I. Fire principper for en ny arktisk vision Arktis fremstilles ofte som en kold arena for rivalisering — et sted, hvor stormagter tester hinandens vilje. Men dette verdensbillede er forældet, fantasiløst og i sidste ende selvdestruktivt. Arktis er ikke et tomrum, der venter på at blive militariseret; det er en levende region, en klimastabilisator og et kulturelt hjemland, hvis fremtid vil forme menneskehedens fremtid. Hvis … Continue reading 1051 – Et nyt perspektiv og en plan for et afmilitariseret Arktis til det fælles bedste – og hvorfor dét er rationelt
Det står for mig smertefuldt klart, at de politiske dynamikker i Washington i stigende grad spejler det farligste mønster, der kulminerede i 1945, og som verden besluttede aldrig skulle gentage sig. USA er blevet en fascistisk stat — indadtil og udadtil. Hvis landet nogensinde har været et demokrati — et ord, der ikke findes i dets forfatning — så er det det ikke længere. USA … Continue reading 1043 – Stop Trump
Krigsforberedelser og militarisme er nu de vigtigste faktorer, der holder Vesten sammen – og de vil også få den til at falde hurtigere. Den vestlige verden har mistet sin bevidsthed, sin opfattelsesevne og sine redskaber til konfliktanalyse, konfliktløsning, fredsskabelse og forsoning. De er blevet presset ud af militarismens kakistokrater – et politologibegreb, der betyder styre af »de værste, mindst kvalificerede eller mest skruppelløse mennesker«. Som … Continue reading 1000 – Vestverdens selvdestruktive freds- og konflikt-analfabetisme.
Denne artikel er en invitation til global dialog og ikke et færdigt produkt. Den er en meget kort udgave af en 30+ A4 siders analyse, som det estimerede kinesiske økonomitidsskrift, China Investment, har bedt mig om at skrive. Derpå bad det politiske helt centrale Global Times mig om at skrive denne sammenfatning. Og den danske udgave publiceredes i Arbejderen – det eneste vigtige danske medie … Continue reading Menneskeheden har brug for et helt andet freds- og sikkerhedssystem i fremtiden
Jørgen Johansen & Henrik Frykberg Jørgen Johansen är fredsforskare, specialist i ickevåld – och förläggare. Han är också min vän och TFF Associate genom årtionden. Henrik Frykberg er präst med lång erfarenhet av ickevåld. Det är utomordentligt viktigt att kyrkan tar ställning – för ickevåld i stället för krig. Jag har tidigare här påpekat att det finns vissa problem inom svenska kyrkan på det området. … Continue reading Med andra medel: Ukraina och ickevåld
Get to know a few things you did not know about Jan Oberg. This is extraordinary: Some serious people contact you and say: “We have found that what you do is so interesting that we want to have a long conversation with you – who you are, what you do, how you do it, what motivates you and how you see the world – and … Continue reading Featured Business: A very personal portrait conversation of 1 h & 50 min
Today is Martin Luther King Jr Day in the United States, the third Monday in January a public holiday. In the manifest absence of even the slightest reverence for King, let’s at least hope that this country – moving further and further away from MLK Jr. on a daily basis – does just a little less harm on this very day than on all the … Continue reading Martin Luther King Jr. 1929-1968
Den 10. oktober 2021 var jeg blevet inviteret af “Aarhus Mod Krig & Terror” til at holde foredrag med ovenstående titel. Jeg er jo altid glad for at komme tilbage til min fødeby Aarhus – som jeg ikke længere genkender ganske mange dele af eftersom jeg forlod den sidst i 1969. Men Katedralskolen og Domkirken – hvorfra ens verden jo dengang udgik – ja, de … Continue reading Foredrag: “Fremtidens sikkerhedspolitik & Konflikten USA-Kina”
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
December 30, 2019 Each and every problem humanity faces is rooted in violence. Why do so many continue believing in violence, the most counter-productive, unintelligent and expensive means of all? Violence invariably makes a problem between conflicting parties deeper and broader and every solution more difficult. It make the original problem ten times bigger. All problems in this world are tied to one thing: Violence … Continue reading A happier, less violent 2020
15. september 2019 50 års jubilar-tale holdt på Aarhus Katedralskole den 28. juni 2019 Kære studenter og øvrige elever – nuværende og tidligere lærere – kære rektor, jubilarer og alle andre! Tak fordi jeg må komme tilbage til vores skole idag og sige lidt om verdens fremtid. Man skal jo spå, især om fremtiden. Jeg gør det med udgangspunkt i mit virke som freds- og … Continue reading Verdens gang de sidste 50 år og de næste 50 år
15. september 2019 Publiceret i Nordjyske den 11. september 2019 forud for tidligere President Obamas besøg Den tidligere amerikanske præsident Barack Obama besøger Aalborg den 28. september for at snakke om lederskab og entreprenørskab. Universitetsrektor Per Michael Johansen har personligt afsat lidt over 1 million kroner for at købe billetter til studenter – priserne ligger normalt på 3500-8500 kroner per næse. Om dét siger han … Continue reading Er Obama et ideal for fredsbyen Aalborg og universitetets studenter?
June 1, 2019 I’ve never been “anti-American.” I work with (North) Americans every day at the Transnational Foundation and much of my academic training in both sociology and peace and conflict research has been heavily influenced by American scholarship. I am a great admirer of American culture and arts – from the Abstract Impressionists to Pop Art- and of American movies, music – Bob Dylan … Continue reading Time to stop visiting the United States
April 11, 2019 It’s Friday, April 5, 2019, at 9 PM. An entertaining talk show, “Skavlan”. A dialogue between a prime minister and a special forces soldier who has no regret having kicked in doors and “killed a lot” in Afghanistan. He justifies himself by the most primitive and long-ago debunked theory about Good and Evil in this world. And then the prime minister expresses … Continue reading Denmark’s Prime Minister admires a killing soldier’s simplistic view of good and evil
And why I am switching balances from the most noble and important – but momentarily meaningless – job to something more rewarding… February 1, 2019 Just yesterday, I posted this extremely important and modest appeal – the Basel Appeal – on our foundation’s homepage, The Transnational, here. It was disseminated to social media, among others, my FB profile, TFF’s and my public figure page. Facebook … Continue reading Peace illiteracy
Videoinspelning av Jan Öbergs föredrag i Stockholm februari 2017 Inspelningen är uppdelad i två delar: Del 1: Vittnesrapport från Aleppo60 min. Del 2: Debatt och vägar till fred i Syrien45 min. Bakgrund10-14:e december 2016 vistades Jan Öberg i Aleppo. Med sin unika erfarenhet från staden ifrågasätter han den gängse massmediarapporteringen, argumenterar för ett nytt sätt att se på konflikter på och ger förslag till den … Continue reading “Vittnesrapport från Aleppo, en annorlunda konfliktanalys och vägar till fred i Syrien”
TFF PressInfo # 405 Lund, Sweden – February 24, 2017Failed conflict analysis To analyse a conflict is as necessary as the diagnosis for the doctor: You either get to a solution/treatment or you don’t. If the diagnosis is deficient, you don’t. You instead risk killing the patient. And it’s deficient of you stare only at “evil” cells and blame the patient for a life … Continue reading Keep focus on Aleppo and global dimensions of Syria
Danmark slog ind på sin bane som bøllestat i 1999 med bombningen af Serbien. Derpå militær deltagelse i Afghanistan, besættelsesmagt 2003-2007 i en af historiens mest tragiske krige – drabet på 1 million sagesløse mennesker i Irak. Så hovedbombenation i Libyen under dansk NATO-ledelse, så atter bombninger i Irak og tillige Syrien og nu skal der så danske tropper på landjorden i begge lande.
Uanset hvad problemet er så tilsiger den aktive danske militærpolitik – ikke udenrigspolitik – at militæret altid er løsningen, det første valg. I klokkeklar strid med FN-Erklæringen om at alle civile midler skal være prøvet inden man, som sidste udvej, benytter militære midler.
Danmarks indsats i såvel Irak som Syrien strider mod folkeretten. Og etisk udtrykt burde begavede mennesker kunne komme på noget bedre end at slå mennesker ihjel, man ikke bryder sig om.
At bekæmpe terrorister som ISIS ved at forsøge at slå dem ihjel én for én kan sammenlignes med idéen om at udrydde alle sygdomme ved at slå alle syge ihjel, én efter én.
Dette tiltag kan kun reducere danskernes egen sikkerhed og øge risikoen for terror mod Europa herunder mod Danmark.
Glidebane
Husk at statsministeren flere gange har sagt at han ikke kunne se for sig at der skal tropper på landjorden. Det er en skelsættende beslutning: Mission creep bliver det næste.
60 vil blive til flere…for der er vel ingen, der for alvor tror at 60 danske jægersoldater kan gøre en større militær forskel i et vrimmel af titusindvis af vildt blandede militante enheder?
Der vil blive endnu meget mere kaos i Syrien. Selvom Aleppo gudskelov er blevet befriet, så har alle Assad-hadere nok ikke tænkt at pakke sammen og rejse hjem til de omkring hundrede lande de kommer fra.
The third photo story from the days of the liberation of Aleppo in SyriaUnique photos with text from Aleppo’s Jibrin reception center for people finally liberated in Eastern Aleppo December 11-12, 2016.Documentation of the fact that it was the Syrian authorities, the Syrian Army, Russian doctors, the Syrian Red Crescent and volunteering Syrian youth who took care of these destitute internally displaced people.In short, the … Continue reading Aleppo’s evil humanitarians
New year’s night, January 1, 2017 This girl had come out of Eastern Aleppo after four dark years of occupation by Western-backed terrorists – too many to name. People who for no reason had destroyed her home, her part of that beautiful city. Perhaps half of her life living in fear, perhaps having lost family members. I do not know. I met her on December 14 … Continue reading The little girl from Eastern Aleppo
The old years went – in as little a time as it takes to turn around and see who is tapping you on your shoulder. And it is the new, the next year.
I hope it will pass too – in as little time as it takes for me to turn my head and look forward again – because the face of 2017 doesn’t look good or kind to me.
Neither do the next ten or so years.
Beyond that the world will become a better place. If, that is, if we survive and don’t destroy it all.
The thing that has too pass – or pass away – is the United States Empire.
In a few years it will go the way Rome and all the rest plus the Ottoman, British and Soviet empires did. No empire lasts forever.
But before we go for it – a video from Beirut, December 2016:
Some indicators of Empire dissolution
The indicators, the cracks, in the Empire are there for all to see – the Americans and other Westernes will be the last and remain in denial for some time until the discrepancy between the self-image and the reality, the self-delusion, has grown too big. Like East Germany or Russia at in the early 1980s.
The rest of the world, the non-West sees some of these cracks quite clearly:
Here a few comments on Erdogan’s recent attack on the West for supplying arms to the Kurds. Funny that Turkey’s president should accuse someone else for weaponizing a conflict. At the same time as Turkey does it and is also involved in two wars outside itself – Iraq and Syria – and one inside against the Kurds. In this short interview I seek to raise … Continue reading Imagine a Middle East with no weapons!
Last night I had the opportunity to discuss nuclear weapons with an experienced, high-ranking security analyst who has been both a military, a scholar, an assistant secretary of defence, presidential adviser, a corporate man and now a think tank member, Lawrence J. Korb. We were discussing the issues touched upon in this and this article. I would assume that the debate – facilitated by Iran’s PressTV in … Continue reading U.S. nuclear policies – two world views
In an open letter – hardly mentioned by the Western mainstream press, a group of high-level and rather “Realpolitik” US diplomats, scholars, military and politicians urge President Obama to take concrete steps to intensify the co-operation with Iran. There are obviously concerned that the U.S. shall be perceived as an obstacles for the implementation of the JCPOA, or the Iran Nuclear Deal that, on Thursday the 14th, … Continue reading Obama is urged to make closer ties with Iran
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
Den 19. april 2016 havde Folketinget 2. behandling af forslaget om også at bombe og indsætte specialstyrker i Syrien.
Jeg mener at sagen er fundamentalt vigtig for Danmark, danskerne og vor fremtidige rolle og ‘image’ ude i verden.
Desuden finder jeg at beslutningsgrundlaget, mediedækningen og den offentlige debat giver anledning til den største bekymring.
At gå i krig er den vigtigste beslutning en regering kan tage og en befolkning bakke op om. Men det er som om dette at deltage i krig stort set rager både ministre, folketingsmedlemmer, journalister og befolkning en forårsblomst.
Med en vis fortvivlelse skrev jeg derfor 6 artikler med forskellige temaer og producerede en video, der også foreslår hvad vi kunne gøre i stedet.
Jeg ville have disse ting sagt og spredt inden beslutningen blev taget.
Herunder findes de én for én som jeg har skrevet dem med en lille kommentar til publiceringsprocessen, som også i et vist omfang vidner – for mig i hvert fald – om mærkelige prioriteringer hvad angår tidspunkt og længde.
Alt andet lige bliver redaktionerne ikke oversvømmet af kvalificerede, kritiske og konstruktive artikler af denne type – men det er dog kun meget korte ting, man kan få ind. Om overhovedet…
1. Dansk krigsdeltagelse i Syrien vil være landsskadelig
Politiken 16. april 2016. Problemfri publicering.
Den 19. april skal folketinget have 2. behandling af forslaget om at Danmark skal deltage i krigen over Syrien og endog have specialstyrker på landjorden.
Det vil i så fald være sjette krigsdeltagelse siden 1999 – Serbien, Afghanistan, Irak 2003-2007, Libyen, Irak igen.
Commenting on NATO S-G Jens Stoltenberg’s wish for dialogue with Russia – a bit odd after all the other provocative initiatives he has spearheaded the last good year or so. I felt like saying something more general about this outdated paradigm – and why it is dangerous for us all – referring also to the Russell-Einstein Manifesto of 1955. You may also see it as … Continue reading NATO outdated – Abolish war
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
It’s our wars, stupid!A short interview on Russia Today about Europe’s woefully inadequate understanding of why refugees come here.Towards a solution: Deal with conflicts early and by peaceful means, criminalise arms trade and abolish war and you’ve solved most of the world’s refugee problems!Interview on YouTube with RT International (700 million viewers worldwide and to be broadcast repeatedly on April 20, 2015). Continue reading The links between refugees and war
Stubb and Tuomioja rush to reassure after Russian statement: “Nothing to worry about” | yle.fi To old-fashioned politics, security is still predominantly about weapons, military activities and “signalling”. It’s not about dialogue, human security and quickly opening up areas of co-operation which could help bring about mutual understanding. One way of interpreting this Nordic defence co-operation push is to see it as a way to … Continue reading The Nordic defence ministers letter isn’t helpful at all
Valentina Lisitsa – YouTubeThe world class pianist barred from playing with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra because of her tweets about the Ukraine conflict.As if that had anything to do with her art. Shame on Toronto Phony! With suppression of such art by a Western cultural institution we are all doomed! And where are all the phony Paris marchers from Charlie Hebdo today – Netanyahu, Helle … Continue reading Valentina Lisitsa
Israel’s defence minister Moshe Ya’alon writes in Washington Post under the headline “Current Iran framework will make war more likely”When I wrote my comment there were already more than 1100 comments – so here it is: “Israel’s defence minister is an echo of PM Netanyahu. Nothing new, Israel’s official views are well-known, beamed out a thousand times more effectively than Iran’s to the world, not … Continue reading Comment to Israel’s defence minister in Washington Post
This is the second posting today on this issue…Please support Jake Lynch, a TFF Associate, from being sacked because of his solidarity with Palestine and SIGN this: Open letter to University of Sydney Vice-Chancellor:“Dr Spence, reject calls to punish Palestine-justice supporters”Sydney Staff for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (Sign after the list of signatures and before the comments) Continue reading The Zionist lobby does it again – and again
Klaus Rifbjerg er død, fortæller Politiken os hér på en kold Påskesøndag med knaldblå himmel og sol. Skønt jeg kun traf ham en enkelt gang i 1980erne – vi spiste frikost sammen på Kroghs Fiskerestaurant og snakkede verdens gang i forbindelse med et af Fredsfondens projekter – så føles hans død på en underlig måde som et personligt tab. Sådan vil det måske altid være … Continue reading Klaus Rifbjerg (15. december 1931 – 4. april 4, 2015)
Jan Oberg commenting on Iranian President Rouhani: “Tehran abides by commitments, if P5 1 fulfills promises” – YouTube/PressTV http://ow.ly/LbX3d In spite of the deal’s negative sides, Iran has chosen peace to the benefit of the world. In that perspective it is much more than a nuclear deal, it’s – potentially – a road to peace. Continue reading Iran nuclear deal – a road to peace
Hvad skal der til for at skabe fred igen i og omkring Ukraine? Knapt 50 min samtale med Arne Hansen – med udblik til FN, tanken om fredsbevarende styrker, forsoning, den kolde krig, menneskers muligheder for at skabe forandring og om hvordan vi kan bruge forskellige medier på forskellig måde så vi tegner vore egne billeder af verden istedet for at blive forført af politisk … Continue reading Samtale om mulighederne for fred i Ukraine
Today published a new TFF PressInfo # 314 with the above headline. I hope you’ll find it more constructive than most of the other things you may see and that you will hsrae it if you do. Also, you can subscribe to TFF PressInfos and get them by e-mail into your in-box – before they are posted on the Net – by writing to pressinfo@transnational.org … Continue reading From preventing to making peace in Ukraine
My interview with RT, Russia Today – This military build up is not in our name !! While we speak there is a huge military exercise in Northern Norway – a NATO member, Joint Viking. There is NATO’s Atlantic Resolve in the Baltic region (see interesting maps on the link). There are smaller ones in Germany and one coming up in the Black Sea. Why … Continue reading The military game between NATO and Russia – it is dangerous and not in our name!
By Farhang Jahanpour & Jan Oberg, TFF Board membersRead the whole text “Ignore the 47 irresponsible US Republican senators – here” Now that Iran cannot trust the U.S. – what must be done to secure a nuclear deal? NATO and EU friends of the US as well as the other negotiating powers must come forward. Iran must be assured that a deal is a deal. … Continue reading TFF PressInfo # 313: Ignore the 47 irresponsible US Republican senators
Olof Palme – murdered today 29 years ago • Wikipedia A politician who willed a better society, to whom politics was a calling – working for justice, international law, nuclear disarmament, against big countries bullying small countries, a person who made Sweden stand ut. Then. And it was the Palme Commission on Common Security that broke the ice towards the end of the Cold War … Continue reading Olof Palme – murdered today 29 years
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
After Paris attacks, Pope Francis speaks out against insulting religions: “You can’t kill in the name of a religion. That is an aberration.” And “You can’t provoke, you can’t insult the faith of others, you can’t make fun of faith.” Thank God there is such a wise Pope! If it couldn’t be misunderstood I would say “I’m Pope”! Remember also Gandhi: “There can be no … Continue reading If one could say so I would: “I’m Pope!”
