Kamala Sarup: Winning A Peace

I see the many recent wars in many countries around the globe as the inevitable clash between the different political cultures and ideologies. Radical terrorists are attempting to preserve their culture from contamination by the non-radical cultures, but the pervasiveness of worldwide media make this objective impossible, in my opinion.

It is a case of the rich, irreverent, profane, and materialistic versus the poor, devotional, fervent, ascetic, and theocratic. Ultimately, it must be resolved, as are all past wars, but it will likely take many years because of the large populations involved.

But the majority people in favor on Peace, and they want technology. I believe the technology will prevail, ultimately, to preserve the economic interests too. In my opinion, the U.S. and its coalition partners temporarily will quiet Iraq and then leave, but I have little confidence that there will be continued peace there and in Afghanistan because of the many internal ethnic, religious, and clan differences.

Suffering of civilians in war is increases substantially during any kind of war. Because of the bloody war, many countries are strewn with landmines, which kill thousands of people every year. Most of the abuses against children, including sexual assaults on girls, take place. Children often suffer alone, afraid of speaking out or being punished.

The cold war ended with the collapse of communism, but on the other hand, radical forces bent on spreading fundamentalist ideologies have arisen. In the past several years, the fighting for power has continued not only in Nepal but in Sierra Leone, Burundi, Angola, Nigeria, Sudan, Liberia, Guinea, Zimbabwe, Congo. Several years after mass killings in Bosnia, Somalia, and Rwanda, there are at least six major cases of genocide. The mass killings of Armenians by Turks, Jews by Hitler, Cambodians by the Khamer Rouge, Kurds of the northern Iraq by Saddam Hussein, Tutsi of Rwanda by the Hutu and of Croats, Muslims and the Albanians of Kosovo by the Serbs.

Recently, UN Secretary-General Annan has also said a number of countries underscored proliferation as a grave danger, while others argued that existing nuclear arsenals imperil us. He also points out that since the review conference last met in 2000, North Korea has announced its withdrawal from the treaty and declared itself in possession of nuclear weapons. Libya has admitted that it worked for years on a clandestine nuclear weapons program. And the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has found undeclared uranium enrichment activity in Iran.

The 1972 BTWC prohibits the development, production; stockpiling, retention or acquisition of biological weapons is a unique class of weapons. Today, 143 States are parties to the Convention. Security Council Resolution 1325, adopted in October 2000, specifically mentions the need to consider the different needs of ex-combatants and their dependents in DDR (disarmament, demobilization and rehabilitation).

Even this year had been a significant year in disarmament and arms control. The Moscow Treaty was a major bilateral achievement. A group of countries, the G-8, also took an important initiative to prevent the proliferation of sensitive technology and material related to weapons of mass destruction and reduction of conventional weapons.

Recently, the secretary-general issued the report of his Policy Working Group on the United Nations, which contained 31 recommendations for action against this global threat, including several relating to disarmament. Recommendation 18, for example, urges the consideration of the establishment of a mechanism in the Department for Disarmament.

As a general principle, all disarmament obligations should indeed be rigorously enforced - compliance is an absolutely vital issue for the effectiveness and credibility of disarmament activities. non-governmental organizations, media organizations and peace and human rights organizations could play in promoting and implementing missile control and disarmament.

So, there are plenty of problems and plenty of reasons why any governments, and International organizations, have an enormous role to play. Any International organizations and governments of the war torn countries must help to bringing peace. So toward eliminating the condition that sustain terrorism and violence, International organizations should work between the government and rebels and support a negotiated settlement.

It is not easy to bring peace in the conflict areas. International organizations and governments must expand its role and program in the troubled countries including Nepal.

It is Universal truth, People want peace. "Having to fight, having to pay the costs of wars from their own resources, having painfully to repair the devastation war leaves behind, and, to fill up the measure of evils, load themselves with a heavy national debt that would embitter peace itself and that can never be liquidated on account of constant wars in the future". Immanuel Kant said. To promote peace promotes a deeper and more durable peace because it promotes a social field, cross-pressures, and political responsibility; it promotes pluralism, diversity, and groups that have a stake in peace.

(Kamala Sarup is editor of http://peacejournalism.com/ )

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