges need assessing and if beneficial for humanity, fostering.
Super-Coalition of Non-Aligned Nations
Another route is the global coalition of Non-Aligned Nations currently being brought together under the World Mathaba. This includes the world's poorest countries and a few independent richer nations such as Libya and Switzerland. They are not well-resourced, have little power as yet but could threaten Capitol Hill into submission, diplomatically or by share numbers.
Global Democratic Governance
A more democratic path to bridle the dictatorship without the perils of military destruction would be a global commons, like the UN General Assembly, but with executive power over the super-power. This has been planned by the World Constitution & Parliament Association whose Constitution was signed by representatives from nearly all countries in 1991.13
The Peace Movement is paralyzed by three main obstacles: 1) lack of media oxygen; 2) lack of orchestration of like-minded groups; and 3) lack of power to implement peaceful options One way to gain media attention may be to unify the movement into a sufficiently large web, with a voice that cannot be ignored, proposing strategies which shame the war-mongers into oblivion. The European Network is a foundation. It needs a structure to fit the status quo whilst serving the independent thinker, such as the International Peace Bureau, the Bertrand Russell Foundation, Jimmy Carter's Peace Centre, Ramsey Clark's International Action Centre, or a specific body. Ministries of Peace are proposed, in the 'official', a-political and ecclesiastical senses, to connect with public and government.
Modus Operandi
Ministries of Peace would fill a sadly needed gap in most countries. They would be non-governmental but like a civil service to the peace movement; research peaceful strategies to avert the 'no option but war' cry; consult; facilitate academic and political discussion; coordinate effort; communicate information and ideas; calibrate scenarios of consequences for various actions; formulate policy; resist pressure from greedy multi-national and belligerent super-powers; prepare plans for arms conversion; encourage arbitration and reconciliation; promote equality and redistribution; take legal action against aggressors and asset-strippers; produce action plans and help implement them. The first task to unify the movement would be to call a Global Peace Conference to censure the war-mongers for their crimes against Afghanistan, Yugoslavia, Iraq, Palestine and elsewhere.
Ministries would Network between countries and between peace groups using the internet, so that consensus could be forged in crisis situations. People and media could be kept informed of the peaceful solutions. Press conferences would counter government spin. Lobbying could be efficiently shared amongst specialists in each arena; letters, film, radio, internet, Parliament.
They might help towards building a Global Commons such as promoted by the WCPA. Its Constitution is designed to represent ordinary citizens in global affairs. This will help disarm the 'Octopus' of global arms industries, secret services, financial oligarchies, and other powerful, self-interested cartels in industry, the media, even religion and certain professions.
Funding
Such Ministries in the public interest would warrant support from taxation, in the form of grants. The UK and US governments have ignored public opinion, as a majority of people polled have been against military action in Afghanistan. Parliament took no vote on the issue. Grants should be matched by direct subscription to minimize obligation to government, to Party and vested interest politics. The European Commission might offer an objective source of funds and expertise. Accounts, associations, activities and policies would be audited and published.
Escalating violence from a lone super-power, raining bombs on innocent people remotely linked to an attack on it, should have shocked the world into resistance and condemnation. But the UK and others cow-towed to this lawless vindictiveness and the media sanctioned it. Peace groups and the public who care, urgently need a massively powerful voice and legal instruments to curb these rampages.
Ministries of Peace would be a small but significant block in building a peace movement in to the democratic system to resolve injustices before they erupt into war and civil unrest. In short, they would be an arm of what in mediaeval times was the 'People's Parliament's' role in mediating between the King, the barons and the people.
If the US, UK and Israeli governments are too arrogant to abide by the law or practice humility, or too stupid to realise they are endangering everyone's peace by callous and dispropor-tionate use of militarism, only a new super-power or a coalition of lesser powers will be strong enough to temper their lawlessness. Ministries of Peace will help to raise public awareness of peace-building, or lack of it, and help to avoid the human consequences of war. They would aim to facilitate not dominate. A vote of confidence from the peace-movement may help.
Endnotes
1 Pilger, J (1998) Hidden Agendas Vintage, London.
2 Curtiss, R (1996) Stealth PAC's: Lobbying Congress for Control of Middle East Policy Amer.Ed.Trust, Wash'ton
3 Krieg, A. (1997) The Satori and the New Mandarins Hallberg Publishing, Tampa Florida 33623.
4 Knightley, P (1998) The First Casualty Andre Deutsch
5 Orwell, G. (1949) Nineteen Eighty-Four Penguin, London.
6 Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1999) NATO's War Crimes Vols 1-V11 Belgrade.
7 Simons, G (1998) The Scourging of Iraq: Sanction , Law & Natural Justice MacMillan, London.
8 Simons, G 1999) Iraq - Primus Inter Pariahs: A Crisis Chronology 1997-8 MacMillan, London.
9 von Sponeck, H (1999) Air Strikes in Iraq UNHCR (unpublished).
10 Kaplow, L (2000) 'U.S. is Generous to Israel' The Truth At Last Marietta, Georgia.
11 United Nations (1993) Charter of the United Nations Article 27, UN DPI, New York.
12 Finkelstein, N (1995) Image & Reality of the Israel-Palestine Conflict Verso, London.
13 Isley, P (1991) Constitution for the Federation of Earth World Constitution & Parliament Assoc. Colorado.
James Thring BArch MCD (Liv) PhD (Cantab) MRTPI Reg'd Architect & Chartered Town Planner, is Convenor of Planning for Peace; focusing on long term sustainable solutions to conflict and injustice, Member World Constitution & Parliament Assoc., building a democratic global commons. Former Hon.Sec. Professions for World Disarmament & Development and Exec. Member Architects & Engineers for Social Responsibility. Papers on political futures include: 'Iraq, Israel & UK/US Foreign Policy' CANA Conf. Nov.01; 'Perspectives of Global Justice' 5th Baghdad Conf. May 01;'Strategies & Scenarios for Palestine' Al-Aqsa Mar.01; 'The Future of Peace & Human Rights in Europe' EU Conf. on Peace & Human Rights Brussels, Dec.00; 'Perspectives of Global Governance' Free Univ. of Eire/ UNESCO 'Visions of Peace' Conf. Dublin, May 00; 'Visions of Global Democracy' UN Link 2000 Conf. Lond, Nov.99; 'Justice for Iraq' Baghdad Conf. May 99; 'Global Energy Supplies' Provisional World Parl. Barcelona, Dec.98; 'Need for Democratic Replacement of the UN' North-South Mediterranean Partnership or Separation? Symp. Baghdad, Nov.97; 'Human Rights & Responsibilities' Prov. World Parl. loc.cit. Dec.96; 'Do We Need a World Government?' AESR News Summer 96; 'Voting for Policies' Conflict or Resolution? Sinai, 96; 'Scenarios for Europe, with & without Iraq Embargo' 2nd Athens Conf. Against Embargo on Iraq Apr.94; 'An Equilibrium Approach to Sustainable World Management' Green Dialogue for an Alternative World Order Sirte, 92.