Banning nuclear weapons, prohibiting the use of poison gases, or outlawing
germ warfare will not remove the root causes of war. However important
such practical measures obviously are as elements of the peace process,
they are in themselves too superficial to exert enduring influence.
Peoples are ingenious enough to invent yet other forms of warfare, and to
use food, raw materials, finance, industrial power, ideology, and
terrorism to subvert one another in an endless quest for supremacy and
dominion. Nor can the present massive dislocation in the affairs of
humanity be resolved through the settlement of specific conflicts or
disagreements among nations. A genuine universal framework must be
adopted.
Certainly, there is no lack of recognition by national leaders of the
world-wide character of the problem, which is self-evident in the mounting
issues that confront them daily. And there are the accumulating studies
and solutions proposed by many concerned and enlightened groups as well as
by agencies of the United Nations, to remove any possibility of ignorance
as to the challenging requirements to be met. There is, however, a
paralysis of will; and it is this that must be carefully examined and
resolutely dealt with. This paralysis is rooted, as we have stated, in a
deep-seated conviction of the inevitable quarrelsomeness of mankind, which
has led to the reluctance to entertain the possibility of subordinating
national self-interest to the requirements of world order, and in an
unwillingness to face courageously the far-reaching implications of
establishing a united world authority. It is also traceable to the
incapacity of largely ignorant and subjugated masses to articulate their
desire for a new order in which they can live in peace, harmony and
prosperity with all humanity.
The tentative steps towards world order, especially since World War II,
give hopeful signs. The increasing tendency of groups of nations to
formalize relationships which enable them to co-operate in matters of
mutual interest suggests that eventually all nations could overcome this
paralysis. The Association of South East Asian Nations, the Caribbean
Community and Common Market, the Central American Common Market, the
Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, the European Communities, the
League of Arab States, the Organization of African Unity, the Organization
of American States, the South Pacific Forum--all the joint endeavours
represented by such organizations prepare the path to world order.
The increasing attention being focused on some of the most deep-rooted
problems of the planet is yet another hopeful sign. Despite the obvious
shortcomings of the United Nations, the more than two score declarations
and conventions adopted by that organization, even where governments have
not been enthusiastic in their commitment, have given ordinary people a
sense of a new lease on life. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide,
and the similar measures concerned with eliminating all forms of
discrimination based on race, sex or religious belief; upholding the
rights of the child; protecting all persons against being subjected to
torture; eradicating hunger and malnutrition; using scientific and
technological progress in the interest of peace and the benefit of
mankind--all such measures, if courageously enforced and expanded, will
advance the day when the spectre of war will have lost its power to
dominate international relations. There is no need to stress the
significance of the issues addressed by these declarations and
conventions. However, a few such issues, because of their immediate
relevance to establishing world peace, deserve additional comment.
Racism, one of the most baneful and persistent evils, is a major barrier
to peace. Its practice perpetrates too outrageous a violation of the
dignity of human beings to be countenanced under any pretext. Racism
retards the unfoldment of the boundless potentialities of its victims,
corrupts its perpetrators, and blights human progress. Recognition of the
oneness of mankind, implemented by appropriate legal measures, must be
universally upheld if this problem is to be overcome.
The inordinate disparity between rich and poor, a source of acute
suffering, keeps the world in a state of instability, virtually on the
brink of war. Few societies have dealt effectively with this situation.
The solution calls for the combined application of spiritual, moral and
practical approaches. A fresh look at the problem is required, entailing
consultation with experts from a wide spectrum of disciplines, devoid of
economic and ideological polemics, and involving the people directly
affected in the decisions that must urgently be made. It is an issue that
is bound up not only with the necessity for eliminating extremes of wealth
and poverty but also with those spiritual verities the understanding of
which can produce a new universal attitude. Fostering such an attitude is
itself a major part of the solution.
Unbridled nationalism, as distinguished from a sane and legitimate
patriotism, must give way to a wider loyalty, to the love of humanity as a
whole. Baha'u'llah's statement is: "The earth is but one country, and
mankind its citizens." The concept of world citizenship is a direct result
of the contraction of the world into a single neighbourhood through
scientific advances and of the indisputable interdependence of nations.
Love of all the world's peoples does not exclude love of one's country.
The advantage of the part in a world society is best served by promoting
the advantage of the whole. Current international activities in various
fields which nurture mutual affection and a sense of solidarity among
peoples need greatly to be increased.
Religious strife, throughout history, has been the cause of innumerable
wars and conflicts, a major blight to progress, and is increasingly
abhorrent to the people of all faiths and no faith. Followers of all
religions must be willing to face the basic questions which this strife
raises, and to arrive at clear answers. How are the differences between
them to be resolved, both in theory and in practice? The challenge facing
the religious leaders of mankind is to contemplate, with hearts filled
with the spirit of compassion and a desire for truth, the plight of
humanity, and to ask themselves whether they cannot, in humility before
their Almighty Creator, submerge their theological differences in a great
spirit of mutual forbearance that will enable them to work together for
the advancement of human understanding and peace.
The emancipation of women, the achievement of full equality between the
sexes, is one of the most important, though less acknowledged
prerequisites of peace. The denial of such equality perpetrates an
injustice against one half of the world's population and promotes in men
harmful attitudes and habits that are carried from the family to the
workplace, to political life, and ultimately to international relations.
There are no grounds, moral, practical, or biological, upon which such
denial can be justified. Only as women are welcomed into full partnership
in all fields of human endeavour will the moral and psychological climate
be created in which international peace can emerge.
The cause of universal education, which has already enlisted in its
service an army of dedicated people from every faith and nation, deserves
the utmost support that the governments of the world can lend it. For
ignorance is indisputably the principal reason for the decline and fall of
peoples and the perpetuation of prejudice. No nation can achieve success
unless education is accorded all its citizens. Lack of resources limits
the ability of many nations to fulfil this necessity, imposing a certain
ordering of priorities. The decision-making agencies involved would do
well to consider giving first priority to the education of women and
girls, since it is through educated mothers that the benefits of knowledge
can be most effectively and rapidly diffused throughout society. In
keeping with the requirements of the times, consideration should also be
given to teaching the concept of world citizenship as part of the standard
education of every child.
A fundamental lack of communication between peoples seriously undermines
efforts towards world peace. Adopting an international auxiliary language
would go far to resolving this problem and necessitates the most urgent
attention.
Two points bear emphasizing in all these issues. One is that the abolition
of war is not simply a matter of signing treaties and protocols; it is a
complex task requiring a new level of commitment to resolving issues not
customarily associated with the pursuit of peace. Based on political
agreements alone, the idea of collective security is a chimera. The other
point is that the primary challenge in dealing with issues of peace is to
raise the context to the level of principle, as distinct from pure
pragmatism. For, in essence, peace stems from an inner state supported by
a spiritual or moral attitude, and it is chiefly in evoking this attitude
that the possibility of enduring solutions can be found.
There are spiritual principles, or what some call human values, by which
solutions can be found for every social problem. Any well-intentioned
group can in a general sense devise practical solutions to its problems,
but good intentions and practical knowledge are usually not enough. The
essential merit of spiritual principle is that it not only presents a
perspective which harmonizes with that which is immanent in human nature,
it also induces an attitude, a dynamic, a will, an aspiration, which
facilitate the discovery and implementation of practical measures. Leaders
of governments and all in authority would be well served in their efforts
to solve problems if they would first seek to identify the principles
involved and then be guided by them.