History does not progress at an even rate, but by long periods of slow development punctuated by sudden revolutionary changes, as described by dialectical philosophy. The news in CPNN this month illustrate the slowness of the development of the culture of peace. The development of the peace process which led to this month’s signing of a peace … Read more
In this month’s CPNN bulletin, we read how the “unjustifiable” war in Iraq has been a major cause of the rise of the barbaric ‘Islamic State’ in the region. This observation comes from two important figures in our time, Ismail Serageldin, head of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, and Mary Robinson, formerly President of Ireland, then High Commissioner … Read more
The CPNN bulletins for August 1 and September 1 illustrate how history is moving dialectically. Two opposing tendencies exist and interact simultaneously, the culture of war and the culture of peace. At the same time the culture of war advances towards self-destruction, the culture of peace is slowly growing. While the commercial media drowns us with news about the culture … Read more
The CPNN bulletin this month is in great contrast to the headlines of the commercial mass media. CPNN tells us of progress in participatory democracy in the cities of Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Portugal and the United States. Ordinary citizens are deciding directly what should be the priorities for the budget in their neighborhoods. And the results … Read more
It is not by accident that the progress in democratic participation is being made at the level of the city and not at the level of the nation state. At the level of the nation state, there is no progress. Instead, we are going backwards. More and more the American model is being imposed at … Read more
When I went to work in Mozambique on behalf of UNESCO to help develop a national culture of peace program in the early 90’s, my African friends criticized the European notion of building a culture of peace. “No, they told me, you don’t build a culture of peace. You cultivate it.” The culture of war, on the … Read more