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| The World After September
11th" / Johan Galtung |
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Joining Peace Boat for the remaining month of the
world cruise, from Ecuador to Tokyo, is world-renowned peace educator
and researcher Professor Johan Galtung, interpreter and Professor
Fumiko Nishimura, an expert in Japan-US relations and fellow peace
educator, researcher and assistant Jorgen Johansson. Professor Galtung
first joined Peace Boat on last year's North Korea cruise, with his
wife, while this is the first time onboard for Jorgen. Professor Galtung
heads the Transcend Organization (www.transcend.org), devoted to peace
research and conflict resolution. Tonight Professor Galtung explored
how we understand the events of September 11th and what kind of interpretations
are missing from mainstream media and consciousness. |
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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. |
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| Motives |
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Is it possible that the perpetrators of the attacks
could have had actual motives and meaning in the targets they chose?
Referring to the research of two scholars, we find that over the last
50 years in particular, almost uncountable numbers have suffered and
died from two categories of violence - military (overt, for example
bombing, and covert, for example CIA operations) and structural violence
related to an unjust world economic system in which a few control
most of the wealth at the top of the pyramid, and the majority of
the world's population suffers at the bottom. Reflecting this reality,
we can see why the military and economic centers of the US (and not
necessarily democracy and civilization as claimed, and would likely
make for a different selection of targets), and world, were targeted
- out of revenge, and out of a need to draw attention to and try to
change particular structures. Without doubt, while it is possible
to sympathize with the suffering which creates the desire for revenge,
and the desire to change oppressive or unjust systems, the means of
carrying out their goals should never resort to the terrorism perpetrated,
but more effective methods which do not only perpetuate suffering
and inspire war. |
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| Alternatives |
| An interesting comparison was made between the attacks
and revolts against slavery or colonialism. The revolts extract a
toll, eventually fail and the oppressive system continues on. When
non-violent movement take form, and have a wide base of support, the
effect can be much more powerful in a positive direction. For the
so-called 'terrorists', they would have done well to study great non-violent
figures in history. For governments on the other side of the coin,
rather than waiting for creative non-violent solutions to come from
them, their policies should be the target of massive people movements
- for example, as during the Vietnam War. For participants, to hear
such a discussion was both enlightening, and upsetting that we should
not find such discussion in mainstream media. These and many others
themes will be discussed in further lectures by Professor Galtung
and Professor Johansson while we continue through the South Pacific
before heading back to Tokyo.
Text and photos by Stacy Hughes
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PEACE BOAT is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. |
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