TFF Associates & Themes Blog

Archive for January, 2012

By Scilla Elworthy who speaks with Archbishop Desmond Tutu

A TalkWorks Films Special www.talkworks.info
Two peace prize laureates in conversation for TalkWorks about the question of nuclear weapons, disarmament and peace.
St John’s College, Oxford, Saturday May 9 2010

Af Isabel Bramsen

For et par måneder siden erklærede den islandske præsident at folketinget, Det Hvide Hus og traditionelle magtinstanser næsten er blevet et ”side show” i forhold til sociale medier. Ligeså stille bevæger vi os væk fra nationalstaten som den suveræne magtinstans til globale netværk i forskellige udformninger. Med andre ord er det folk som dig og mig, der har ansvar for, hvor verden bevæger sig hen. Men hvilke værdier skal vi handle efter i denne nye verdensorden? Read the rest of this entry »

By Johan Galtung

From Alfàz del Pi, Spain

We are heading for a new load of advice from the self-appointed “World Economic Forum”, still having fresh in mind their utter inability to come to grips with the September 2008 manifestation of the world economic crisis when they met three years ago. So, what are they going to talk about now?

Lee Howell, in “The failure of governance in a hyperconnected world”, International Herald Tribune, 11 Jan 2012, gives us a preview. Read the rest of this entry »

By Gunnar Westberg, TFF Board

The changes felt in North Korea during my visit there in October 2011 are sensed by others. In a recent issue of Science (Vol. 334, Dec 23 2011, p 1624-1625, ), there is a report from the new Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, PUST, by the scientific journalist Richard Stone. Read the rest of this entry »

By Jonathan Power

Those, like some highly placed people in the US government and Congress, who say it is inevitable that Taiwan with its population of 23 million will one day return as part of mainland China rather as Hong King did, have really missed a beat. There is simply no likelihood that an overwhelming majority of Taiwanese will ever agree to that. Read the rest of this entry »

By Mariam Abuhaideri

“All the world’s a stage, 
and all the men and women merely players;
 They have their exits and their entrances;
 And one man in his time plays many parts.”

Sounds familiar? What Shakespeare penned down in ‘As You Like It’ is more than mere words. The monologue captures the essence of international relations since early ages. Read the rest of this entry »

By Jan Oberg

If we do not care for single individuals, we care for nobody. I have met Aziz twice, 5 hours conversation in 2002 and 2003 during TFF’s fact-finding missions.

He came across as a decent, very knowledgeable man. No matter what he may also have done, killing him will be a barbarian act shaming us all. Read the rest of this entry »

By Richard Falk and Hilal Elver

Seeking closure for the 1915 Armenian massacres

Recently the National Assembly, France’s lower legislative chamber, voted to criminalize the denial of the Armenian genocide in 1915, imposing a potential prison sentence of up to one year as well as a maximum fine of 45,000 Euros. The timing of this controversial initiative seemed to represent a rather blatant Sarkozy bid for the votes of the 500,000 French citizens of Armenian descent in the upcoming presidential election. Read the rest of this entry »

By Johan Galtung Alfàs Del Pi, Spain

The clouds are dark.

And we sense one on the horizon, black; a point so far. The description of the cloud: using a major war, even with Russia-China, to revive an economy in depression; destroying capital, rebuilding. Read the rest of this entry »

By Francis A. Boyle

Article 2 (3) of the United Nations Charter requires the pacific settlement of the international dispute between the United States and Iran. To the same effect is article 33 and the entirety of Chapter VI of the United Nations Charter that mandate and set up numerous procedures for the pacific settlement of the international dispute between the United States and Iran. And of course Article 2(4) of the U.N. Charter prohibits both the threat and use of force by the United States against Iran. Read the rest of this entry »