| by Jonathan Kuttab The war on Venezuela, coupled with the rhetoric threatening additional wars on Colombia, Greenland, and elsewhere is deeply troubling on many accounts. For Americans, the first question is one of constitutional authority, as the constitution clearly states that only Congress can declare and start a war. Additionally worrisome is the fact that such wars never end well and consume huge amounts of resources and blood, without actually serving to protect the country from any real threat. They only tend to line the pockets of the rich, the oil companies, and the arms manufacturers. For most of us, however, there is a far more serious legal and ethical problem: President Trump not only seems to be violating international law, but is also bent on deliberately undermining the entire global order, advocating a framework purely based on crass military power. If we have the might, then we determine what’s right. So, we can do whatever we want. Even the “rules based international order,” initially touted as a way of paying lip service to the international system while simultaneously sidestepping international law, is now giving way to unabashed military might. Law, even as a concept, is dismissed outright because the powerful will do whatever they choose. Trump actually said that the only law or morality he acknowledges is his own sense of morality! After World War II, the entire human race, led largely by the United States, realized that weapons are becoming so lethal and the world so interconnected that we can no longer afford the law of the jungle. New international organizations, treaties, conventions, and values were enacted, and largely respected for the past 70 years. With a handful of exceptions, the 194 countries of the world chose to abide by this new norm and to seek other methods for resolving disputes other than resort to military might. As the Cold War came to a close, the world began enjoying relative peace, and military budgets in each country dropped to 2-3 or at most 6-7% of national spending (when in the past they consumed as much as a third or half of a country’s total budget.) Not that things were perfect, particularly in the Middle East, but still, the global prospect was promising, and violators of international law were generally shamed, condemned and isolated rather than being celebrated and accepted as normal. All this is being threatened at a fundamental level by both the actions and pronouncements of the United States and is causing great anxiety and fear worldwide, as countries begin to contemplate the need for higher military spending and the prospect of new conflicts and deadly wars increased. For those interested in peace in Palestine/Israel, this is indeed troubling, as Netanyahu joyfully embraced this new philosophy and started openly talking of creating new realities throughout the area, and indeed the whole world. Using the excuse of “protecting minorities,” particularly Christians, he is already talking of interfering in different countries in Africa. His recent recognition of breakaway “Somaliland” (recognized only by Israel so far) and setting up military bases there is only the beginning. Sheer power and might is the principle he and President Trump are championing. In the face of all this, we need to assert again and repeatedly the importance of international law and principles, the need for recognizing human rights and the right of self determination of peoples, the need for seeking peace and perusing it actively, the futility of violence and resorting to war and threats of war, and the ultimate dignity and respect for all human beings. There will always be ruthless leaders, tyrants, undemocratic regimes, as well as genuine conflicts within and among nations. These call for greater vigilance, impartial application of principles of law and human rights, solidarity and the active use of peaceful methods for achieving freedom and resolving conflicts, as well as refusing to descend into chaos and “might is right” philosophies. This was and continues to be the position of FOSNA, in our advocacy for Palestine, in Venezuela and elsewhere. We firmly believe this position to be consistent with Christ’s message and closer to the ethics of the Kingdom of God in this broken world. |
South Africa seeks justice for Gaza
I’m republishing this post from my friend, Dr Chandra Muzaffar – president of the International Movement for a Just World (JUST). Chandra has been a long-term advocate for Palestine and is one of the best-informed people on the subject that I have ever met. Father Dave
