Plugging for peace

BALI, Indonesia – In a way it cannot be more relevant writing about campaigns for peace in these times, than to do so in the heart of a country with the biggest Muslim population in the world. Bali itself has lived through years of ethnic conflict as an island of Hindu tradition in an Islamic sea. It remains the only Hindu society in Southeast Asia. The Balinese have retained their religious practices in contemporary life. But to the outside world it is simply known as an idyllic resort with all the tourist comforts for Western visitors. Bali connotes the attempt to harness the tourism potential of developing countries for economic development. It has a local population of three million inhabitants attracting half a million foreigners and a million local tourists a year earning for it some badly needed dollars. So far, the bigger political problems of the Indonesian archipelago are not visible from where I sit in a luxurious Grand Hyatt balcony, writing this article while peering at schools of goldfish swimming blissfully in a tranquil lotus pond.

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But what happens to Bali and larger Indonesia will be affected by how the rest of the world manages its conflicts. In this regard, I am grateful to Seychelles founding president, Sir James Mancham, for keeping me in touch with his own campaign for peace in the world. The man is indefatigable. Through his book, War on America – Seen from the Indian Ocean, he believes that the United States can sort out and lead the campaign against terrorism if gt sorts itself out first, especially its own transgressions against small powerless people, among them the Chaggosians about which I wrote about last Thursday. Indeed, the conflicts with Muslims have been exacerbated by its policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian problem. Mancham writes of the success of his month long campaign in the US which included receiving the Gold Key of the City from the Mayor of the city of Anchorage. He visited Honolulu, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Anchorage, Denver, Boston, New York City, Washington DC and Orlando, USA to promote his book, mindful that it is important that he reached as many Americans as possible.

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He gave interviews to some 20 leading US newspapers and magazines, clocked in some 200 minutes of radio interviews with network across the USA including global Voice of America. He appeared on several TV shows including Fox News and CNN World News. If anything, he says his promotional tour has reached at least a million people who are now at least aware that there is a place called the Seychelles and a book, War on America – Seen from the Indian Ocean. Before leaving Washington DC, he addressed the influential Wednesday morning meetings of the Republican Party-Conservative caucus with representatives from the White House, the State Department and the Pentagon, present. He made the appeal to them to re-open its embassy in Seychelles. Of course, I am aware there is the commercial aspect of his tour, but it is a bargain to know that the book can be purchased in the USA at: paragonhouse.com, amazon.com and barnes&noble.com. in exchange for letting us know that America needs to reform if it expects the world to recognize its moral leadership. Mancham has ably demonstrated that it certainly failed in the case of Seychelles.

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  When I met him at the International and Interreligous Conference of the Federation for World Peace in Seoul, I had embarked on a wider project to interview all the heads of state present to get a feel of their sentiments on the themes for world peace discussed in the conference. But when Mancham gave me his book War on America – Seen from the Indian Ocean, the big project was scuttled in favor of a review of his book. I can see his point. His approach to examine the basis of world leadership by the US is more focused.

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This theme is reinforced in a book entitled – The Future of Peace – in the 21st Century – subtitled Mitigating Discontents and Harmonizing Global Diversity sponsored by the Eleanor Roosevelt Institute for Justice and Peace which he co-edited with the Chairman of the Eleanor Roosevelt Institute of Justice and Peace, the Hon. Dr. Nicholas Kittrie, KSG and H.E. Rodrigo Carazo, former president of Costa Rica. All three are stalwarts of IFFWP conferences to which my husband and I have been invited a number of times.

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Dr. Kittrie is former dean and currently University Professor in Law at the American University in Washington DC. As Chair of The Eleanor Roosevelt Institute for Justice and Peace, Chair of The United Nations Alliance of NGOs on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, and Founder of the American Society of International Law’s Interest Group on the Status of Minorities, he is preeminently qualified to tackle the theme of the book Mancham reports about. Kittrie is also former Counsel to the United States Senate Judiciary Committee and former President of the American Society of Criminology. Although he was also in the IIFWP conference in Seoul, I did not get to interview him. He has served as consultant to governmental and public agencies throughout the world.

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The other editor of The Future of Peace in the 21st Century, H.E. Rodrigo Carazo, was President of the Republic of Costa Rica from 1978-1982. During his term as president, he reactivated the Treaty of San Jose, which set up an Inter-American Human Rights Court in the Costa Rican capital and economic power centers, and defended Costa Rican sovereignty. Carazo founded the international University for Peace in Ciudad Colon, and assumed its presidency after completing his term as Costa Rica’s leader. In April 1994, he led a delegation of the Summit Council for World Peace to Pyongyang, North Korea, which met with the late President Kim Il Sung to discuss issues relating to peace and stability on the Korean peninsula. In recognition of his contributions to world peace, he has been honored with numerous peace awards and honorary degrees.

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According to President Mancham the first copy of The Future of Peace in the 21st Century has been presented to the Nobel Peace Prize Committee in Stockholm and copies will be sent out to universities worldwide interested in conflict resolutions and the cultivation of a culture of peace.

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Among the latest to endorse the book is French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Henri Vedrine who said War on America – Seen from the Indian Ocean made points that deserve to be taken into consideration. Endorsements also came from Adrian Skerrett – author, businessman and conservationist, Phil Keeler, former Head of PanAm Operations at US Tracking Station in Seychelles, Peter Porco of Anchorage Daily News, Thomas G. Walsh, Secretary-General of the Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace,The Most Reverend Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Wales and Bishop of Monmouth (possibly the next Archbishop of Canterbury, Head of Church of England), The Most Hon. French Chang-Him, Anglican Archbishop of the Indian Ocean, Henri Mammootoo of Week-End Mauritius, and Arnaud de Borchgrave, past President and editor-at-large for United Press International (UPI) and The Washington Times, author of the bestseller The Spike. Of these endorsements, I would cite two to give STAR readers an idea of the significance of Mancham’s book.

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First, de Borchgrave’s endorsement: "As the first President of the Seychelles, Sir James Mancham had a ringside seat to emerging Cold War struggles for the control of strategic islands in the Indian Ocean. He was eventually overthrown in a pro-Marxist coup while on a visit to London. His "War on America" is crammed with fascinating details hitherto untold - and told well by Sir James. An astute observer of the forces that have shaped developing countries and islands, and spawned the breeding grounds of transnational terrorism, he has made an important contribution to the historical record."

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To author Skerrett: "If a script of the life of James Mancham were submitted to a film producer as a James Bond-style thriller, perhaps it would be dismissed as too fanciful even for Hollywood. In his latest book, War on America -Seen from the Indian Ocean, we re-live Mancham’s rise from humble origins in an isolated corner of the globe, to first President of his country and world statesman. There are international stories of major global events including de-colonization, super-power rivalry, the CIA, assassination, political skullduggery, the Cold War, the coming and going of world leaders. There are the lives of the super rich and the desperately poor nations of the world, and there are more local events in Seychelles, including independence, a coup, mercenaries, and the fight to save the most ecologically important atoll on the planet."

To us, Filipinos the lesson of Mancham and his book is to be able to view the US war on terrorism in a wider context without sounding like professional anti-Americans. We must take into account "what he says in his book" to give us an additional perspective with which to view the US war against terrorism in general and the controversial presence of American troops in Mindanao in particular. A number of Filipinos are anxious that the country’s position vis-à-vis acceptance of American military presence in Mindanao should not be seen as dictated purely for mercenary reasons as it is now being interpreted by other countries. That does not mean rejecting American help either but in doing so, acquiescence must be underpinned by certain principles.

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In this regard, I am glad the quote Sir James Mancham uses the following paragraphs of a previous column I wrote as my endorsement for his book:

"What he says in his book gives us an additional perspective to view the US war against terrorism and the controversial presence of American troops in Mindanao… it is about the question of America’s capability to lead the world in the campaign against terrorism after September 11. He uses sources, all friends of the US, even Americans themselves, to demonstrate that he means well in giving his advice now.

One source he uses is Henry Kissinger’s Does America Need a Foreign Policy? To Kissinger, America’s ultimate challenge is to transform its power into moral consensus, promoting values not by imposition but by their willing acceptance by a world that desperately needs enlightened leadership."

My e-mail address: [email protected]