ifda dossier 74 - Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation

Merchant through making them accountable for the consequences of its
exercise. This is the essence of the social movements which are rising
everywhere.
In this respect, the current discussion on 'sovereignty' may be partly
misleading. It is useful in so far as it underlines the limits of the
concept (when military and ecological security or human rights are at
stake) but it often takes state sovereignty as its only object. In fact, as
again the anniversary of the French Revolution (and behind it, the
American one) invites to consider, until the 18th century, sovereignty
was that of the Prince, of the dynasty, etc., but the revolution, fundamen-
tally, was to recognize the people's primordial sovereignty, the Prince
discharging it, at least formally, by delegation. In that sense, since then,
the Prince's sovereignty was always limited. What seems now possible
is for society at large to assume directly at least parts of its sovereignty.
That is what the peace movement did, and whatever progress there has
been in arms negotiations is also due to the massive demonstrations of
the early 80s. This what the cot~zmunidades de base in Bra/.il do, what
the peasants in Africa do, what the Cfiipko women do, what the
Palestinian children do, and all those left out in Algeria, in Burma, in
Chile, in Sri Lanka, in Yugoslavia - as well as in Nagorny Karabakh and
in Estonia, in the Basque country, the Andes or the jungles of Amazon
or Sarawak, and wherever history abandons its victims, that is every-
where. This is what Amnesty International does, and the consumer
movement, and the ecological movement, and, perhaps most radically,
the women movement. Prince and Merchant being as much part of the
problem than of the solution, the Citizen will continue to announce and
prepare what is to come, ;is it always did. Universal in/ifada is indeed
the order of the day.
The further unfolding of the incipient social movement calls for its own
globalisation in contenl, scope and method. This could be achieved only
through the recognition of the Other, that is cultural diversity;
networking; and a new approach to conflict resolution and problem
solving. A mental and cultural revolution is needed to overcome
antiquated and counterproductive antagonistic postures and to abandon
the idea that sustainable change comes from above. Justice, like peace
and ecology, puts reconciliation, non-violence, pluralism, communication