People's Movements,
Citizen Diplomacy and a hope for the future
For
years IPPNW and the abolition movement have looked at disarmament in
isolation, but that is like the physician who treats high blood
pressure symptomatically without looking at the underlying cause. A
good physician looks at the broader picture. So if we want to live up
to our responsibilities as physicians - as we so proudly tell the world
with our name - we have to look at security policies in a borader
context.
From
July 25th - 30th 2004 the Social Forum for the Americas took place in
Quito in Ecuador. Farmers, workers, students, activists, intellectuals,
religious leaders and Nobel Prize Laureates discussed the challenges we
are facing in the fight for global survival and sustainable
development. The topics that dominated the agenda was the economical
liberalism introduced by the World Bank, IMF and the WTO as well as the
global militarisation spearheaded by the US. Both policies with
horrendous consequences of poverty, hunger, disease and loss of human
life, which is in stark contrast to the offical purpose of social
development and democratisation.
The
continued reliance on nuclear weapons as a part of security policies of
nuclear weapon states and the NATO is closely linked to the economical
world order. Military might and security policies are the continuation
of economical interests as Helen Caldicott writes in her book "the New
Nuclear Danger". She describes how the American plans for a missile
defence can be explained to a high degree by the close relations
between the Bush Administration and some of the largest weapons
producers in the world. She describes how the need for a market for the
weapons industry in the 20th century has contributed to the many
internal conflicts we have witnessed in especially the Thrid World.
We
will never meet our goals of peace and global disarmament if we do not
acknowledge the close links between economy, super power politics and
security policies and we must not loose sight of our ultimate goal
as physicians - health and survival for all. We will never succeed if
we do not acknowledge that health and sustainable development go hand
in hand. We will never succeed as long as nuclear weapons exist, but
the fight against weapons of mass anihilation will remain utopia as
long as super power politics and economical interests are allowed to
set the international agenda.
Our
fight for global disarmament will for always be linked to the quest for
peace, survival and sustainable development with respect for human
rights, education and health care for all. To reach any and all of
the above a radical change in the thinking that dominates political
processes today is needed. In stead of basing our actions on a
Machiavellan fear we must believe in each other and the value of every
single human being. As Dr. Hans Levander has pointed out at a
conference on alternatives in Moscow the old security dogma must be
exchanged for a new one that builds on confidence, cooperation,
responsibility, citizen diplomacy and sustainable long-term investment
in life.
The
Abolition movement and especially IPPNW has for years lost members,
prestige and funding. We are very far from what we were during the Cold
War when IPPNW was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Our reactions has
been incomprehensive wonder and complaints. What is happening? Why are
students not interested in disarmament? Why are we constantly loosing
members? Why can't we get any money? Why this and why that!
It
is about time that we grow up and mature with the time and the new
century. The anti-war movement in the US is growing as the war in iraq
continues. Michael Moore's movie, "Fahrenheit 911" is a blockbuster and
has collected more than 130 million dollars in just a month. The MEDACT
report "Continuing Collateral Damage" from November 2003 is used by the
UN and can be found on international websites used by thousands of
humanitarian NGOs from all over the world. The Nuclear Weapons
Inheritance Project with its focus on education and empowerment of
students has growned enormously in just 3 years and we are now
cooperating with several other peace and student NGO's. - And 10.000
people met in Quito in July to discuss possibilities for the future and
build international networks working together for a better world. There
are plenty of opportunities! The future is calling for a change.
It
would be irresponsible and in conflict with our medical code of conduct
to remain at home comfortably crying because of the risk of the NPT
falling apart in 2005!
IPPNW
must create a common vision for a peaceful and nuclear weapon free
world. IPPNW must acknowledge and incorporate in our programs that we
will never succeed in the abolition cause as long as economical
neo-liberalism and unilateral militarisation of the world continues.
The fight for survival of the next generation must be fought on many
different fields. We must work across organisations, geographical
divisions and generations and return to our roots as social responsible
physicians who educate and inform the public as well as the
decision-makers. The interest is there and the understanding is
dawning. People's movements are created and the general population is
starting to question the reality of today. If we understand to
integrate the struggle for a nuclear weapon free world and the struggle
against the other enormous challenges facing humanity today we will
also see the abolition movement come to life again. The potential is
there. All that is needed is that we in IPPNW accept the challenge,
formulate a common campaign integrating all our concerns, join forces
with others at the coming World Social Forum and acknowledge that
although we are different and have different perspectives on the world
it must not prevent us from respecting each other in a joint struggle
for a better future!
Caecilie
Buhmann
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