Posts Tagged ‘arms trade’
TFF PressInfo # 314: From preventing to making peace in Ukraine
By Jan Oberg
Lund, Sweden, March 13, 2015
If the parties continue this way, there will be no peace in Ukraine but probably war in Europe. With a little out-of-the-box thinking, we could move in a safer direction.
You’ve heard everybody involved in the Ukraine conflict solemnly declare that there is no military solution.
And what do they all do? Right, they militarise the situation further, use bellicose language, speak bad about each other, take provocative steps, use propaganda and flex their military muscles. It’s thoughtprovokingly thoughtless.
These men – sorry, but the are all men – who are competent in war and other violence run our world. They are conflict and peace illiterates embedded with MIMACs – Military-Industrial-Media-Academic Complexes – which exist in both Russia, EU, NATO and the U.S.
It’s not about evil – they are probably all good spouses, nice to their children or grandchildren and enjoy literature, painting or music in their few hours of leisure. But the system they operate inside is as evil as it is dangerous for us all, for the world’s future.
Their problem – and thus your and my problem – is that they just don’t have a clue about peace-making. No education, institutions or advisers in civilian conflict-management.
And since they lack that they fall back on the convenient but proven illusion that peace will come if we just force “the other” to back down.
And since there is no lack of (tax payers’) money to fund weapons (only to fund social and cultural development) and these weapons are on the government shelves that’s what they use – instead of their intelligence and empathy.
Far fetched?
If you think so, take a look at these facts: Read the rest of this entry »