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| Dec 17st 2001/Updated |
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| The Role of NGO's in
Peace Movements / Johan Galtung |
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| Professors Galtung and Nishimura, longtime
residents of Kyoto, providing us with deep insight into the
potential of Japan in the Peace Movement |
How do NGO's fit into the Peace Movement, and what
can they do? This was the massive subject tackled in about 30 minutes
(one hour with interpretation) by Professor Galtung, a subject particularly
relevant and important for Peace Boat as an NGO working to promote
peace. Under this question, the first place to look was the source
of NGO's themselves - civil society, using Japanese society as an
example. Directed in the right way, Japanese society could become
a much greater source of peace promotion from which organizations
and directed movements could come, working on social issues, violent
conflict and problems of structural violence. The next step may be
the development of international relations between peace-oriented
NGO's - based on the historically poor performance of inter-governmental
relations and efforts for peace, forming a broad social base from
which alternatives, anti-violence pressure and better coordination
of the Peace Movement can happen. Important for all of this though,
is that people themselves become aware of what is necessary and what
is possible within a society - in this case Japan. Much of the lecture
was a discussion of Japanese society and where, in the context of
peace and the Peace Movement, its weak and strong points are. Many
participants were more than a little interested in this examination,
and the reaction was very positive - many participants seeing their
own culture through a new perspective. |
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| Why? |
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In an hour and a half long talk, including questions,
Professor Galtung proceeded to give us more insight about the events
of September 11th than two months of mainstream media and government
spokespeople. What we heard was an enlightening though quite disturbing
possible explanation of 'why?' the attacks occurred and how and why
government and mainstream media seem to avoid this question as if
it posed a threat to 'national security' and 'national interest' as
great as terrorism itself. Which, as we have now heard, it may well
be. For sure, the attacks in New York and Washington D.C. were crimes
against humanity permissible for public knowledge. But to call the
September 11th events attacks on democracy and civilization and go
no deeper in explanation assumes that the terrorists have no purpose
to the attacks beyond insane and irrational hate, and avoids many
painful realities for which the US holds responsibility and invested
interest, and create the conditions from which people suffering are
often able to find no other voice than terrorism to affect their own
conditions.Text and photos by Stacy Hughes |
|
 The
Role of NGO's in Peace Movements
US
Colonialism and WWII
Do
You Know What You Are Eating?
Raku-go
Peace
and Movements
The
World After September 11th
Guayaquil,
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