The insanity of international relations

The insanity of international relations has no limits. For example, Israel has made it clear to the entire world that it would attack Iran giving 15 minutes warning. This is just nuts because under international law Iran is now justified in doing the very same act to Israel in self defense. This scenario is a perfect example of why words, diplomacy, trust and international relations are very important.

The consequence of either country initiating an attack is truly unknown. No one has a clue as to what would transpire under such circumstances, other than all hell breaking loose. Due to that unknown we must take every measure possible to ensure neither country pursues those tactics.

This region of the world has been a powder keg of turmoil for centuries and it appears nothing will change for the next century. However with the proper care and unity this region could be a paradise of peace. Alas, at some level that reality of peace is not seen or wanted.

The same situation has taken place with the RUSA openly supporting illegal arms smuggling into Syria. Just turn the tables around and ask yourself, “What it Syria openly supported the supply of weapons to an opposition group inside the RUSA?” Furthermore the current government of the RUSA has openly supported the call for war crimes against the Syrian President. However their own former President is not held to such a standard for the illegal invasion of Iraq causing more death than we will ever know.

We have basic international laws that must be obeyed. We can not pick and choose which laws to obey and which laws to ignore. Well actually we can because we do, but we should not do such things. A wise society would not tolerate such childish actions.

The use of threats, supplying weapons and interventions are not easy topics nor are they clear. Humanitarian aid and the protection of people can bring extremely difficult issues. For example, the world would have been justified in the act of breaking sovereignty in Cambodia during the leadership of Khmer Rouge. But the United Nations Security Council never allowed such action. Similar example is the lack of support for Rwanda when the world could have stopped that genocide but decided to ignore it.

We have systems in place to deal with almost any situation that comes our way. It is not the United Nations failing, the failure rests squarely upon the members of the United Nations. Even more direct, the permanent five members(P5), (Russia, Republic of the United States, United Kingdom, France and China)  have let the world down.

The P5 need to work together and condem any and all acts such as the one Israel has uttered. Such a threat to tell the world that you will attack another country is in no way helpful to maintaining peace. Urging Israel to stand down is not enough, they must be told of consequences other than Iran retaliation and further endless war, death and possible complete destruction. The same goes for the RUSA and their open support of arming oppostion in Syria.

I know the world is insane but do we have to act so stupid?

Iran vs Israel 21 Feb 2012

Simplicity and peace can be both allies and enemies at the same time. Take any situation where violence occurs or threats are made, now try to make sense of why such events continue. Simple reasoning states that a person just has to walk away or put down the weapons. However actions are only the manifestation of thought. Thought is where the true battles take place.

The realm of thought is the labyrinth we must find peace in. Today we have the reaction of Iran to the threat of attack from Israel. This cycle of insanity has to end. It is our choice to have it end using peace or we can go through the hell of war. Either way, peace will be the end result. If we decide to go the route of war, no one may live to experience the peace.

To find a way through this I looked at the constitutions of both Iran and Israel. Israel, like Britain has no formal constitution. However, Israel has their Proclamation to Independence as well as basic laws which culminate into a form of constitution.

The reason I took this route is because at some point there needs to be a leap of faith taken to secure peace. To do that, you have to see a point to leap for. Such a point is most often found within the culture, identity and laws of a country. The core of a modern society is founded in the grand ideology of its identity. That identity is supported by the laws of a society

For Iran the point of faith that must be held to is this portion of their constitution:

Article 2

The Islamic Republic is a system based on belief in:

Section 6. the exalted dignity and value of man, and his freedom coupled with responsibility before God; in which equity, justice, political, economic, social, and cultural independence, and national solidarity are secured by recourse to:

Sub section 3. negation of all forms of oppression, both the infliction of and the submission to it, and of dominance, both its imposition and its acceptance.

If you want to be negative, you can easily find faults with the above exert from the Constitution of Iran. However it is just as easy to see where peace can be held onto. This is your choice, I am for peace so I decide to see the positives.

For Israel there are a number of laws to point to. Having such a system is problematic because a clear definition or ideology is impossible to make. Due to the many points of reference it is easy to argue about which law takes precedent over another. However we need a point of reference to have as a point for peace. So I have made these two sections of the Basic laws of Israel my points to leap towards.

Protection of life, body and dignity  4. All persons are entitled to protection of their life, body and dignity.  

Personal liberty  5. There shall be no deprivation or restriction of the liberty of a person by imprisonment, arrest, extradition or otherwise. 

Many will say that these points are only valid within the countries themselves. Well to that I would say, if you do not feel your laws are valid enough to be a model for international peace in the world then what good are they?

To stay on point here, both countries have laws that no person is to be oppressed. Any threat of violence is an act of oppression. Now please do not start arguing about who started the fight, that is a waste of time, energy and intelligence. Besides, we have been doing that very thing for thousands of years and all it has given us is death, hatred and hell.

Each country is in a state of mind where they feel threatened. Escalating the violence is fuelled by revenge, hatred, fear, mistrust and narrow mindedness. Peace needs expansion of ideology and tactics. Continuing on the same path as we have for centuries will give us peace only when complete destruction has been achieved. Using the laws of each country solidifies the points of peace that will provide a foundation of negotiations.

Based upon the passages from each set of laws, there is a common understanding of a persons right to live peacefully. No one is enjoying that due to the constant oppression each country is waging. Such actions are contrary to the very laws of their own country. "Be the change you wish to see". Simple to say, apparently impossible to do.

Each country speaks to a foundation of peaceful existence very quickly in their respective laws. These laws must be used as building blocks for peace. It is these laws which must be pointed to so that trust can be fostered.

We have lived with the threat of war for too many years. Clearly the leaders of this region can not bring peace by themselves. Due to that reality the rest of us have to stand up for all the civilians who crave peace. For that to transpire, the world has to step in to police and disarm the entire region.

No sympathy for stupidity

At what point does it sink in that firing bullets and missiles solve very little? As I woke up this morning to read the news the first headline informs me that Israel has to be urged to not bomb Iran. How stupid is the leadership in Israel to even think shooting at Iran is a good option?

Honestly, can the world grow some courage and disarm the entire area known as the Middle East, now.  But I have to be realistic here. The world would rather see bodies stack up than have to listen to the complaining as the countries are disarmed.

In another point of thought, which is quite contrary to all of my beliefs, if Israel is that stupid let them fire away. In tandem with that action, every other country should withdraw all military support to both sides and let the shit hit the fan. Sometimes a person has to get beat to near death before the light of reason sinks into the brain. Tough love is what they call it.

If you want to go and get your head kicked in that is your choice, personally I see no need for even thinking that is an option. At what cost do you think it will take to win? Do you even know what winning looks like? Are you seriously prepared to send the world to the brink of hell because you are too stupid to work harder at peace?

Another point must be made clear.  Do not even bother telling me about some bullshit injustice that happened two thousand years ago or even five months ago because each side is just as full of horse shit as the other. You want to cry about such injustices, go ahead. While you are at it just understand that you are creating more of the same each day with your insanity. ASSHOLES!!!

As long as this mentality of shooting each other is in our minds peace will never be possible. It is that simple. Just to be a selfish prick here, if you want to fight to the death go ahead, I can sit on the sidelines and watch. I know that in all truthfulness, my daily life will not change one bit. Blow off as many nuclear weapons as you wish. The fallout will only equal what France has done in the South Pacific, so in thirty years the area will be well on its way to repair and hopefully the idiots will be gone as well.

You get no sympathy from me if you choose to engage in a fight when all the world tells you it is the most stupid move you can make.

Chaos and insanity are now the norm in Syria.

How many does it take to lead a country to complete chaos? For Syria, that number is still being counted as it appears everyone is jumping on that band wagon. The craziness has only just begun. Within a few months there will be no way of distinguishing who is on what side and of course no one will have the courage to do what is necessary to stop any of this.

I spent a great deal of time looking at reports and emails to gather information about the situation. With each piece of information I grew more and more frustrated. We have known for months that there are extremists inside Syria fighting the government. Some reports indicate that the Syrian government has brought them in and other reports indicate that a weakening of the border is a factor.

To be as clear as I can, the fact that civilians will die by the thousands should be more important than who or what crazy bastard organization is involved. What we have here is a classic bar room brawl. The situation is already so mixed up that no one has a clue as to what side anyone is on.  This is going on now in Syria. With that understanding, does anyone think the government in Syria has any control?

We are looking a failed state very soon. With that destabilization, the surrounding countries are in grave danger. Due to this danger, the sovereignty argument for non-intervention is no longer valid because the threat to international peace is now within reach. Easing the violence is not even possible for the Syrian government anymore. Two months ago they could have but not now and with each passing day, controlling the peace becomes more and more difficult.

As it stands right now China is the wild card among the Permanent Five members of the Security Council. Russia has stated that force will be used if the Syrian government does not quell the violence. The other three, France, RUSA and UK have already voted in favour of intervention. Tougher Sanctions, more observers will most likely be the next move. What should be done?

Well if I were in charge, demand China, Russia and a host of other countries to build a peacekeeping force of no less than 60 000soldiers. March them in and secure the border as soon as possible, no one gets in or out. This will stop or at least slow the flow of weapons and extremists. As soon as the border is secured, get the negotiations going.  Have the Peacekeepers enforce the current laws of Syria that pertain to breaches of the peace. This will help sweep the country clean of any and all small to medium weapons.

Will that happen, never. The world just does not have the will to actually do such a thing. Basically civilian lives are not worth the time, effort or cost. The funny part is the time factor. No one is willing to engage in a peacekeeping mission if they have no sense of how long it will take. However, many countries are willing to get into a huge fight without a sense of how long that will take to end. The frustration I feel because of that mentality leaves me speechless at times.

Syria is without a doubt a perfect example of the term “cluster fuck” and it is going to get worse. Sanctions and observers will not stop this war in Syria any more than it has stopped the shit show between Palestine and Israel. We need a complete lock down accompanied by the largest disarm, demobilize and reintegration program ever thought possible.

Educating for a peaceful future

http://www.educationandtransition.org/resources/the-role-of-education-in-peacebuilding/

The above link leads to a UNICEF website that has a report which studies the impact of education in conflict areas. 

For many years I have noticed that every society has a form of peaceful conflict resolution within its culture. This cultural knowledge is quickly destroyed when wars are prolonged. I have noticed such a loss of knowledge in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Sudan, Central African Republic where war has taken place for decades.

As the loss of life grows so will the cultural knowledge. This loss is not well known or understood but the loss of identity as a people is still there. Through education we can save cultures and identity.  Yet there does exist a side where doing so can prolong wars. We see in Palestine/Israel where the youth are taught to hate the other, this is a poor use of education. So we have to be careful as to the content of the education.

Any form of education that is built upon blaming the other is broken and peace will not be a result. When we engage in such methods of blaming and pointing to past wrongs, I call this "stacking bodies". The end game is who ever has the most bodies stacked up is justified in their actions.  In my mind such a game theory/tactic is useless because each side will be embroiled in such a battle until the no one is left to stack any one. It is a zero sum game.

This is where education is most vital. We need to break those methods. I am not saying we forget, I am saying we take responsibility for the future. The past can not be changed and the future people must be educated in such a manner that they can feel unburdened by our past mistakes. As it stands now in Palestine/Israel, everyone is still carrying the burdens of people two thousand years ago. We have not changed any of the past yet we have killed millions of eachother to prove which side was right or wrong.

At some point the past has to be left there so the future can grow more peacefully. Education is our only method of ensuring we can do that.

Isreal and Palestine, what a mess

“When the United Nations General Assembly voted on November 29, 1947, to partition British Mandatory Palestine into two states — a Jewish and an Arab state — joint American and Soviet support for this policy represented an extraordinary case of Great Power concordance.”, writes Shlomo Avineri, Professor of Political Science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in a publication for the 2010 Halifax Forum.

That decision to separate a state without the support of that state to be separated is authoritarian rule at its finest.  There is no limit to how stupid we can act at times and this first mistake made by the United Nations is proof, here is the vote break down:

In favour: 33

Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Byelorussian S.S.R., Canada, Costa Rica, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Guatemala, Haiti, Iceland, Liberia, Luxemburg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Sweden, Ukrainian S.S.R., Union of South Africa, U.S.A., U.S.S.R., Uruguay, Venezuela.

Against: 13

Afghanistan, Cuba, Egypt, Greece, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Yemen.

Abstained: 10

Argentina, Chile, China, Colombia, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Honduras, Mexico, United Kingdom, Yugoslavia.

Source http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Peace%20Process/Guide%20to%20the%20Peace%20Process/UN%20General%20Assembly%20Resolution%20181

You will notice that the majority of those against are in the region and they knew it was a bad idea.  Too late to go back now.  With each passing day I am slowly seeing that a two state solution is no longer viable.  There has to be a new image of the future, perhaps a one state solution.