October 31, 2003
UN Under-Secretary-General Nobuyasu Abe to Engage Parliamentarians in Reducing Nuclear Dangers
Vancouver…Ambassador Nobuyasu Abe, the recently appointed United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament, will join Dr. Jennifer Allen Simons and the Honourable Lloyd Axworthy, Co-Directors of the Simons Centre for Peace and Disarmament Studies at a conference at the Liu Institute for Global Issues, University of British Columbia, November 7-9, 2003 in Vancouver, British Columbia. International experts in nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, and parliamentarians from around the world will gather to address and reverse the growing dangers from nuclear proliferation and new nuclear war-fighting doctrines.
The Simons Centre at the Liu Institute with the support of The Simons Foundation is hosting the inaugural conference of the Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament, an international network of parliamentarians from more than 40 countries. The conference, entitled From Nuclear Dangers to Cooperative Security: Parliamentarians and the Legal Imperative for Nuclear Disarmament, aims to give parliamentarians worldwide the tools to play a more effective role in transforming the legal and moral imperative for nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament into practical threat-reducing and security-enhancing initiatives. The conference will provide briefings from top disarmament experts, reports of successful disarmament initiatives by parliamentarians, and discussion of strategies for parliamentary actions, both nationally and internationally.
Speakers at the conference will include:
H.E. Nobuyasu Abe, UN Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament (Japan)
Mani Shankar Aiyar MP (India)
Senator Lyn Allison (Australia)
The Hon. Lloyd Axworthy, Director/CEO, Liu Institute of Global Issues. (Canada)
Raphael Chegeni MP, Chair, Great Lakes Parliamentary Forum (Tanzania)
Merav Datan, Drafting Coordinator, Model Nuclear Weapons Convention (Israel)
Dr. Paul Evans, Director, Program for Canada-Asia Policy Study, Institute of Asian Research, UBC, (Canada)
Eloi Glorieux MP (Belgium)
Jonathan Granoff, Esq., President, Global Security Institute (USA)
Ambassador Robert T. Grey, Jr., Director, Bi-partisan Security Group (USA)
Kim Seong Ho MP (South Korea)
Issam Makhoul MP (Israel)
Alexa McDonough MP (Canada)
Dr. Tariq Rauf, Head, Verification and Security Policy Coordination Section, International Atomic Energy Agency (Canada)
Matt Robson MP (New Zealand)
Senator Douglas Roche, Chair, Middle Powers Initiative (Canada)
Malcolm Savidge MP, Chair, All-Party Group on Non-Proliferation (UK)
Rep. Christopher Shays (R), U.S. Congress, Co-chair of the Bi-Partisan Task Force on Nuclear Non-Proliferation (USA)
Dr. Jennifer Allen Simons, Co-Director, Simons Centre for Peace and Disarmament Studies & President, The Simons Foundation (Canada)
Paddy Torsney MP, Chair, Inter-Parliamentary Union (Canada)
Peter Weiss, President, International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (USA)
For further information please go to: http://www.gsinstitute.org/ and http://www.pnnd.org/vancouver_meeting.htm
To arrange an interview or for more background information, please contact: Kath Delaney, 415-397-6760, 415-531-1642, kdelaney@gsinstitute.org or Nadine Kjellberg, 610-668-5480, 610-585-0844, nadine@gsinstitute.org.
Posted by zack_allen at 11:44 AM
October 30, 2003
“Limits of Unilateralism” Discussion Well Received by Members of Congress
Washington, DC–On October 2, the House of Representatives Bipartisan Task Force on Non-Proliferation, in cooperation with the Bipartisan Security Group (BSG), hosted a special session titled, “Limits of Unilateralism.”
Addressing an overflow crowd in the Committee on Government Reform room of the Rayburn House Office Building, keynote speakers Dr. Jane Goodall, Michael Douglas, and BSG Chairman Ambassador Thomas Graham, Jr., stressed the need for collaboration in dealing with global security threats. Representatives Edward Markey (D-MA) and Christopher Shays (R-CT), co-chairs of the House Task Force, co-hosted the event, with Global Security Institute President Jonathan Granoff serving as moderator.
Representatives Markey and Shays were pleased with the outcome. “A uniting event in the non-proliferation community, “The Limits of Unilateralism discussion was a great success,” Mr. Shays said.
“The event brought concerned Members of Congress, Congressional staff, and the NGO community together to discuss the United States’ role and reach in global security matters. It is essential that the non-proliferation community continue its dialogue to build a common vision for international arms control.”
This discussion “created a buzz that is rarely seen on Capitol Hill.” said Mr. Markey. “In bringing Michael Douglas, Dr. Jane Goodall, and Ambassador Thomas Graham to talk about the need for multilateralism in our foreign policy strategy, we were able to generate an incredible amount of interest in a truly educational forum. Without the encouragement and assistance of the Global Security Institute, this event would not have been possible. I look forward to working with Jonathan and the Institute in the future to continue to educate and activate Congress on critical issues affecting world peace.”
“On issues of global concern, especially when they intersect with our national security, partisanship must defer to our highest wisdom,” said Mr. Granoff. “The Bipartisan Task Force on Non-Proliferation is exactly the kind of initiative that helps makes our government strong,” Mr. Granoff said.
Michael Douglas summed up the focus of the discussion. “The entire planet now faces global challenges including ensuring bio-diversity and ending the destruction of thousands of species; reversing the depletion of fishing stocks; controlling ocean dumping; preventing ozone depletion; halting global warming; controlling and eliminating terrorism and weapons of mass destruction; fighting pandemic diseases; ending the tragedy of crushing poverty and lack of clean drinking water; and addressing crises arising from failed states,” Mr. Douglas said. “No nation or even a small group of nations can succeed in addressing these issues alone.” Speakers focused on solutions to these threats with a particular emphasis on nuclear threats by highlighting the importance of multilateralism, the rule of law and the UN system.
“Technology has made the world a far smaller and more dangerous place,” said Representative Charles Rangel (D-NY), who participated in the dialogue. “We act unilaterally at our own risk. We’ve learned a lesson in Iraq that acting on our own, without the support of the international community, is not only difficult but counterproductive to our goal of making the world a better and safer place for peace loving people,” said Mr. Rangel. “I applaud the efforts of the Bipartisan Task Force on Non-Proliferation.”
Representative Lois Capps (D-CA) emphasized the need to stop vertical proliferation at home as key to preventing nuclear proliferation abroad. “Now more than ever, I believe our fight against nuclear proliferation is among the most critical priorities facing this nation. I will continue to work against any misguided efforts to develop new nuclear weapons, and I’m pleased to partner with my friend and constituent Michael Douglas in these efforts.”
Mr. Douglas said that when nations are engaged in a process, they are far more likely to support its outcome. “If the application of solutions appears to be done only through the orders of decision makers in Washington, DC, in derogation of the UN, the results will be cynicism, lack of cooperation, and ultimately, failure. Failure is not something we can afford,” he said.
Ambassador Thomas Graham discussed the framework of treaties painstakingly constructed in the years following World War II. He emphasized the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which prevented the spread of nuclear weapons all over the world. Giving credit to both Republican and Democratic presidents from Eisenhower to Bush Sr., “There is no question that these efforts changed the course of history,” he said. “In 1962, there were reports estimating that there would be 25-30 nuclear weapons states with nuclear weapons integrated into their national arsenals by the end of the 1970s. If this had happened, there would likely be more than 50 nuclear weapon states today,” said Graham. “This would have created a nightmarish world, one in which every conflict would run the risk of going nuclear, it would be impossible to keep these weapons out of the hands of terrorists because they would be so widespread and the continued existence of our civilization would hang in the balance every day.”
The NPT, he said, entered into force in 1970 and was given a permanent extension in 1995. Under the Treaty, some 183 non-nuclear nations agreed never to acquire nuclear weapons. In return for this, nuclear states (United States, Russia, France, the UK and China) committed to deep reductions in nuclear weapons leading to their elimination, a Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, and a pledge never to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states.
Michael Douglas repeated the need for the United States to fulfill its obligations under the treaty. “Fulfilling our promises in the NPT, now with 187 member States, must be a primary aim,” Douglas said. “We must demonstrate our unambiguous commitment to fulfill our promises. Otherwise the prospect of more nuclear states, and the construction of new nuclear weapons, will only increase human peril. The world needs a more effective nonproliferation and disarmament regime and is looking to us for leadership,” he said, urging support and cooperation from the U.S. Congress when the NPT is reviewed formally in 2005 at the UN.
Dr. Goodall, leading her discussion with a chimpanzee call that drew cheers from the audience, said the chimpanzees’ behavior can be used to help us explain our own behavior. They show compassion and altruism on the one hand and brutality and a form of primitive warfare on the other. “Unfortunately,” she said, “we have become better at killing. We now have power to destroy life on earth as we know it. That power, coupled with current political and social tensions, makes the world a very dangerous place.”
Dr. Goodall expressed deep concern over policy decisions by the Bush Administration that appear to run counter to US obligations under the NPT Treaty. The Administration “has declared its intention of relying on nuclear weapons as a component of US national security, is exploring the development of new nuclear weapons, and may resume nuclear testing,” she said. “We stand on the brink of a new nuclear disaster.”
“One of the most important steps we could take as we stand at the start of a new century is to rid the world of nuclear weapons,” Goodall said. “Survivors of radiation and their offspring have suffered unbelievably, in both Japan and the Marshall islands, and still suffer today.”
Dr. Goodall said that now the world finally understands how ecosystems are comprised of interconnected parts. “Damage or loss of some parts can lead to irreparable damage to the whole,” she said. “It is desperately important that we think about the impact on future generations of decisions we make today. We must think of our children, and children as yet unborn, and the increasingly damaged environment that we are creating.”
It is up to us, she said. “We have the power to destroy or to heal the world. Pray God we chose to heal.”
“The problems dealing with nuclear weapons are profound and systemic,” said Mr. Granoff in closing. “According to the Brookings Institution, the United States alone has spent $5.5 trillion developing the nuclear arsenal. Today, more than a decade after the Cold War, we spend close to $100 million a day to keep our nuclear arsenal at ready. Yet, the entire inspection budget worldwide of the International Atomic Energy Agency last year was less than $90 million. To stem the tide of proliferation, to strengthen the international legal regime that can lead us to a more secure future, the allocation of our resources should more clearly reflect our values,” he said.
The Bipartisan Security Group distributed a policy brief on the Proliferation Security Initiative, the Bush Administration’s most recent proposed approach to controlling weapons of mass destruction.
Some of the participants, joined by Mr. Markey’s wife U.S. Assistant Surgeon General Susan Blumenthal and Mr. Douglas’ wife Catherine Zeta Jones, formed a delegation to visit several Congressional offices. Representative Dave Obey, ranking minority member of the House Appropriations Committee, greeted them in his Congressional office as, did Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi where they were also joined by other Members of Congress. The delegation was able to express their strong passions regarding their issues of concern.
Michael Douglas and Jane Goodall were appointed UN Messengers of Peace in 1998 and 2002, respectively. Ambassador Thomas Graham, Jr. has been involved in every major international arms control and non-proliferation agreement in the past 30 years.
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TRANSCRIPTS
“A Place to Work Together” by Michael Douglas
“There is Still Hope” by Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE
“The Limits of Unilateralism” by Amb. Thomas Graham, Jr.
—
PHOTOS
1. Rep. Christopher Shays, Jane Goodall, Rep. Ed Markey, Michael Douglas
2. Jonathan Granoff
3. Jane Goodall, Michael Douglas
4. Rep. Lois Capps
5. Amb. Thomas Graham, Jr.
6. Dr. Jane Goodall
7. Rep. Dave Obey, Michael Douglas
8. Amb. Thomas Graham, Jr., Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta Jones, Jonathan Granoff, Admiral Susan Blumenthal (U.S. Assistant Surgeon General), Rep. Ed Markey
9. Amb. Thomas Graham, Jr., Dr. Jane Goodall, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi
Photos by Zachary Allen
Posted by zack_allen at 06:36 PM
October 28, 2003
Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament (PNND) Gathers in Vancouver to Reduce Nuclear Dangers
On Friday, November 7, 2003, Parliamentarians from around the world will gather in Vancouver for the inaugural conference of the Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament (PNND).
Posted by zack_allen at 01:42 PM
October 25, 2003
President’s Message: Fear, Faith and Love
Fear continues to govern the vision of many of the world’s leaders and they instill it in the people in order to further their own fear-based agendas.
Since the end of the Cold War, the world has spent more than $10 trillion on armaments. The United States alone spends approximately $100 million every day to keep its nuclear arsenal at ready. Other nations squander assets as well. Neither security nor our humanity is enhanced thereby. The nuclear arsenals are on the ready, just as they were at the height of the Cold War. Yet, the entire budget of the International Atomic Energy Agency, for all the inspections in the whole world last year was less than $90 million, which is less than the United States spends on one weapons system a day.
America is a nation founded on a vision of faith and hope in the capacity of people for self governance. Fear was not the model upon which America was founded. Even amid the crucible of real international threats and conflict, the founders of America were governed by profound insights into the human condition and the importance of having a sense of humility.
The Capitol was burned in Washington by the second decade of the 19th Century. Yet, curtailing civil liberties to create greater governmental efficiencies did not rule the day. Enough were informed by the intelligence of John Adams who had said that “jealousies and rivalries have been my theme, and checks and balances as their antidote, till I am ashamed to repeat the words.” Inefficiencies were intended to check the quest for power and the hand guided by greed and not justice. The oversight of courts, the Congressional system of debate and protections for dissenters, and even the Supremacy of Treaties, as well as many other political mechanisms, were designed to ensure that the arrogance of power did not crush the experiment of freedom based on faith.
Although not particularly religious, many of the creators of America were men of faith in God. The importance of dissent and open discussion even arose from their faith. They were familiar with John Stewart Mill’s analysis of the basis of freedom of speech where in his famous essay On Liberty he stated: “To refuse a hearing to an opinion, because they are sure that it is false, is to assume that their certainty is the same thing as absolute certainty. All silencing of discussion is an assumption of infallibility.” The subtext is that only God is infallible. What does a man do when he places himself in the position of claiming to be infallible? I believe that such supreme arrogance is usually based on weakness of faith and a deep fear of differences that could present a challenge to a fragile faith. Real faith listens with an ear of compassion and responds with reason and kindness. Real faith knows that truth can come from the most common of sources and thus never discards anyone.
Fear is responsible for closing down dialogue and discussion and denying our interconnectedness. Fearful people can close their hearts and think they have all the answers. Religious and political fanaticism develop in that atmosphere. It also happens in each of us when we claim that the worldview that our mind develops is the actual, real world and from that point claim that our limited point of view is the singular and only correct point of view.
We have to learn to walk a little bit more softly on this earth. It doesn’t belong to us. We are privileged to be here for a while and then we have to move on. We can’t get angry. We can’t give up. We can’t answer real questions about complex issues with slogans. We have work to do.
The opposite of fear is love. The politics of love affirms human unity. Law based on this insight always promotes equity and justice. It is always consistent with conscience. Law is a living art, the social expression of our values. Laws of justice find structure to our longing for peace and security. Law is not just something that somebody wrote in Washington 200 years ago, in Mecca 1400 years ago, or in the desert of the Sinai thousands of years before. It’s something that’s alive now. It’s something that humans create out of love and justice. It can, by demonstrating compassion, affirm our unity and connectedness.
The same Power that put the capacity of a nuclear holocaust in subatomic particles has put a great power in the core of each of our beings. We come from that Power and that Power has also given us the wisdom and the abilities to meet all challenges, even those that nuclear weapons pose. We do have the resources to find peace and security for all peoples. We do have the audacity to assert that all people have a right to peace and security. We do have a duty to work to help all obtain this right.
Posted by zack_allen at 10:24 AM
October 02, 2003
“The Limits of Unilateralism” By Amb. Thomas Graham, Jr.
Disarmament, arms control, is not a new issue. In the Middle Ages, the Pope outlawed the crossbow declaring it to be “hateful to God and unfit for Christians.” However, the crossbow was later overtaken in effectiveness by the English longbow. And both the crossbow and the longbow were then eclipsed by the destructive firepower of the cannon.
But, everything changed in 1945 with the advent of the atomic bomb, for the first time humankind possessed a weapon with which it could destroy itself. Disarmament efforts gradually gained momentum and over time a web of international treaties and agreements was constructed which limited weapons development and inhibited the spread of nuclear weapons as well as chemical and biological weapons. And, there is no question but that these efforts changed the course of history.
But, nuclear weapons are truly a thing apart as everyone in this audience knows. The atomic bomb used against Hiroshima in 1945 was 14 kilotons or 14 thousand tons of TNT explosive equivalent. But in a few years, the United States and the Soviet Union were testing nuclear weapons in the megaton range or million tons of TNT explosive equivalent. Just by way of reference, one megaton is equivalent to a freight train loaded with TNT which stretches from New York to Los Angeles.
Soon, a vast nuclear arms race was underway, the Soviet Union built 45,000 nuclear weapons, the United States more than 30,000. This effort eventually bankrupted the Soviet Union and cost the United States in excess of $5.5 trillion. But, in the 1960s, it appeared as if these weapons would spread all over the world. In 1962, there were reports estimating that there would be 25-30 nuclear weapons states with nuclear weapons integrated into their national arsenals by the end of the 1970s. If this had happened, there would likely be more than 50 nuclear weapon states today. This would have created a nightmarish world, one in which every conflict would run the risk of going nuclear, it would be impossible to keep these weapons out of the hands of terrorists because they would be so widespread and the continued existence of our civilization would hang in the balance every day.
The principal reason that this did not happen was the negotiation of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, the NPT in 1968, its entry into force in 1970, and its permanent extension in 1995. It converted what had been an act of national pride (the acquisition of nuclear weapons) into an act of international outlawry. In exchange for the then five nuclear weapon states agreeing to certain nuclear arms control and disarmament commitments, the rest of the world agreed never to acquire nuclear weapons. But, we must not forget that the NPT did come at a price in arms control commitments for the nuclear weapon states (the United States, Russia, France, the UK and China), including ; for example, deep reductions in nuclear weapons leading to their elimination, a comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty, and a pledge never to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapon NPT parties (now 182 nations – almost the whole world).
Recently, we paused to remember the terrible tragedy of September 11, 2001. But, as horrible as the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were, they would have been orders of magnitude worse if a nuclear explosive device had been involved. And it is clear that today, the principal threat to our security is so-called “rogue states” and international terrorist organizations combined with the threat of nuclear proliferation. To this, the only long-term effective response is increased and intensive international cooperation and commitment to the rule of law.
However, in recent years, the United States has moved more to a unilateral world-wide confrontational strategy rather than one of cooperation. For over 50 years, the United States pursued a balance of power policy among the Great Powers, the United States, Russia, China, and Europe. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the U.S.-Japan Alliance are among the institutions and partnerships created by this grand strategy whose centerpiece was containment of the Soviet Union. At the same time, the United States pursued a world order built on rules and international treaties that permitted the expansion of democracy, the enlargement of international security, free market economies, and free trade. And within this international order, based on these twin policies, that we created, in addition to keeping the peace, we gave political cover to countries throughout the world to adopt the American position but doing so by joining international institutions and multi-lateral treaty regimes like the World Trade Organization and the NPT regime.
But, we have moved away from this world that we established. We have rejected new treaty arrangements important to key allies like the Kyoto Protocol and the International Criminal Court instead of attempting to amend them or leave them quietly “on the shelf.” And we have renounced treaty arrangements that are important to the world community such as the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and a verification and inspection Annex to the Biological Weapons Convention.
In the past, the quest for security in a dangerous world, the effort to limit weapons and reduce the risk of war has always been a bi-partisan process. President Eisenhower negotiated the first arms control treaty in the modern age. President Kennedy concluded the Treaty prohibiting nuclear explosive tests in the atmosphere, and President Johnson signed the NPT. President Nixon began the Strategic Arms Limitation process; President Carter continued it and President Reagan continued it and converted it into the Strategic Arms Reduction process. President Clinton led the effort to make the NPT permanent and signed the test ban Treaty. President George H.W. Bush along with President Gorbachev, ended the Cold War with limited bloodshed which was not preordained. And, also on his watch, the first and second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaties were signed, along with the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty, the Treaty that ended the Cold War, and the Chemical Weapon Convention, prohibiting poison gas weapons. And, Senators Sam Nunn and Dick Lugar in their creation of the Nunn-Lugar program for Russia and many other activities over the years set the standard for bi-partisanship.
America does not need empire, it needs peace, cooperation, and the international rule of law. America should move away from the tendency toward unilateralism and should return to its historic destiny of keeping the peace and fostering the development of the community of nations, democracies, free market economy, the international rule of law, international institutions, and treaty arrangements. This is both consistent with our principles and our national interest. It is in this way that the twin threats of nuclear proliferation and international terrorism will be lifted. And, it is in this way that peace and stability for the 21st century will finally be attained.
Biography: Ambassador Thomas Graham, Jr. is internationally known as one of the leading authorities in the field of arms control agreements to combat the spread of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. He has served as a senior U.S. diplomat involved in the negotiation of every major international arms control and non-proliferation agreement for the past 30 years, including The Strategic Arms Limitations Talks (SALT) Treaties, The Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START) Treaties, The Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, Intermediate Nuclear Force (INF) Treaty, Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty, and Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). Ambassador Graham is currently chair of the Bipartisan Security Group, a program of the Global Security Institute. His recent book Cornerstones of Security: Arms Control and International Law in a Nuclear Era is a landmark book on the subject.
“The Limits of Unilateralism” presentation at the U.S. Congress October 2, 2003 was hosted by the House of Representatives Bipartisan Task Force on Non-Proliferation in cooperation with the Bipartisan Security Group, a program of the Global Security Institute. For more information about the Task Force, please contact Ramsey Hoguet (Rep. Markey) at 202-225-2836 or Jordan Press (Rep. Shays) at 202-225-5541. For information about the Bipartisan Security Group, please contact Ambassador Robert Grey at 202-543-9017.
Posted by zack_allen at 09:46 AM “There is Still Hope” By Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE
Chimpanzees are more closely related to humans than any other animal, sharing approximately 99% of their DNA with ours. They are capable of intellectual behaviors once thought unique to us. They use and make tools, can plan for the immediate future, can recognize self, have a sense of humor. They show emotions that are clearly similar to those we call happiness, sadness, anger, fear, despair and so on. They show compassion and altruism on the one hand, brutality and a form of primitive warfare on the other. Anthropology textbooks often refer to chimpanzee behavior as a possible model for the behavior of our Stone Age ancestors. Certainly they help us to understand that there is no sharp line dividing humans from the rest of the animal kingdom. At the same time, just because chimpanzees are so like us, more so than any other species, understanding of their behavior helps us to pinpoint ways in which we are, indeed, unique and may help us to better understand our own behavior.
During the six million or so years of our time on Earth, we humans have developed an extraordinarily sophisticated spoken language and remarkable intellectual powers. In chimpanzee society “might is right” although we see some precursors of moral behavior, as when a high ranking male intervenes in a fight on behalf of the weaker of two subordinates. We humans have gone further along this path. Unless we are physiologically damaged we each have the capacity to control our baser instincts through a sense of morality. All peoples have developed rules and/or laws designed to punish anti-social behavior. Yet anti-social behavior is rife around the world, within and between communities. Wars continue to be waged and despite the lessons of World War II, some of them include genocide.
Within a chimpanzee social group, aggressive acts are typically followed by submission of the subordinate to the aggressor who then reassures the supplicant with a pat or embrace, thus reducing tension and restoring social harmony. Interactions between members of different social groups, by contrast, are brutal. Chimpanzees show pronounced xenophobic behavior, and males of one community may hunt and attack “strangers” – including females. Such aggression seems triggered by competition for territory and the acquisition of more food resources for their own females and young. In this way we are more like chimpanzees than we care to think.
Unfortunately, we have become better at killing: the simple, chimpanzee-like tools of our remote ancestors have evolved into all the marvels of modern technology. And while on the one hand this has led to inventions such as the countless life saving practices of modern medicine and today’s electronic communication, on the other it has led to ever more efficient ways of waging war, including the invention of nuclear weapons and other forms of mass destruction. We now have the power to destroy life on earth as we know it. This power, coupled with current political and social tensions makes the world a very dangerous place.
Animal and plant species are becoming extinct at an unprecedented rate as a result of habitat destruction – deforestation, desertification, filling in of wetlands and massive pollution of air, water and soil through chemical fertilizers and pesticides, industrial emissions and so on. The reckless burning of fossil fuels threatens the ozone layer and is causing global warming. Over-fishing has led to the depletion of fish stocks in the oceans. Ground water levels are sinking and the level of many rivers has dropped dangerously as water is diverted for irrigation and so on.
It was when I realized that the chimpanzees in Africa were facing extinction due to habitat destruction, the live animal trade and, in West and Central Africa, the illegal commercial hunting of wild animals for food (the bush meat trade) that I left the forests of Gombe to begin raising awareness of these issues. Since October 1986 I have spent approximately 300 days a year “on the road”. It soon became clear to me that many of the problems faced by Africa and other developing countries – overpopulation, habitat destruction, desertification, hunger and crippling poverty – are due, in part, to the demands made on their natural resources by the developed world. Everywhere the elite are enjoying unsustainable lifestyles and getting richer at the expense of the poor nations. Unbridled economic growth in the developed world and elite societies everywhere, runs in parallel to the impoverishment of the developing world. The gap between the rich and the poor that is growing ever wider fuels discontent, resentment and anger.
It is desperately urgent that we strive to achieve a more equitable world which, in part, means placing strong, legal constraints on the desire for power and uncontrolled economic growth of the wealthy nations, and a curb on selfish nationalism. There has never been a greater need for arms treaties.
And we must realize that it is not only the dispossessed and oppressed who are angry and resentful, but those countries who are left out of decision making process. Modern electronic communication provides such people with information about plans made by the super powers that will affect their lives, as well as providing graphic information as to how “the other half lives”. I repeat, the world has become a very dangerous place.
It was to address such issues that the UN was formed after World War II. And while the UN has many failings, it is the only organization that provides a platform for all nations, including the smallest and weakest, to make their voices heard, to give input into decision making, to protest bullying behavior on the part of wealthy nations. We must work to build the strength of the UN, particularly now when there is a secretary general with the ability, the wisdom and the great leadership abilities of Kofi Annan. He is not only respected, but loved by many around the world.
One of the most important steps we could take, as we stand at the start of a new century, is to rid the world of nuclear weapons. The devastation inflicted on people and the environment with the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that ended World War II was a crime against humanity. The extent of the damage on people and environment caused by the atomic tests on the Marshall Islands is only now becoming apparent. Survivors of radiation and their offspring have suffered unbelievably, in both Japan and the Marshall Islands, and still suffer today.
Yet the Bush Administration has declared its intention of relying on nuclear weapons as a core component of US national security, exploring the development of new nuclear weapons, and may resume nuclear testing. Indeed, we stand on the brink of a new nuclear disaster. The natural world, already harmed so extensively in so many ways, might well be unable to withstand a further massive onslaught. We understand increasingly how ecosystems are comprised of interconnected parts – damage or loss of some parts can lead to irreparable damage to the whole. And I believe that natural world is important for our psychological development, our mental health, and our spiritual growth. It is desperately important that we think about the impact on future generations of decisions we make today. We must think of our children, and children as yet unborn, and the increasingly damaged environment that we are creating.
There is still hope, but only if we each take responsible action to make the world a better place for all living things. We have the potential to change course and to take control over our destiny. We have the power to destroy or heal the world. Pray God we chose to heal.
Biography: Jane Goodall is known internationally for her long term study of chimpanzees in Tanzania, East Today, however, she is increasingly recognized as an advocate for conservation of the natural world and a variety of environmental and humanitarian issues. Her program for youth, Roots & Shoots, is operating in more than 60 countries around the world, and involves more than 4,500 active groups from pre-school through university. Since 9/11 Roots & Shoots has developed a strong Peace Initiative, designed to help youth understand the different cultures and religions of the world, and to break down the barriers we have erected between religions, cultures and countries. Dr. Goodall, who was made a Dame of the British Empire by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II earlier this year, was appointed by the Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, as one of nine UN Messengers of Peace in April 2002.
“The Limits of Unilateralism” presentation at the U.S. Congress October 2, 2003 was hosted by the House of Representatives Bipartisan Task Force on Non-Proliferation in cooperation with the Bipartisan Security Group, a program of the Global Security Institute. For more information about the Task Force, please contact Ramsey Hoguet (Rep. Markey) at 202-225-2836 or Jordan Press (Rep. Shays) at 202-225-5541. For information about the Bipartisan Security Group, please contact Ambassador Robert Grey at 202-543-9017.
Posted by zack_allen at 09:40 AM “A Place to Work Together” By Michael Douglas
It is a great honor to be here with you, especially because of the example set by the Bipartisan Task Force on Nonproliferation and its co chairs Congressman Chris Shays and Ed Markey. I would also like to thank the Bipartisan Security Group, and its group of experts like its Chairman Ambassador Thomas Graham, and my friend Jonathan Granoff. I support and applaud your efforts.
A wise person recently pointed out that no one has ever washed a rental car. Why bother if you don’t own it? When people are engaged in a process, they are far more likely to support its outcome. Nations behave the same way.
In 1945, the United Nations was founded with one major goal in mind, and I quote, “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.” The founders noted that twice in the 20th Century major wars had brought “untold sorrow to mankind.” Since its founding, 191 nations have joined the UN.
We have no other place where all nations can work together for peace, a place where we can use verbal conflict rather than armed conflict to solve problems. And often, the UN, with US support, has provided armed force to help ensure the peace.
The entire planet now faces global challenges including ensuring bio-diversity and ending the destruction of thousands of species; reversing the depletion of fishing stocks; controlling ocean dumping; preventing ozone depletion; halting global warming; controlling and eliminating terrorism and weapons of mass destruction; fighting pandemic diseases; ending the tragedy of crushing poverty and lack of clean drinking water; and addressing crises arising from failed states. No nation or even a small group of nations can succeed in addressing these issues alone.
If the application of solutions appears to be done only through the orders of decision-makers in Washington, DC, in derogation of the UN, the results will be cynicism, lack of cooperation, and ultimately failure. Failure is not something we can afford.
Working with the UN, I can tell you that America’s interests are best served when others want to emulate our good example. America’s interests are best served when we act in coordination with other nations, and when we demonstrate our values by our actions. Franklin Roosevelt defined those core values as four freedoms: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of every person to worship God in their own way, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.
That is the America the world has come to love.
The United Nations is based on political insights that have led to successful governance principles and enhanced the wealth of nations. These values include market freedoms, religious liberty, an independent judiciary, government transparency and accountability, democracy, and a high level of respect for civil liberties and human rights.
They have evolved into nearly universal goals and norms. The countries that have adhered to these principles are the most secure and healthy.
The United Nations is guided by such countries, and simultaneously provides the only viable forum for the expression of the aspirations of the poor and the weak.
The establishment of international norms of conduct is where idealism informs realism. These powerful principles are not mere abstractions. Recently, I visited Sierra Leone, where I saw the consequences of failure to abide by these norms: child soldiers; severed limbs; disrupted lives; suffering beyond words. Global issues distill to the particulars of individual lives. Our capacity and responsibility to enhance so many individual lives should not be taken lightly. We are called to nothing less than moral leadership.
When moral leadership is coupled with power, it galvanizes the world. Moral leadership requires living up to one’s promises and commitments.
Fulfilling our promises in the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, now with 188 member States, must be a primary aim. This Treaty, essential to our security, will be reviewed formally in 2005 at the UN.
At the 2000 Review of the Treaty, the US along with all other parties to the Treaty made a pledge. Let me remind you of what was promised, and I quote: “an unequivocal undertaking by the nuclear weapons states to accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals… leading to nuclear disarmament…”
There are tens of thousands of nuclear weapons in the world, over 90% are possessed by Russia and the US. Most are many times more devastating than those used on Hiroshima. The arsenals of Russia and the US are armed, targeted and poised, waiting for three short computer signals to fire. These hair trigger devices represent the devastation of approximately 100,000 Hiroshimas and pose a horrific threat to life. The use of a nuclear weapon could take place by accident or design by states, or even terrorists. These weapons pose an unacceptable risk to the planet.
We must demonstrate our unambiguous commitment to fulfill our promises. Otherwise, the prospect of more nuclear weapons states, and the construction of new nuclear weapons, will only increase human peril. The world needs a more effective nonproliferation and disarmament regime and is looking to us for leadership.
The drafters of the United Nations Charter created a harmonious system that permits dynamic and broad engagement through the General Assembly, the Security Council, numerous agencies and the Secretariat. The present situation in Iraq presents us with the opportunity to re-affirm our commitment to the principles that guide the UN. Regarding the reconstruction of Iraq, it has become clear that there is no substitute for UN cooperation for legitimacy and effectiveness.
Additionally, we should support Secretary General Kofi Annan’s call for reform and strengthening of the UN system. This is the best way to satisfy all the members of the international community, demonstrate American leadership, and make our world more secure.
America can be proud when we lead by inspiration rather than by coercion. America can be proud to have proven that the human condition is advanced when power is shared. It is an affirmation of faith that the inefficiencies of discussion and debate, of checks and balances, ultimately build better governance than authority centralized in unaccountable hands.
Let America’s hands be as open as our hearts. Let America’s spirit of cooperation be based on our vision of democracy. Let America engage the international community more deeply, and more formally.
When we have confidence in working together, others will have confidence to work with us. The call based on “we the people” opened new vistas of government based on principles of participation and inclusion. That call for inclusion was heard around the world when our great nation was born. Less than two centuries later, the resonance of that call helped form the United Nations. We, today’s champions of that call, can and must lead with pride.
Thank you.
Contact: Allen Burry, 818-777-6700.
Biography: Film and television actor and producer Michael Douglas has demonstrated a strong commitment to disarmament, including nuclear non-proliferation and stemming the tide of small arms and light weapons. Mr. Douglas has promoted abolition of nuclear weapons as a moral imperative. He has also spoken out in favor of greater controls over the illegal possession and circulation of small arms and light weapons. He has helped promote an innovative UN program of weapons recovery in Albania, encouraging people at the community level voluntarily to return arms in exchange for development assistance. He also recently visited Sierra Leone and filmed a documentary on children soldiers co-produced by RCN Entertainment and the United Nations for Showtime. He was appointed a UN Messenger of Peace in 1998.
“The Limits of Unilateralism” presentation at the U.S. Congress October 2, 2003 was hosted by the House of Representatives Bipartisan Task Force on Non-Proliferation in cooperation with the Bipartisan Security Group, which is a program of the Global Security Institute. For more information about the Task Force, please contact Ramsey Hoguet (Rep. Markey) at 202-225-2836 or Jordan Press (Rep. Shays) at 202-225-5541. For information about the Bipartisan Security Group, please contact Ambassador Robert Grey at 202-543-9017.
Posted by zack_allen at 09:26 AM
October 01, 2003
Washington, DC — Michael Douglas, Dr. Jane Goodall Address Strengthening US and World Security at the US Congress
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Kath Delaney, 415-383-7922 or 415-531-1642
Nadine Kjellberg, 610-668-5480 or 610-585-0844
What:
The House of Representatives Bipartisan Task Force on Non-Proliferation, in cooperation with the Bipartisan Security Group, will host a discussion on the limits of unilateralism at the U.S. Congress. In separate keynotes, Ambassador Thomas Graham,
Dr. Jane Goodall and Michael Douglas will urge U.S. policy makers to pursue greater cooperation — both at home and abroad — when addressing global security threats. Comments by Congressmen Ed Markey (D-MA), Christopher Shays (R-CT) and GSI President Jonathan Granoff as well as a dialogue with the audience will follow.
Who:
Michael Douglas, Actor, Producer, Director.
Dr. Jane Goodall DBE, Noted Primatologist.
Ambassador Thomas Graham, Jr., Chairman of the GSI’s Bipartisan Security Group.
When:
2:00 PM, Thursday, October 2, 2003.
Where:
Room 2154, Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC.
Under the title, “The Limits of Unilateralism,” the speakers will discuss the importance of bipartisan cooperation in Congress, and multilateral cooperation among nations, when it comes to advancing issues of global concern, such as the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the health of the earth’s biosphere and sustainable economic development.
For more information about the Nonproliferation Task Force, please contact Israel Klein (Rep. Markey): 202-225-2836.
Bipartisan Security Group — Background Materials:
Bipartisan Security Group, A Program of the Global Security Institute:
http://www.gsinstitute.org/programs/bsg.shtml
Bipartisan Security Group Experts Bios:
http://www.gsinstitute.org/programs/bsg_members.shtml#MemberBios
BSG Brief — Proliferation Security Initiative:
http://www.gsinstitute.org/docs/09_03_PSI_brief.pdf
BSG Interim Report — Status of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty: http://www.gsinstitute.org/docs/BSG_13_Steps_Brief.pdf
BSG Congressional Briefings — In cooperation with the House Task Force on Non-Proliferation:
http://www.house.gov/markey/iss_nuclear_taskforce.htm
MICHAEL DOUGLAS
Film and television actor and producer Michael Douglas has demonstrated a strong commitment to disarmament, including nuclear non-proliferation and stemming the tide of small arms and light weapons. Mr. Douglas has promoted abolition of nuclear weapons as a moral imperative. He has also spoken out in favor of greater controls over the illegal possession and circulation of small arms and light weapons. He has helped promote an innovative UN program of weapons recovery in Albania, encouraging people at the community level voluntarily to return arms in exchange for development assistance. He also recently visited Sierra Leone and filmed a documentary on children soldiers co-produced by RCN Entertainment and the United Nations for Showtime. He was appointed a UN Messenger of Peace in 1998.
DR. JANE GOODALL, DBE
Jane Goodall began her landmark study of chimpanzees in Tanzania in June 1960. Her work at the Gombe Stream Chimpanzee Reserve would become the foundation of future primatological research and redefine the relationship between humans and animals. In 1977, Dr. Goodall founded the Jane Goodall Institute, which is widely recognized for establishing community-centered conservation and development programs in Africa, and the Roots & Shoots education program in more than 70 countries. Dr. Goodall travels an average 300 days per year, speaking about environmental threats and her reasons for hope that humankind will solve the problems it has imposed on the earth. In 2002 Dr. Goodall was appointed a UN Messenger of Peace. In 2003, Queen Elizabeth II named her a Dame of the British Empire, the equivalent of knighthood.
AMBASSADOR THOMAS GRAHAM, JR. (RET.)
Ambassador Thomas Graham, Jr. is internationally known as one of the leading authorities in the field of arms control agreements to combat the spread of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. He has served as a senior U.S. diplomat involved in the negotiation of every major international arms control and non-proliferation agreement for the past 30 years, including The Strategic Arms Limitations Talks (SALT) Treaties, The Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START) Treaties, The Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, Intermediate Nuclear Force (INF) Treaty, Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty, and Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). Ambassador Graham is currently chair of the Bipartisan Security Group, a program of the Global Security Institute. His recent book Cornerstones of Security: Arms Control and International Law in a Nuclear Era is a landmark book on the subject.
JONATHAN GRANOFF
Jonathan Granoff is President of the Global Security Institute. Mr. Granoff is Co-Chair of the American Bar Association, Committee on Arms Control and National Security and serves on numerous governing and advisory boards of organizations related to peace and security issues. He has lectured extensively throughout the world on issues pertaining to global security.
REP. EDWARD J. MARKEY, (D-MA)
Edward Markey was first elected to the United States Congress in 1976. While mastering the complexities of telecommunications policy, he continues to be a champion of consumer rights, health reform, the elimination of large monopolies, non-proliferation and the conservation of environmental resources. He has worked aggressively to preserve the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as wilderness. He is co-chair of the Bipartisan Task Force on Nonproliferation Policy.
REP. CHRISTOPHER SHAYS, (R-CT)
Christopher Shays is a leader among moderates in the Republican Party and a nationally recognized environmentalist, serving as the U.S. Chairman of the Global Legislators Organization for a Balanced Environment (GLOBE). He also serves as Vice-Chairman of the House Government Reform Committee and as Chairman of its Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations. In this role and as co-chairman of the Congressional Non-Proliferation Task Force, Christopher helped lead the effort to reduce the threat of weapons of mass destruction.
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Posted by zack_allen at 12:55 PM