"Out, damned spot! Out, I say!"

So, while some of us are expending so much energy in order to bring about as much as a butterfly's effect of a change for peace... 

On Friday, US President Trump tore up the United Nations sponsored treaty signed by his predecessor Barack Obama to regulate the sale of conventional weapons. The Arms Trade Treaty was a landmark agreement that came into force on the 24 December, 2014. The treaty has been ratified by 96 of the 130 signatories and Stephane Dujarric, the UN spokesperson, celebrated it as:

a landmark achievement in the efforts to ensure responsibility in international arms transfers.

Money before people

The aim of the treaty is to prevent arms from being sold to human rights abusers. It is a bit like not wanting to sell Viagra to serial rapists, or petrol to arsonists. The least a responsible government can do to protect the innocent, you would think. But no, not for Trump and the National Rifle Association (NRA). They don't want the $70 billion business to be regulated. Money comes before people. 

At an NRA gathering in Indianapolis Trump boasted that he would never allow "foreign bureaucrats to trample on" the freedom of the Second Amendment. Of course, the treaty, which deals with the international arms trade, has little or nothing to do with the Second Amendment. But then again, President Trump has never been one to care about truth. The NRA, currently plagued with infighting, was delighted.

Blood on your hands?

Kites are made to fly and weapons are made to kill, maim and destroy. Dealing in them is bad enough, but deliberately selling them to those who you know will abuse them is equivalent to mass murder; genocide, even: who knows? I will never understand how these people manage to sleep at night. However, all those who knowingly continue to support them, are also guilty. So be careful whom you are giving your vote to. That sort of blood on your hands does not wash off easily,  

UN-aligned for a safer world; join here!

Guterres under fire, but it is the UN structure that is to blame

Piping for the superpowers

My article yesterday was about the post of UN Secretary-General and its decline in significance since the early days of Dag Hammarskjold. The Secretary-Generals are not to blame for this erosion. They are at the mercy of the five permanent members of the Security Council, who wield a privileged position in the UN structure. The US in particularly powerful, in as much as it is also the main funder by a very substantial margin, forking out up to $10 billion a year. In fact, the US pays more than the next three nations combined, which are the UK, Japan and Germany. As the saying goes, "he who pays the piper calls the tune".

UN credibility beyond repair 

Is it surprising then that the Secretary-General has to kowtow to the powerful nations and not rock the boat too much? This month, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres came under fire for failing to broach the subject of human rights during a meeting with Chinese Premier Xi Jinping. Human rights activists were livid. Sophie Richardson, the China Director of Human Rights Watch published an article listing human rights violations by Guterres' host, including many relating to the United Nations itself. She concluded with an echo of previous warnings to the UN by Human Rights Watch:

The credibility of the United Nations depends in part on its willingness to vigorously and publicly challenge human rights violations committed by its most powerful members.

Sadly, this credibility is in already tatters. We cannot blame the Guterreses of this world for that. And while we can blame the nations that have been consistently undermining the position he holds, the root cause is the structure of the United Nations itself. 

UN-aligned: the alternative United Nations

That is why UN-aligned is working towards a virtual United Nations that does not need to be beholden to anyone or anything, other than its founding principles which are non-negotiable (though they will evolve with time). Trump, Xi or Putin would not even be able to pass the virtual threshold of this organisation. Citizens of their countries, however, would be. It will be the citizens that will construct this United Nations; a United Nations that will be able to live up to its federal mandate.

UN-aligned for a better United Nations; join here!

From Leader to Figurehead: The Post of UN Secretary-General

Dag Hammarskjold a hero of the United Nations

Dag Hammarskjold, the second Secretary-General of the United Nations was a leader. It was not surprising that he should have become a seasoned academic and politician, since he was born to a family with roots in politics that spanned centuries. His own father, Hjalmar Hammarskjold, was Prime Minister of Sweden from 1914 to 1917. What is impressive is the vision and integrity that accompanied him throughout his career, particularly while Secretary-General of the United Nations. 

Hammarskjold succeeded Trygve Lie as UN Secretary-General in 1953, and he is widely considered responsible for having given the post a dynamic and unique quality. He died in a plane crash in September 1961, while on a delicate diplomatic mission and for his efforts was posthumously awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. 

Dag Hammarskjöld

Flying into a hornet's nest

Hammarskjold was on a peace mission to the Congo, shortly after its independence from Belgium, when his plane came down in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia). It was a journey into a hornets nest. The former colonial power, backed by the US and Britain, were supporting the separatists from the Katanga Province and were determined that he should fail in order to protect their interests, especially mining, in that area. It is alleged that they eliminated him to stop him from succeeding.

An unlikely accident

Inquiries into Hammarskjold's death were vague and there were many contradictions in the official versions of events. Evidence to suggest foul play, however, has been springing up from very different sources ever since the unexplained "accident" happened, much of it from reliable sources. These include:

• witnesses to the actual disaster
• Hammarskjold's own nephew
• Desmond Tutu (when chairman of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission) 
• independent investigations
• a friend of Van Risseghem, who claimed that the pilot confessed to shooting down the UN plane

The controversy continues, but one thing is certain, the crash did not only put an end to Hammarskjold's life. The wings were clipped of the nascent post of Secretary-General before it could even take flight. 

UN-aligned for a better United Nations; join here!

Issues that matter need laws that cannot be undermined at the ballot box

A battle has been won against ecocide...

About a month ago, I wrote an article on ecocide. I mentioned the remarkable work of Polly Higgins who campaigned tirelessly for laws to be changed in order to protect the planet from wanton destruction by its so-called guardians. Polly died on Easter Sunday after a battle with cancer. The organisation she founded, Earth Protectors, announced that she passed away "with a mischievous smile on her face". As Polly lay dying, London was paralysed by protesting environmentalists. Greta Thunberg was adding her voice and that of a new generation to the battle cry. This was a battle that Polly had won: the world was waking up again! 

The war on ecocide goes on...

A few victories, however, will not guarantee a safer world. It is crumbling before our eyes. Yesterday, news came out of the alarming plight of the emperor penguins. They nest on ice in the Antarctic. Last year it became too thin to last long enough for the chicks to develop sufficiently for the challenges that faced them. As the ice melted away, so did the chicks, whose feathers were not yet water resistant enough to save them from drowning. The second largest colony may have been lost because of this.

By Ian Duffy from UK - Animal Portraits

We need laws...

Polly Higgins was a lawyer. She understood that without laws safeguarding the global ecosystem, nothing would stop greedy corporations and governments from exploiting it as much as they could. They would do so without any regard for present or future generations; or the destruction of the planet. 

The same applies to issues concerning human rights and justice. Not only are these sometimes at the mercy of oppressive governments, often they are left to the whims of flawed democratic systems that consider the ballot box above decency and justice.

And the laws need teeth...
UN-aligned is opposed to this pseudo-democracy. It will be fighting for international laws that transcend the ballot box when it is the planet, its ecosystems and all its lifeforms that are at stake. However, for these laws to have teeth, we also need an international order like the United Nations, but one that is not a plaything of the superpowers and their corporate buddies. This too, UN-aligned is fighting for. UN-aligned will be launched next month, but is already open for membership... Why not join?

The United Nations' immoral moral leadership

The not so big five...

Russia started issuing passports to east Ukraine in a move to consolidate its power there and continue its aggression on the sovereign state of Ukraine. Putin is paving the way for Russia to annex more of Ukraine's territory.

China has just sentenced Hong Kong pro-democracy demonstrators to jail terms of up to 16 months. President Xi's premiership has been marked with a swing towards greater authoritarianism.

Trump is strutting around threatening Iran, Cuba and Mexico, while encouraging Israel and Libyan war lord, Haftar, to defy the United Nations.

Theresa May is dangling her country's stability on the edge of a cliff. Yesterday she snubbed Greta Thunberg, the young climate activist who was met by other UK party leaders.

President Macron of France is trying; some may say "very trying". He too is supporting Haftar against the UN-backed government in Libya.

These are the five permanent members of the Security Council of the United Nations.

A disgrace to the modern world

Is it fair that the world should be beholden to these five nations who can block any United Nations security decision with their power of veto? Of course not! In fact, it is more than unfair: it is downright obscene. And yet we plod along like zombies accepting this abuse. Many of us not even aware of it. Come on! Wake up! Do something about it! What? you may ask. Well, you can start by joining UN-aligned, or at least reading about it! UN-aligned will be launched on May 24 and will work for a better united nations: in every sense!

The UN's flawed structure, principles and functions

The United Nations (UN) is a remarkable organisation. It has achieved some outstanding results for humanity and it continues to do so. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals offer an example, amongst many, of its tireless work for the planet and its people. Despite its achievements, however, the UN is flawed. Its many failings relate to its structure, its principles and its functions. Here are some examples: 

1. The language and structure of the UN Charter are ingrained in the post war world of 1945 

1.1 Those countries who had fought against the Allies are referred to as “enemy” states in the UN Charter and treated differently.

1.2 The five permanent members of the Security Council were the main victors of the Second World War. Their selection had nothing to do with fair representation or moral authority. 

1.3 One of the six organs of the UN, the Trusteeship Council is redundant. It was established to oversee the independence process of territories still occupied by colonial powers. Of course, it could have diversified and worked for oppressed people within nations, but it chose not do this. 

2. The privilege of the five permanent members to wield the veto (Article 27) allows for gross misjustice and abuse. IN 2015 France even tried to limit its use in cases that could lead to genocide, but their proposal was dismissed by Russia as “populist”. 

3. The UN principles that are supposed to inform the decision-making process, are so vague and limited (Articles 1 & 2) that member states ignore them as a matter of course. When talking about discrimination, only race, sex (gender), language and religion are mentioned. 

4. Many human rights violations receive minimal attention (if at all) because a large proportion of the member states are guilty of them. LGBT rights is a case in point. Homosexuality remains illegal if over a third of UN member states. 

5. Despite all the atrocities committed by countless nations since 1945 and the fact that the UN reserved the right to expel nations that do not abide by its principles (Article 6), none have ever been ejected for this reason. The only state to have been expelled was the Republic of China (Taiwan), who suddenly found itself kicked out in favour of Mao’s People’s Republic of China. 

6. The UN’s resolutions are periodically ignored by member states, with impunity. 

7. The UN is frequently undermined by its most powerful members, such as Russia and the US. 

8. Calls for the UN to be reformed constitute a recurring theme of the yearly General Debates, but the UN is fettered by permanent members of the Security Council and unable to make any significant progress.

The UN-aligned alternative

The starting point of UN-aligned is very different to that of the UN. Whereas the UN began with member states, UN-aligned is starting off with members who are already committed to the clear principles it advocates. The UN prides itself with its 193 member states. Many governments of these states flout all norms of decency. For UN-aligned, however, the emphasis is on quality, not quantity; and on people, not nations. 

Its “United Nations” will therefore be virtual to start: a vision people can work towards, one person at a time. As the numbers increase, and political parties spring up around the world (as per its long-term plans), actual nations may join in. At that point, UN-aligned principles will start to acquire legal status. The final stage in this evolution will be an international law that respects all human rights and works for the health of the planet and its multiple lifeforms. Nevertheless, even before then, with enough members, UN-aligned can start influencing and changing the current international legal system to one that puts people and the planet first. 

Reflections on the Sri Lanka bombings

Bloody motives!

If an angel came and told me that all the world problems would be solved if I just put a few bombs around killing innocent people in mosques, synagogues, churches, market places or hotels... would I do it? Of course not. Firstly, because I do not even have the right to insult an innocent person, let alone take their life. Secondly, because it would be like asking me to believe that good is founded on evil, or harmony on hatred. Rather obvious, you would say... Then why, oh why, does it keep happening again and again!

The answer is obvious. These people care little about harmony and justice. Their motives are greed, power and contempt for all that is sacred in this world. I am not talking about the gullible fools that let themselves be brainwashed. People too stupid to know that they are being manipulated by forces way beyond their comprehension. I am referring to the scheming scoundrels who pull the strings. Often, we haven't got a clue who these people are, since the strings they are pulling may be long indeed. We could be dealing with the arms trade, geo-politics or single megalomaniacs, bent on power or profit. Often they exploit native bigotry for their aims.

Silence is not an option

The way to improve the situation is also obvious. Religious and ideological leaders must stress the unacceptability of violence and injustice as a means to an end. This has to be proclaimed clearly and loudly. It has to be done as clarification of specific doctrines, but also in unity. These moral leaders must emphasise the fact that what unites us is greater than what divides us and that nothing justifies aggression against any innocent party. Religions can be beautiful, just as differing political perspectives can be, but when these do not decry violence, they too are tarnished. It is high time the predominant ideologies of the world start focussing on what is truly important, rather than on petty differences in doctrine or ideology. 

Lebanon's discriminatory citizenship laws

Born onto Limbo

Yesterday, I spoke about statelessness. I mentioned how countries often used it as weapon against people. Lately, women in Lebanon have been taking to the streets to protest the country's obscene laws that deprive their children of citizenship, if born of foreign fathers. The same does not apply to children born to Lebanese fathers and foreign mothers. The consequences for children born of these mothers are dire as a recent Al Jazeera report highlighted.

Religion is not helping the situation...

The government holds that the law is necessary to maintain the fragile balance of power in Lebanon, where certain factions are guaranteed parliamentary seats: Maronite, Orthodox, Sunni, Druze, Shi'ite... Small-minded politics is bound to have small-minded consequences. Religion can corrupt, as can politics, but put them together and they are sure to do so. Besides, what has lawmaking got to do with petty religious differences? With all its pantheon of religions, Lebanon's Parliament cannot pass a simple point of justice.

The Virtue of Trees

When I think of the different lifeforms that grace the earth, trees and plants (most of them, anyway) always come up on top. They give so much and yet they only take a little of what flows freely from nature: the air, the rays of the sun, the rain and the earth. Though exposed, trees give shelter; though maltreated, they are at peace; though still, they seem to contemplate the furthest horizons. They predate us by millions of years and yet not a drop of blood has ever stained their dignity. Their nature is their wisdom and their virtue. But I wonder, do they think? If they did, I would dread to know what they would think of us.

Trees
By (Alfred) Joyce Kilmer

I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.

The World Press Freedom Index shames America, amongst others

An Index that does not make for happy reading...

Reporters without Borders has just published the yearly World Press Freedom Index. Turkmenistan has overtaken North Korea as the worst country in a list of a 180. Norway is at the top, followed by Finland, Sweden, respectively. The United States dropped three places to 48th. President Trump's hatred of the media, which he refers to as "fake news" and the "enemy of the people" certainly has not helped the situation, there. The US also joined the top five "deadliest countries" for journalists.

I expect that the freedom ranking of the US would have been even lower had Reporters without Borders seen the press conference today concerning the Mueller Report. Apart from the fact that Attorney General William Barr only released a redacted version (a euphemism for a censored version), he was only willing to do so after he preempted public reaction. He even used language that was biased in favour of Trump, and incompatible with his position, which should be one of impartiality. 

Press freedom is the litmus test of a healthy society

The importance of press freedom cannot be overstated. Journalism sheds a light that exposes the workings of politicians and people with power. It holds them to account. But journalism also keeps us informed of the development of out world: its strengths and weaknesses, its opportunities and threats. Journalism unites us in common causes. Only countries that have something to hide, oppose it.; what other reason could there be? I remember seeing a vignette once, it read:

First they came for the journalists... We don't know what happened next.

Myanmar holds on to its political prisoners

Aung San Suu Kyi's betrayal

If you cheered with optimism when Aung San Suu Kyi assumed office in 2016, you had every reason to do so. The Burmese politician had spent years in detention and had become an icon of the human rights movement. It felt like the blooming of a new era for Myanmar... Alas! The blossoms withered on the boughs and the political situation there seems no better than before. It is worse, perhaps, as the regime carries on regardless, buffered by this figure of respectability who is fast morphing from a symbol of hope to one of betrayal.  

In September 2017, fellow Nobel laureate, retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu, wrote her a touching and prodding letter. "If the political price of your ascension to the highest office in Myanmar is your silence," he said, "the price is surely too steep." Other rebukes, such as the revoking of some of her honours, were equally ineffective.

Myanmar holding on to its political prisoners

As part of the Burmese New Year celebrations, 9,535 prisoners were set free today. Freeing prisoners is a routine way of easing the problem of overcrowded jails. Many of those released were convicted of drug offences. Only two were political prisoners and they had already been behind bars for almost two decades! Hundreds of political prisoners are still locked up, including the two Reuters journalists who have been in custody since December 2017. 

"Give us Barabbas!"

Some people found it ironic that Notre Dame de Paris should burn down in Easter week, with the alleged crown of thorns having to be saved from the flames. This, I believe is even more so. The "notorious criminal" Barabbas was freed instead of Jesus. And now it seems Myanmar would be happy to free anyone, as long as it does not include seekers of justice.

UN-aligned: daring to dream for a united World

A typical reaction to UN-aligned...

Yesterday, a carpenter came along to give a quote on some work for the new UN-aligned office. Though a simple man, who lived all his life in a tiny village in the mountains, he was interested in the project and wanted to know more about it. I told him that it was an organisation that would be working for and united, healthy and just world. I gave a few examples from the UN-aligned Manifesto, such as making war illegal and enhancing respect for animal rights. He thought about it a while and then concluded that its chances were minimal.

They won't allow it!

His first objection was that "they" won't allow it. The "they" referred to greedy politicians and corporate business. I pointed out that UN-aligned was virtual to start with and that therefore they could not stop it. Only when UN-aligned would have enough members, would it register political parties. In the meantime, the organisation and its members would promote the ideal and campaign for the issues it believes in. 

The Arena at Alba Fucens, Abruzzo

Bread & Circuses

His next criticism was that noble causes are doomed to failure anyway, because most people are only interested in their pleasure. "Pane e arene", he said, wisely: bread and circuses. Well, that's the point, I explained. 'Most' is not 'all'. If people who are concerned about human rights and the environment pool together, they will see how effective they can really be. I confessed that it could take time for UN-aligned to catch on. Still, I stressed, it never would, if it never started.

The power of dreams

On the first page of my other website, Scratchingdeeper.com, there is a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt:

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

I told him as much in my own words and he half agreed; only half. His scepticism is understandable. In fact, it is the norm: idealism is for dreamers. So it was refreshing reading a tweet today by Donald Tusk:

At the summit one Prime Minister warned us not to be dreamers, not to think #Brexit could be reversed. But in this difficult moment, we need dreamer and dreams. We cannot give in to fatalism. At least I will not stop dreaming about a united Europe.

Well said, Mr Tusk! UN-aligned dreams of a united world!

Notre Dame de Paris, you will always be in our hearts.

Notre Dame de Paris, adieu!

Whenever people die, I rarely weep. Or if I do, it is for those caught up in the grief, or for the tragedy at large. A strong belief that the dead are heading for a better place, or at least an onward stage of their journey, has  always kept me positive. I just shed all those unspent tears in one go at the sight of Notre Dame de Paris! In a world that is crumbling around us owing to our indifference to environmental and social issues, monuments like Notre Dame are symbols of hope. Alas! Notre Dame itself, after almost a thousand years of history, is no more. 

In a way, artworks do go to heaven

Notre Dame is one of a series of great historical losses in the first decades of the 21st century. Notable examples are the Buddhas of Bamyan, blown up by the Taliban in 2001, the destruction of Palmyra by ISIS in 2015 and the fire that devastated the National Museum of Brazil a year ago. 

Of course, in a way, art works do go to heaven. They are in our hearts and we take them with us. But for the moment it is many of us who are going with it, in burning grief. As for me, I feel my tears alone could have put this fire out!