On entering 2023

In case you expect a kind of celebrative champagne toast-like text here, my apology at the outset. For me, this is a very different new year. Perhaps the most tragic new year in my life. Globally speaking, 2022 was nothing to celebrate. My prediction for 2023 is that it will, at best, not be worse. It’s been another year wasted for solving humanity’s most urgent … Continue reading On entering 2023

The “State of The World” lecture 2021

Hardanger-akademiet for Fred, Udvikling og Miljø havde givet mig den ærefulde opgave at holde årets “State of The World” forelæsning 2021, som akademiets mentor og inspirator, Johan Galtung, ellers plejer at holde. Akademiet ligger i lille Jondal i Norge – lidt udenfor Bergen – og rejsen dertil er én lang storslået oplevelse af uafbrudt naturskønhed – med undtagelse af et antal tunneller, den længste 11 … Continue reading The “State of The World” lecture 2021

STOP this Cold War on China !

Humanity faces huge challenges to its survival – climate change, development of a sustainable post-capitalism-development, militarism and nuclear weapons abolition, poverty eradication, democratising democracy, etc. Therefore, the world must protest now at the prospect of a new unilaterally driven anti-China campaign orchestrated by the declining United States and NATO members. No matter what you may think or know about China, there are other responsible ways … Continue reading STOP this Cold War on China !

What if? Talks on migration. A series of video essays

3. marts 2020 Hvad vil der ske hvis al ind- og udvandring blev givet fri – worldwide? I posten med den overskrift skrev jeg om den århusianske kunster, Gudrun Steen-Andersens, fascinerende kreative Perpetuum Mobile-projekt tilbage i juli 2019. Det er en video-essay baseret installation hvor hun har bedt en række forskellige eksperter om at reagere på hendes spørgsmål. Alle links og informationer findes dér. Mens … Continue reading What if? Talks on migration. A series of video essays

“Shadow World” – on your tax money

I’ve felt deeply touched by Johan Grimonprez’ brilliant and frightening documentary “Shadow World” which is based on Andrew Feinstein’s book with the same name. I want to share it with my readers and here is all about the book and the movie. It was shown in November 2016 by Swedish Television with Swedish text but is due to be taken down a couple of month later. It will … Continue reading “Shadow World” – on your tax money

The Western moral decay

The World Humanitarian Summit held in Istanbul, May 23-24, 2016 failed to achieve its fund-raising goals. No one from the richest countries – except Angela Merkel – or of the UN Security Council attended – writes eminent observer Baher Kamal for InterPress Service, IPS. The richest and most powerful, the most militarized and the most greedy on earth of course stayed away. In addition, they … Continue reading The Western moral decay

Burundi’s crisis: Complacency, inaction or racism – or all of it?

There is no end, it seems, to diplomats and government representatives who “express concern”, appeal, urge the parties to show restraint, warn, condemn etc. All words, no deeds. European leaders reaction is basically silence – while 16 Europeans killed in the office of Charlie Hebdo made them walk arms in arm in Paris. When I think of Burundi today, all these words by Martin Luther … Continue reading Burundi’s crisis: Complacency, inaction or racism – or all of it?

Militarism, taxpayer money for war planning and lack of democracy

My deeply concerned wake-up call to YOU! Please share and spread further!NATO’s military leader is like a man given a scalpel to perform surgery without ever having opened a book on medicine.Taxpayers pay for getting less and less secure and risking war in Europe. These military elites have no democratic mandate – be it in the West, Russia, China or anywhere.My interview with RT International Continue reading Militarism, taxpayer money for war planning and lack of democracy

Burundi – Early warning and violence prevention

Burundi is a country with very special characteristics. It’s always been in the shadow of Rwanda and relatively neglected by the international community. A very very serious crisis is now unfolding because its president, Pierre Nkurunziza, is willing to risk everything to get elected for a third 5-year time which is very dubious according to the constitution. It’s a country with a GDP per capita … Continue reading Burundi – Early warning and violence prevention

Who are the barbarians of our time?

When I watch this documentary, Iraq: Shattered Heritage, I cannot but ask myself: Who are the barbarians of our time? What is the mote and what is the beam in this world? Who tells Russia that “big countries shall not bully smaller countries”? Isn’t it time for the Western world to acknowledge its own dark sides and stop projecting them on everybody else? I am … Continue reading Who are the barbarians of our time?

Wisdom of expression

Freedom of expression fundamentalism – or what happened to Charlie?Four main reasons you need to be wise – and not make New Atheism your new creed! This is TFF PressInfo # 304. You can get these fast-growing PressInfos winging into you e-box too. Just write to pressinfo@transnational.org Continue reading Wisdom of expression

The world’s richest 1% will own more than all the rest by 2016!

Richest 1% will own more than all the rest by 2016! – Oxfam report states. The West has had about 300 years to create a more fair world – as it thought of itself as a civilising factor and as the First World, as a model. But it has only made things worse. It has accumulated wealth to itself and elites in allied countries. This … Continue reading The world’s richest 1% will own more than all the rest by 2016!

Syrien – hvad kunne være gjort og hvad kan stadig gøres?

Gad vide hvor mange mislykkede krige vi endnu skal igennem før især politikere og medier opdager det indlysende faktum, at der findes et temmeligt bredt spektrum af handlingsmuligheder mellem at gøre ingenting og at smadre et land når konflikter dukker op?

Det spektrum hedder konflikthåndtering og tilhører et fagområde, der undervises i rundt om på verdens universiteter. Det kræver at FNs medlemsstater etablerer ”styrker” af uddannede konfliktanalytikere, facilitatorer, mæglere, områdeeksperter, forhandlere og forsoningsterapeuter, der kan rykke ud endnu hurtigere end de kan sende krydsermissiler og F-16 fly.

For at dette spektrum kan blive inddraget forudsættes endvidere at regeringer ikke direkte ønsker krig under foregivende af at have gode og ofte humanitære motiver hvor de i virkeligheden har rå interesser.

Med andre ord, man kan gøre noget ved den manifeste konfliktanalfabetisme, der først søger militære løsninger og – som en række danske politikere – hurtigt tilsidesætter folkeretten og FNs fornemste norm, nemlig den at fred skal skabes med fredelige midler og først når de alle har været prøvet og vist sig uden effekt kan man gribe til militære midler, vel at mærke i FN-regi.

Eller anderledes udtrykt: fred kan læres. Når nu de fleste mennesker i verden – også 98% af de civile i konfliktzoner der ikke griber til vold men er dens ofre – ønsker fred skulle man kunne tage demokratiet alvorligt og gøre en kraftanstrengelse for at mindske (ikke afskaffe) militæret, der globalt koster 1700 milliarder dollar eller 30 gange mere end alt FN gør – og i stedet øge konflikthåndteringen.

Eksemplet Syrien – gal diagnose og prognose

Verden har brug for konflikt-lægevidenskab: diagnose, prognose og behandling.

Diagnosen turde være nok så klar: Det handler om endog meget komplekse indre konflikter, den arabiske vår (oprindeligt) men det handler også om hele Mellemøsten og især hér om Vestens ønske om at holde Iran nede og Israel oppe. Continue reading “Syrien – hvad kunne være gjort og hvad kan stadig gøres?”