A better world is possible - Global Commons Institute

Copyright Bruce Nixon 2010. All rights reserved. This electronic copy is provided free for personal, non-commercial use only.
www.brucenixon.com
Often the cause of violence is poverty, injustice and lack of opportunity. This applies in countries like Jamaica
which has one of the highest records of shootings in the world and deprived areas in countries like UK. As we
learn from the media and travel more, we become more aware of how privileged we are here in UK. It is very
different for the majority of people in the world. Our prosperity is still built on the work of poor people and
slaves and the resources of poor countries. Rich people stole poor people’s land here through clearances and
enclosures and in the colonies overseas. That was how our Empire worked. It continues today in another
form of imperialism legitimised and enforced by the global trade organisations. We know the majority of
human beings are relatively or very poor. Millions face starvation; many are afflicted with disease that could
easily be prevented or cured. Millions of children die unnecessarily. If they survive, their lives are stunted by
lack of education and opportunity. Many live in fear and insecurity generated by violence, fuelled by
weapons supplied by us.
“The world will not be peaceful or safe unless we attend to the poorest places”
Clare Short, former Minister for Overseas Development
Sustainability must include global economic justice. There can be no peace or security without global
economic justice and respect for difference. The big powers are in denial about their corruption, greed,
violence, militarism and the extent and effects of their huge military economies. They have spread weapons
around the world. They created nuclear weapons, inevitably leading to proliferation and the threat of nuclear
annihilation. Unprincipled colonialist foreign policies, compounded by a long historical record, create hostility
and encourage international “terrorism.”
George Bush and Osama bin Laden mirrored each other. The contradictions between rhetoric and actions are
clear. Imposing our way, force, threats, bargaining and bullying are not the way to find enduring conflict
resolution. Honest brokering, involving the UN, can be. Nations should no longer get away with taking
unilateral action. Interventions like the Iraq war should only be made, if at all, through the United Nations.
Congruence If we want a more peaceful world, does it make sense to use violence to defeat violence and
suspend civil rights and liberty in their cause? We need to use methods that are congruent with our aims, i.e.
non-violent ones, and as Mahatma Gandhi says, walk the talk. The underlying injustices, lack of respect and
humiliations, past and present, need to be acknowledged and addressed. We need to apply conflict
resolution in our dealings with nations like Iran. The West must provide impartial support to resolve the
conflict between Israel and Palestine if there is to be an end to the violence.
The time has come to end war and threats of war and unilateral action as a means of resolving conflicts. If
we are to have peace, nations need to admit past injustices. Perhaps it would be a good idea to
acknowledge, apologise for past policies and give them up. It is certainly worth trying.
General conclusions
Recently I gave a talk to bright young people at a North London Sixth Form College. One of them said with
feeling:
“It’s OK for you. We and our children will have to face the consequences of your generation’s irresponsibility,
way beyond 2050.”
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