WIKIPROMISES

By Johan Galtung and - - Reprint | | Print |

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ALFAZ, SPAIN, Jan 10 2011 (IPS) - In 2010, Wikileaks caught the world’s attention and contributed to greater openness. The new year is a traditional time to make wishes and promises. Here is a list of promises that I wish would be made -and kept!

THE UNITED STATES:

-close its 800 foreign military bases in 150 countries within ten years; -give up its claim to be a “chosen country” with a world mission; -negotiate on an equal basis, without threats or bribes; -open dialogues with Cuba, Muslim countries and Iran; -ratify conventions on economic, social and cultural human rights; -investigate the causes of drug abuse and remove them; -explore the idea of a “MexUSCan” association with its neighbours; -Hawaii should gain sovereignty within the US and within a Polynesian community.

LATIN AMERICA:

-make progress on the US and Caribbean; -Chile, Peru and Bolivia establish a trilateral coastal zone; -dramatically improve the conditions of Colombia poor.

AFRICA:

-the African Union builds more on peace, people’s rights, and culture; -Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Congos form a bioceanic community; -Sudan explores a Northeast Africa sub-region with its neighbours; -Sudan explores a genuine federation, not dominated by Khartoum; -Sudan reverts to traditional public ownership-private use of land.

THE MIDDLE EAST:

-Israeli women revolt against orthodox-Zionist repression; -Middle East schools teach both the shoah and nakba (catastrophe) narratives; -Palestine’s 15 November 1988 statehood is recognized by all; -the US dog is no longer wagged by an Israeli tail; -the EU is ready to mediate in the Middle East; -Syria and Iran accept changes in treating Kurds that were made in Iraq and Turkey; -the autonomous territories constitute Kurdistan without moving any borders.

EAST ASIA:

-the US gets ready to normalize its relations with North Korea; -North Korea accepts full inspection of its nuclear facilities; -the Korean Peninsula becomes a nuclear weapons-free zone; -North and South Korea resume cooperation for mutual and equal benefit; -China uses the Hong Kong model for Taiwan, Tibet, Sinjiang, Inner Mongolia; -China organizes a World Cultural Forum in Hong Kong; -China releases Nobel Peace Laureate Liu Xiaobo; -China shows the world how it uplifted millions from misery to a decent life; -China extends the historic trading route to Europe (the “Silk Road”) to Africa and across the Atlantic Ocean to Latin America; -Russia hands the Kurile Islands to Japan, which in turn hands some to the discriminated minority of the Ainu; -Japan grants the Ryu Kyu Islands (Okinawa) a very high level of autonomy; -Japan negotiates conciliation with the Koreas and Chinas; -Japan, the Koreas, and Chinas negotiate an East Asian Community (EAC); -the contested islands are brought under the EAC for joint benefit; -the EAC negotiates a common yuan-yen based currency.

CENTRAL ASIA:

-Turkey works on a Central Asian region with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization; -Afghanistan becomes a neutral confederation in a community of neighbour countries; -Christian countries withdraw from their crusade in Afghanistan; -Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan form a Caucasian Community.

SOUTH ASIA:

-Kashmir becomes a confederation of Jammu-Ladakh-AzadKashmir-Valley; -Myanmar concentrates on a free and prosperous future; -Colombo accepts a Tamil Eelam as New Delhi with Tamil Nadu.

EUROPE:

-Russia reinvents itself as a region, with a high level of autonomy for parts; -Turkish Cyprus is recognized, making Cyprus a (con)federation; -ex-Yugoslavia forms a new community with open borders; -Kosova is recognized as a federation with Serbian and other cantons; -Serbia-Kosova-Albania form a community with open borders; -Spain becomes a “Comunidad de naciones” with a high level of autonomy; -troop deployment (EU Council) yields to conflict resolution (EU Commission); -the EU Commission offers mediation and shares experience with other regions.

THE UNITED NATIONS:

-launches a dialogue of civilizations on human rights; -expands membership in the Security Council and abolishes the veto; -plans a parliament with one representative per million people; -the IMF and the World Bank in Washington return to the UN; -the World Trade Organization becomes a UN institution with a parliament; -the world negotiates a euro-dollar-yuan-yen based currency; -multilateral quota markets for 10,000 green products are removed; -GNP is replaced with the UNDP’s Human Development Indicators; -the Organization of the Islamic Conference changes to a Community; -the various regions in the world form a “United Regions” without veto; -there is a general move toward creating peace ministries everywhere.

CULTURE:

-the media focus more on peace and conflict resolution than violence and victory; -freedom of expression is reconciled with freedom from insult; -peace studies expand as paranoid security studies decline; -schools everywhere teach peace and conflict skills to children.

Many such things have happened and contribute to peace. This is the kind of work we would like diplomats to be engaged in, instead of trivial gossiping. But the Man of the YEAR, Julian Assange, revealed them as person- rather than problem-oriented, negative-controlling as opposed to positive-constructive, self- serving rather than concerned with community, region, world, and humanity. It is not surprising that they demand secrecy.

Assange and Private Manning, who provided him with the leaked material, sounded the deathknell not only of a dying empire but also of an institution -conventional diplomacy- which does not meet the needs of our times.

The world needs knowledgeable and skilled women and men promoting the interests of humans and nature everywhere, in all nations and states, civilizations and regions of the world.

The Country of the Year, Turkey, showed that consistent peace politics, creating friendly relations with all its neighbours, is possible. All it takes is the decision to take that road. (END/COPYRIGHT IPS)

(*) Johan Galtung, a Professor of Peace Studies and Founder of TRANSCEND, a Peace, Development and Environment Network, is author of “50 Years: 100 Peace and Conflict Perspectives,” TRANSCEND University Press (www.transcend.org/tup).