Globalization and protectionist trade ideology

It is very rare that a brand new system or thought enters the world. It is like those who say that wifi is a brand new technology when in fact, wireless communication was invented in 1901. Again that date is not really the first time wireless communication was tried. There had been years of tests and failures. What does this have to do with trade relations? First off, the relation is to understand the reality of the world we live in. Understand the history of how we got to where we are. Understand why we have globalization of trade, understand that trade is part of economic growth as far back as we can recall. The Silk Road was globalization trade. The explorers that reached the shores of the Americas had expansion of economics on their minds. On the downside we must understand that global trade is somewhat a house of cards as well. Globalization is a factor in many economic problems. These are front and center in the pushes for Brexit and the recall of the Trans Pacific Partnership, North American Free Trade Agreement and others. No one really knows how these trade agreements will turn out until they are in place and allowed to work. The reason for that is called life. Things on paper will not always work when put into action. Everyone person on this planet should know and understand this primary factor of life. Thought and action are two different realities. That is why every agreement has a negotiation/dispute settlement clause in them. As life evolves, so will the wants, desires and views of the public change. Again this is life and that will create conflicts. Throughout history there has been the understanding of the connection between economics and social good – quality of life. One of the greatest concepts about this subject is known as the Tragedy of the Commons. In another great reference of the connection between economics and social good is the story written by Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol” (1843). In this story, the lines “Mankind was my business. Their common welfare was my business” was screamed by the ghost of business man Jacob Marley as he tried to change the mind of his partner Ebeneezer Scrooge. Going back further we have stories such as the Stone Soup or Button Borscht. These are very much rooted in the ideology of communal good. These stories can also help us understand why protectionist ideology is harmful and why globalization trade is needed. Although there is a simplicity in this article, the reality is not. Trade agreements take decades to negotiate and then years to implement and of course the evolution takes place. Also we have to understand the complexity of merging economics and social welfare. At some point there will be harm done to generate economics such as pollution, human injury and other harms. Again this is life, there are costs/balances to everything. Trade/economics and social welfare have been separated in arguments because social welfare is not on the minds of those who wish to exploit. Some leaders grab on to this sentiment and run with them. They do so at their peril because we have lived in a world that has been deeply connected through global trade for centuries if not thousands of years. As always we must be on guard due to the elements within the tragedy of the commons – greed. We know that there will be those that sell out the entire world for money. As we get set for many debates about globalization and protectionist ideology, complex factors will surface about what is the goal. Many will say it is the pursuit of a good life. Well the definition of that is again different for each of us. As the debate rages on we will hear the theories about rising tides, domino effects, nash equilibrium, tit for tat game theory and many others. At the end of it all it will come down to trusting the everyone negotiates in good faith. Let the games begin and pray for those that will get stepped on by the Machiavelists.

Paper tigers are doing great harm to the world

We have lived in a world where courts and negotiation rooms have been used to the point where such environments are feared. In reality these environments were built to bring peace and fairness to the world. Over time these systems have been usurped by paper tigers. These people have completely forgotten about the reality of why these systems were built. At this very point we need the axiom of “forget the lessons and you will make past mistakes”. Over thousands of years we had grown tired of fighting, killing and destroying each other when a disagreement took place. There was an enlightening period where we had seen a larger end game at play. We needed more peaceful methods. We progressed to a point where physical wars were seen as a reality to avoid because it was just stupid. However we have to respect natural instincts and sometimes insanity takes hold, then a brawl (war) takes place. So here we are. We have many people who take peace for granted as they push others around using courts and negotiation rooms. These people have forgotten the insanity rule. The insanity rule is this: 50% of all the world is insane because that is the true balance of nature – equality – for every action there is an equal reaction. The most important part of the insanity rule is that an insane person can be dealt with rationally as long as you are willing to work peacefully with others. However you best be ready for the occasional burst of energy. We all have this component within us. Sadly there are some who have forgotten this and use the systems of our courts and negotiation rooms as if they are battle fields. We built these systems to be arenas for mutual discussion, team work, to allow facts, truth and reason to be expressed. Over time these systems have become something else and feared. The court rooms have been used as weapons of oppression. The negotiation room has become a place to drop notice of impending doom. For more clear examples of how the paper tiger attitude has eroded global peace, this is exactly what the Arab Spring was about. This is what sprung the Occupy movement. This is what brought Al-Qaida to the world. This is what small print contracts have become. Each of these indicate that the mind is the first weapon used. Next is the mouth, then the hands. With many paper tigers the intention is to bully others. Such people will bring great harm as we have already witnessed. It is the intention of the actor which is to be questioned. We built systems of peace yet those systems are now being used by certain actors to oppress many. We are told that the systems are there to protect us yet, how many of us feel that is true? This is an indication we need to be very aware of. As is always the case, it is not the system being used – it is the people using the system that is of greater importance.

Play nice with the bully

For many years we have poured great effort into the issue of bullying. Well this very morning I have just read four newspaper articles that speak to the bullying style leadership of Donald Trump. Add the disturbing fact about how the tactic relies on misinformation and threats. The more disturbing part is the reality that people are bowing under the pressure. Seriously, what does that say about all the resources, attention, effort and advice we have spent to end such behaviour? What is says is that we can be bought, we are sell outs. Personally, it is not a shock to see the image of a very tough, thick skinned, fast paced, financial industry be exposed as a group that can be easily pushed around. Same as the auto industry. These corporate giants have crawled on hands and knees to governments before and use similar bully tactics on a daily basis. This is how the tough image was born. You will be sold out at any moment. There is no integrity, there is no good will, there is no character but the image of who has the most money no matteer how you get it. The character of all the charity work to stand up to bullying, to stand up for truth, for just society and to be leaders of good faith have all been crippled. All of this work has been undone by and we have allowed the bully to rage on. This is a very disappointing situation. Furthermore, the media has been telling us to play nice with Donald Trump because he will take our lunch money if we do not. In the face of that I have to ask – what the hell did we fight World War Two for if not to end such idiocy? Where is our character, what do we stand for? Are we really going to sell out and bow down to a bully? Are we that short sighted, that weak, are we going to shame those that we have told to stand up against bullying? For years we stood up against such tactics. Yet at the pinnacle of opportunities to be an example of integrity, character, trust and strength we are failing. As this is being pointed out the only argument that is brought to counter the stance against Donald Trump is that it will cost us money. Well to that I say, if you ever wanted to know what it is like to be a prostitute you have just crossed that line. You are willing to sell the very essence of what we are for money. So play nice with the bully so you can keep your money while your integrity and character is flushed into the sewer. While you are at it, you best stop all the advertising about corporations being community friends, strong supporters of building communities that care, building communities that look after each other or building a sense of strength for those who speak truth in the face of lies, attacks, slander, threats, accusations and outright childish temper tantrums. Building a peaceful world is not easy and it cost a great deal more that all the money that will ever exist. At this time we have tough choices to make and how we act. Who you are and what you stand for is being put to the test. Having seen what has already taken place I have to say that most will sell out. Once this battle is all over it will take a massive cleanse to wash the slime off ourselves. How do we get through this with our character in tact? We stay with the facts and truth. When we are threatened with misinformation we stand firm and say – take your best shot. We might get hit hard. However the hit will never be hard enough to do any real harm. We continue on with our work as we expose weaknesses of the bully. In time we will gain greater rewards than if we had capitulated to the bully. This is the path of peace.

Perceptions and choice

If you ever get into a discussion about society and the individual, there will be a point where the finger of blame/responsibility is directed at the magical THEY. Every time I am in such discussions the wisdom of an old friend screams in my ear the phrase – no government acts without the will of the people. Now, since I have had this discussion many times there are always the same points made about Hitler, Pol Pot, Saddam Hussein, Genghis Khan and other horrifying situations. However, the reality is that these people ruled by fear which most people capitulated to. Such situations drive right to the heart of an earlier article I wrote about defending another with everything you have, even your life. The situation the world or even your community, town, city or family is experiencing is due to how you have allowed it progress. Basically when you complain about how governments treat the people it is only that way because we have allowed that to take place. As that reality settles in, it is imperative to understand that it has taken years to get to where we are. Conversely, it will take some time and effort to move society. This is no easy task nor is it simple. First off, the work always begins within the individuals mind, heart and soul. Taking great care of how you are is very important. There will be those moments where sitting on the couch to watch movies or reading a book or cleaning the house or playing piano or physical exercising or praying will all collide and you must choose which to do. This really does point to what your dreams are and truly working towards them. Life being what it is there will be people such as mentioned above who share similar dreams. This is the great struggle of good versus evil. Taking all of that into consideration, we tend to judge others because we feel that no one else is holding up their end of responsibility. We complain, point out all the corruption, blame the other, or feel there is no use and give in. What is very interesting in these comments each of us make is that a great many of them are actually your own mind telling yourself where you want to make changes. It is your self analysis being projected upon the world. Within the self awareness and social awareness dichotomy, manifests the compounding weight of one person making a difference in the world. Such a massive amount of work can be overwhelming. However, the reality is that all anyone can really work on is the self. This is how a group of people bond together to the point where each will die to defend another. Each person has come to the point where they know that life is worth defending. That person knows that the love and care they have for themselves will be far greater when they give all of that to another. Look within your own mind and equate it to how you feel about the world around you. As you do this, understand that life is about experiencing and understanding all that is. All of life is then balanced by the knowledge that there is no light without dark and both are there to support the other. We must embrace all that is. When we do this there is no more THEY We will understand that we are both the problems and solutions everyone encounters. and governments will no longer be some phantom of oppressive power. We will seek methods to build upon success and ways to let go of the mistakes, to hold no grudges, to seek the utopia each of us dreams of and support others when they ask for help when they face struggles. There are many that do not have such a view and that has to be okay with those who do. For those that do not have such a view, to them it appears that government can act without the will of the people.

Relationship and Peacebuilding

Throughout my career of being an adviser for conflict management, I have always had a strong focus on the need for rebuilding individual communities that make up a country. In truth the focus has been on the individual, yet wisdom is very accurate in that it is easier to lead the masses than to lead a single person. Of late, there has been a great deal of research articles being published on this area of peacebuilding. From what I can gather from the readings is that there is a change of words/ideas taking place. The change is viewing peacebuilding as relationship building. Usually I do not pay attention to what I would see as semantics. However I let this one roll around my brain for a while. Building relationships and peace have a great deal in common. More to the point, you have to understand the relationships between as many participants as possible in order to build peace. This understanding can be very complex as we deal with organizations that are very large. To make a point here, just think of how you view your relationship with government or any corporation. Now, project that unto the field of the community you live in. What is similar, what is different? One question that is always present in peacebuilding is where to start the process. It seems logical to start with the groups who are fighting. What happens when you find out the neither side is willing to talk or even stop fighting? If that is the case how are you ever going to focus on communities when you can not reach them? Think of a family where the two parents are really having a major break down and the children are being used as vehicles to spread hate and revenge. How does anyone stop that insane situation? Everyone can understand this scenario even in a relatively peaceful place. This scenario is very similar to what is taking place in Syria. Commonalities of relationship and peacebuilding is the need to prevent further harm. The ultimate reason for intervening in wars is to save people and future generations from the savagery of war. Although we know why we do it, how to best accomplish peace and build relationships is being argued right now in Syria and with the family that is breaking up. From the grand scale of Syria to the individual scale of the family, the tactics to bring peace are the same as are the challenges. Some people do not even want to get involved and that has to be recognized as a factor in building relationships and peace. It is always interesting to implement the theories being discussed. Seeing as we have not built the perfectly peaceful environment yet, we have a few more experiments to test out. I wish everyone the best success possible in their experiments to find peace.

Who is making these desicions?

We live is a world of dual leadership - or so it seems. There are government rules, work rules, family rules and then there are your own set of rules. There are also moral guides, legal guides and then there are the there is no other way guides. Taking all of that into consideration and understanding that life has been that way for thousands of years can fry a few wires in the brain. Such understandings get right to the heart of the "who am I, what am I spirituality questions. What is the overarching guiding principle that governs you? How did that guiding element get into your being? Each of these questions speak to a social construct that you have been apart of. In simple terms it can be your culture, your identity and/or your philosophy of life. It all comes down to why and how choices are made. The construction of any mind (and largely a society) will soon come to the point of building educational facilities. These facilities take on many forms. What does not change is the element of building these facilities so that a certain understanding of civility, peace, structure and knowledge is to be passed along. Another similarity all over the world is that parents are responsible for raising, teaching and supporting the children they bring into the world. Further to that, there is a common saying stating a community is to also take a certain amount of responsibility to raise the children in their community. Now for the complications. Where are the lines drawn for the sharing of the responsibilities? At this very moment those lines have been completely wiped out to the point where there is no clear understanding. This understanding is a major part of everyone mismanaging civil society. In global realities it is why we have groups such as Daesh (ISIS). In a more local setting it is how we get children graduating who can not read or write. This is how we get leaders telling us it is not safe to send children to school. This is how we get children not even graduating. This is how we get to the point where schools are more like jails with lock down doors, police in hallways, cameras and everyone scared of some harmful possibility. At this point the most often comment made is that the world has changed. Well that is true to a very fine margin. The reality is that the essence of life will remain the same forever. The materials we surround ourselves with will change but that is all. How we treat each other, how we teach children to walk, talk, read, write, behave and grow will always be the same. The thoughts of a parent 1000 years ago are the exact same as they are today. They want their children to have the best life possible and full of opportunities. As we have worked to build that best possible life we have made the world a great deal safer today than it was 100 years ago. However, we also built an illusion of complexity to such a point where we are feeling insecure in our own communities. This speaks the the very point of that we have no clear understanding of societal responsibilities. This understanding is a major part of everyone mismanaging civil society and it is putting everyone in grave danger. We have over protected ourselves to the point where a simple answer is only possible if it is prefaced with a disclaimer and a ten page legal document – in small print. Risk is part of life. Without risk we would never expand our knowledge. There is a point where we have to stop making new policies, laws, improvements and see what each of these have done to the entire society. The world needs a break from itself. We all need a play day to let of some steam, to recharge, to get back to a path that actually makes sense or to just get everyone on the same path. It seems as though we are all going madly off in all directions. It seems there is no clarity, understanding or even a common idea that everyone can agree upon anymore. As in every article I write I am again making note of the responsibilities of the individual to be a peaceful person. That is the top priority in this world as it always has been and always will be. When we build facilities to educate society the main concern should always be the peaceful mind of ourselves and each other.

Bringing Peace to Syria

With over five years of completed destruction of Syria the world is still wondering how to bring peace to that country. The really sad part of the statement of not knowing how to bring peace is the reality that the answer is known. What is lacking is the will to actually do the work. To be precise, the lack of will is on the part of the leaders and not the people who actually do the difficult tasks. What is the answer to bringing peace to Syria? The answer is the cliché – boots on the ground. Looking back on how Syria spiraled into this chaos we will see the very tactic of boots on the ground. As mentioned in an earlier article, Al Qeida produced a document named “The Management of Savagery”. This document is a step by step teaching aid on how to take over any sector, area, city, or country. Oddly enough it is also the exact method to bringing peace. The difference is the mindset of those putting the plan into practice. The Management of Savagery is specific to the destruction of society using Islamic rules and most times twisting Islamic ideology, the methods are very similar to what is known as sector security reform. The simplicity of the plan is that you need to have people living, raising families and working in the area you are trying to take over. Then comes the complexity of putting those people on the ground comes into play. For the most part the leaders of the world would rather drop bombs, fire missiles and send drones than put people on the ground. The reasons for that is easily understood but such a tactic only prolongs the war and builds a deep hatred within the minds of the children who get caught in the war. Dropping bombs erodes the trust of those who say they are trying to bring peace. What the children see on the ground are the people helping them after some unknown force destroyed their home, school, hospital, community, playground and family. The people who make up Daesh may be a group of evil hate filled arseholes but they are the ones hauling the bodies to hospitals, bringing aid, food, water and supplies to the children (even though the supplies are stolen from the United Nations aid programmes). This is the fog of war a child will endure. Who do you think they will side with as they get older? After five years of war a 10 year old is now 15 and an 16 year old is now 21 and most likely had children of their own. What message is that child going to be taught? In the process of negotiations the ideology of using “ultimate hammers” is understood to rarely work. Within the context of war, bombs rarely have the desired wide spread impact. If bombing worked, Allepo would have been turned into a peaceful city long ago. Sadly it is still a battle ground and looks to remain so for a very long time. No doubt there are underground tunnel systems throughout the city that have been and are being made. This war will not end until a peaceful person walks across Syria a hundred times without having to preach peace or lament the atrocity of hatred.