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The Tunisian Nobel Prize: Dialogue as a Political Virtue

日本語訳 | français | العربية

The refugee crisis will no doubt reshape the geopolitical, cultural , global economic policies  and challenge the core principles of the Europe Union. The Syria crisis will not only continue to drive the refugee crisis but also potentially trigger revolution in Syria and other Middle East countries. We would like to share a mosaic view of these complicated issues. France has historical ties with Syria, North Africa and the Middle East,and in general, the French have a rich knowledge about the issues in the region. I was fortunate to be introduced to Patrice Barrat, founder  of Bridge Initiative International, by my good friends Byron Janis and his wife, Maria Cooper Janis.**

Patrice has worked at the grass-roots level for many years on his concept to build the bridge to transcend traditional barriers of culture and ideology.  In recent years, he lived in Tunisia to promote his mission at the fount of the Arab Spring and witness the activities of the Quartet, this year’s Nobel Peace Prize laureates. I am very pleased to introduce his noble work.

(**Byron Janis, the world famous concert pianist, composed the Global Forum theme song “One World “ – with lyrics by the four time Oscar winner Sammy Cahn and sung by John Denver. Maria Cooper Janis is the daughter of the renowned actor Gary Cooper.)

— Akio Matsumura

The Tunisian Nobel Prize

Dialogue as a Political Virtue

It seemed so simple. They were here, on stage, all together for the first time since the news came from Oslo – on October 9, 2015, a week earlier – that the union of their forces in the summer of 2013 had earned them the Nobel Peace Prize.… Continue reading

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Refugees and Responsibility

日本語訳 |  français

by Akio Matsumura

In his welcoming remarks at the United Nations General Assembly, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon drew attention to the plight of refugees fleeing Syria and the political and humanitarian challenges of and responsibilities for Europe’s leaders and citizens as more and more people seek safe haven. More than 4 million have fled Syria since 2011, and that number grows as you include those from Iraq, Afghanistan, and other countries where it is safer to flee than stay put.

Southern and Eastern Europe — Greece, Italy, Hungary, Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia,  Austria, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Poland, Germany – the countries who bear the large share of the burden on the receiving end, are no strangers to conflict, revolution, or dramatic change.

A September New York Times editorial asks Eastern Europe to remember its own past:

Even as Europe’s greatest refugee emergency since World War II grew more acute, prompting Germany and some other nations to temporarily shut their borders, European Union interior ministers failed on Monday to agree on even a limited mandatory distribution of refugees for resettlement among member states.

That tragic reaction was all the more shameful because those most adamantly opposed to quotas were some Eastern European countries that recently basked in and richly benefited from the embrace of their Western neighbors.

The Central and Eastern Europeans were not alone in their resistance, and there are explanations for their reaction. Most of the countries that were liberated from the Soviet yoke 25 years ago are still poorer than their neighbors and have not shed a sense of victimhood; many have never had large numbers of people from distant parts of the world on their lands; and many have only a limited familiarity with the crises of the Middle East.
… Continue reading
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New Type of Confrontation and the 25th Anniversary of the Moscow Global Forum

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The violent attacks in Paris that resulted in seventeen deaths last week and prompted millions to march for unity in the Paris streets are symptomatic of the new type of confrontation that has disrupted lives, politics, and economic systems. Stark differences in religion, culture, and the way we seek to live our lives has caused many around the world to perceive their lives at odds with others, with strict adherence to ideology playing a role for all involved. Fear, pessimism and a lack of trust describe daily interactions in many parts of the world as well as our international politics as well.

When it began 25 years ago today, the Global Forum for Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders in Moscow symbolized the beginning in a new era of openness and optimism as much as it closed a dark period of distrust and disagreement. The Berlin Wall had fallen only two months before, and the Soviet Union and the United States were seeking a way to cooperate after the Cold War. President Gorbachev, leading the opening of the Soviet Union, agreed to host more than one thousand religious and political leaders at the Kremlin for a multi-day dialogue on the pressing global issues of the times. In contrast with today, leaders were seeking new ways forward, making inroads with new conversation rather than closing off avenues of dialogue.

People chose to trust and engage across cultural and political divides.… Continue reading

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A Conversation with Senator Claiborne Pell: Our Perception of Islam’s Peoples and Cultures is America’s 21st Century Challenge

Read in Japanese (日本語).

 

By Chris Cote

“I always try to let the other man have my way.” -Senator Claiborne Pell (RI).

Senator Pell accomplished a great deal in a long life of service to his country. After attending Princeton, Pell departed for World War II and then joined the Foreign Service.  He was elected to the Senate in 1960. He was largely responsible for the Pell Grant (first called the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant), which has helped thousands of low-income Americans attend college, and wrote the laws that created the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. He spoke out strongly against the Vietnam War. In 1987 he became Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which he led until the Senate switched parties in 1995. He had developed Parkinson’s disease and retired from the Senate in 1997, after nearly four decades in office. (To read a charming account of the senator’s life, see his obituary in the New York Times.)

Pell’s deep devotion to service was not confined to the US: his vision, as a statesmen and as an individual, transcended borders. Senator Pell sat on the Steering Committee of the Global Forum conferences in Moscow and in Rio while chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Akio has consistently mentioned him as one of the few US politicians he has known who thought beyond stale, politically dogmatic issues and focused on transcending traditional barriers in the name of greater national and international security.… Continue reading

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The Desire to Improve Ourselves

Dear friends,

I am pleased to inform you that we received the article, “The Desire to Improve Ourselves,” from our old friend, Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia. She greatly contributed to the Global Forum as an International Advisory Council member.  Her life has shared a path with the history of a nation—it has been extraordinary.  I have certainly benefited from her insights into European history, with which I was largely unfamiliar.

I might add that she was wife of the late Senator Manuel Ulloa of Peru, Co-Chairman of the Global Forum.

I hope you will enjoy reading it.

Yours truly,
Akio

The Desire to Improve Ourselves

Millions of dollars are spent on cancer research and cures have been found for many killer diseases but no one has yet figured out how to eradicate collective stupidity, arrogance, and pretentiousness. These are dangerous and contagious and have been infecting the brains of humans for centuries.

Man, because basically it is a man’s world, created God in his image, wrote holy books and decided he knew who God was and what God wanted. He imagined there would be a better world after death, a more beautiful place, fields full of languid virgins, harp music and enough room for each and every one to sit on the right side of the Almighty. The planet had obviously been given to Man and mankind to use and abuse and subjugate because man is superior to Nature. I do not believe that any human, not even the best of artists, can produce anything as beautiful as a flower, a sunset or a snowflake.… Continue reading

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The Power of Dialogue: Words to Action

earth conference oneThe freedom of expression is a foundational tenet of democracy, and of individual freedom. At the Global Forum for Human Survival, where Akio gathered 100 spiritual leaders and 100 political leaders to discuss the world’s largest problems and its future, there was no agenda. The openness that each participant brought with them, the willingness to cross cultural and religious barriers made James Lovelock write,

“The  Global Forum did not end with the departure of the coaches from Oxford on April 15, 1988.  For many of us it still goes on as a new and thrilling way of life, a rewarding and purposeful communion that has sustained us and set our minds and hearts on the true task ahead: to ensure not just human survival, but the survival of all life through living in harmony with the Earth itself. (Foreword of Earth Conference One)” 

Dialogue is our weapon this century, of our generation now.  It’s how to win hearts and minds.… Continue reading

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Peace as Process: Religious Interpretation and Political Compromise

By Akio Matsumura

At the Kremlin in Moscow in 1990 I learned a life changing lesson, watching those Jewish in attendance, all prominent leaders, pray to attend during the Sabbath. For those who are not familiar with Jewish tradition, the Sabbath is a weekly day of rest, lasting from Friday to Saturday evening, with the timing depending on the time of year. Observation and remembrance of the Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments. I’ve mentioned this story in my blog before, on September 1, 2008 and Inauguration day, January 20, 2009 and received many responses. People have continually expressed deep surprise that we were able to transcend the religious tradition and have everyone in attendance at the closing ceremony. Although the story itself is extraordinary, it is the lesson that is most important.

Our global world is experiencing a battle of ideologies—of cultures. As these cultures grow, spread, and become more interconnected, more confrontations arise between them. Over the years I have stressed the importance of approaching each issue from a practical and spiritual perspective, encouraging effective change to be made while keeping long term ideals in mind. Many ideologies and values, especially in religion and politics, are not shared cross-culturally because of their self-contained traditional barriers. So how in this case, were the rabbis able to transcend their religious barrier? Why was the meeting able to go on?

If we had planned the closing ceremony originally for Friday night, the Jewish participants would not have attended. If I had bluntly ignored their important religious tradition, I would have been disrespecting them, and the situation would have gone awry.… Continue reading

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America Sets Sail: Crossing the Border toward Peace and Hope

Read in Japanese (日本語)

By Akio Matsumura

In December 1995 the World Assembly on Reconciliation was to be held at Jericho, hosted by Prime Minister Rabin and Chairman Arafat. A steering committee meeting I attended was held at Jericho in June, 1995. During our lunch break we went to see the Dead Sea. In case you haven’t been there, the Dead Sea is between Israel and the West Bank. It is the lowest point on the surface of the Earth on dry land and the water is 8.6 times saltier than the ocean. It was remarkable to see people reading their books while floating on the water. On the tour my friends also pointed out the Mount of Temptation where it is said Jesus was tempted by the Devil. We enjoyed our lunch and tour and returned to the afternoon session of our meeting. We kept moving to finish our agenda because I was scheduled to meet with Chairman Arafat at 9 PM that evening in Gaza.

During the afternoon, while finishing our agenda, we received an emergency phone call informing us that a suicide bomb had exploded on a public bus in Tel Aviv. There were more than 25 deaths, one of the largest death tolls in many years. The accident closed the border between Israel and Gaza—no car, diplomatic or not, was allowed to cross the border.

Immediately I rushed to the office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Palestine to meet with the representative, Mr. Wate.… Continue reading

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The Acupuncture Approach to Global Environmental Thinking

by Akio Matusumura

Photo from the Oxford Global Forum

I had the extraordinary fortune of having many visionary scientists in attendance at the Global Forums, including Dr. Lovelock, Dr. Sagan, Dr. Heyerdahl, and Dr. Capra, about whom Mr. Chris Cote has written previous articles in this blog. The Forums gained enormously from their perspective. Each of these scientists did more than research in a lab: they contributed in moving vertical thinking to the horizontal, and combined their scientific knowledge with philosophical viewpoints. There is certainly a common nature among them.

Their science carries through the steps to reach a new perspective, so their philosophies are on the forefront. They are always searching for a new perspective. In a way, they were each extremely optimistic, a cautious optimism accompanied by a great concern for the next generation. Their universal minds caused them to have great interest in human issues, and each did an outstanding amount to work to convey their messages to the public—a task not often though of or accomplished by most scientists. After all, it is the public, the tenants of the planet, who are damaging the ecosystem and must understand the repercussions of their actions.

I was especially impressed with Dr. Sagan’s ability to present scientific information in a clear manner. I asked him why he could present so well, unlike many other scientists I knew. Carl had returned to school to learn to act, knowing the importance of learning to perform well. An extraordinary man becomes extraordinary by making an extraordinary effort at tasks that others ignore.… Continue reading

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Spotlight: James Lovelock

“The Global Forum of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders on Human Survival was without doubt the most significant gathering I have attended in a lifetime. It changed my life irreversibly, as it must have done the lives of many of the other delegates and participants.” -James Lovelock, foreword for Earth Conference-One, a book written by Anuradha Vittachi, founder of OneClimate.net and a friend of Akio Matsumura’s.

To my generation, the generation of university students, Dr. James Lovelock represents a hopeful new perspective for science and for humanity. Adept as an environmentalist, advocating for real, immediate solutions against fossil-fuel use that propels climate change, he also is famous for the Gaia Theory, claiming the earth as a superorganism, with microorganisms composing organisms composing ecosystems composing the regional spheres and the earth.

“The Earth system behaves as a single, self-regulating system, comprised of physical, chemical, biological and human components. The interactions and feedbacks between the component parts are complex and exhibit multi-scale temporal and spatial variability” (2006, Revenge of the Gaia Foreword)

In this system there are limits to growth and feedback cycles and interactions have repercussions, whether positive or negative.

“..If we fail to take care of the Earth, it surely will take care of itself by making us no longer welcome” (2006, The Revenge of the Gaia).

Along with Carl Sagan, Fritjof Capra, and many others, Lovelock purports that the Earth shifts between states of homeostasis and although accommodates the human species right now, does not need to in order to survive.… Continue reading