In this blog I write about world affairs, presenting a view of the world free from NATO propaganda.
Peace Anthropology and Development Anthropology and History are the tools with which I analyze international affairs, as part of a world-wide web of people working for peace through Transcend, UNIDIR and other agencies. Terrorism? This is largely political propaganda: my EPES Mandala Consulting group specialized in “terrorism” and far more people die each year from road accidents or from the flu, than from terror attacks. A lot of news is fear-mongering and most comes from a small number of corporate and government sources. Investigative journalists are a threatened species.
“I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it.”
CLIMATE CHANGE and MIGRATIONS THREATEN PEACE
Climate change is now officially a major security threat, according to the White House, the State Department, the Coordinator of National Security and the Pentagon. Of course it is. How clever of them. The rest of us had worked that out around twenty or thirty years ago.
Read MoreDid you know that July 12th each year is MALALA DAY?
On 12 July 2013, Malala Yousafzai's 16th birthday, she spoke at the UN to call for worldwide access to education. It was her first public speech since being shot by a Taliban gunman. The UN dubbed the event "Malala Day."
Read MoreHonoring my dear friend General Hendrik van der Graaf.
General Henny created and perfected a system of persuading people with firearms to adopt micro-disarmament in exchange for peace and development. General Henny, former member of the Board of UNIDIR – the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research in Geneva - died March 10th 2021 at the age of 88, in his hometown of Eindhoven.
Read More“Weapon management” is something every American should be able to understand and approve. [In Afghanistan] we moved from “disarmament” into “management,” which meant registration of legal firearms, verification of an owner’s good reputation, checks on safe ammunition storage, etc. While every hunter may need a gun, no hunter needs a “weapon,” which is for war.
Read MoreThe NYT is sympathetic to this tragedy, but the authors miss a lot of context. They accuse the United Nations of using people who were “woefully unprepared” (that is the journalists’ judgment) for their task of investigating human rights abuses in DRC. I thought it would be useful for us all to share some of these experiences and to explain the context which – naturally enough – a couple of well-meaning journalists might not be able to “feel” or understand.
Read MoreBut whether you believe that NATO is a force for peace and stability, or a malevolent and militaristic alliance of bully-states, what Trump said about defense is hardly reassuring. He signaled his intention to increase military spending by $54 billion: meaning the Pentagon will get an increase of 10% over its current regular budget.
Read MorePeace proved to be Possible, even after thirty years of Cambodian Civil War. As proponents of Peace Journalism in a world of wars and conflicts, a conflict resolution and disarmament success story is a precious commodity. Cambodia at the turn of the Millennium provided such a story.
Read MoreIt is 40 years since President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing created UNIDIR. I work for peace, and I worked for one of my favourite peace organizations: UNIDIR in Geneva, United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research.
Read MoreProfessor Johan Galtung, the Norwegian ‘Father of Peace Studies’ celebrates his 90th birthday on United Nations Day 24/10/2020, the 75th anniversary of the United Nations.
Read MoreThis book wrestles with fundamental questions of practical disarmament and peace building in Sierra Leone. Although they were written prior to the May-June 2000 upsurge of violence in Freetown that led to the arrest of Foday Sankoh, these incidents underline the relevance of the authors' analyses.
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