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T. Walsh: International Collaboration as the Force of the Future
Written by Dr. Thomas G. Walsh, President, Universal Peace Federation
Friday, January 3, 2014
Speech at the Global Citizen Forum on The Role of the India, China and the USA
New Delhi, India - January 3, 2014
International collaboration is indeed the force for the future. Without collaboration, human development will be limited, and the potential for conflict will always be high.
The progress that humanity has made thus far, over millennia, is linked to the increase in levels of communication and cooperation. Some may view this as a result of some process of natural selection, and others as the result of spiritual, moral and intellectual development. In any case, there is reason to believe that human beings have developed very positively over time, despite having had to learn from some very horrific and disastrous mistakes.
In many cases, cooperation arises as a response to threats, the fear of what Thomas Hobbes called “the war of all against all.” Solidarity is often enhanced by fear, sometimes reasonable and at times not, of a common enemy. Hobbes held that the natural state of human beings was one characterized by the presence of constant threats from aggressive, brutal and rival individuals, tribes, communities and nations.
The establishment of the modern state -- itself a result of substantial collaboration -- as an instrument that could monopolize the use of force for the sake of security and the public good was welcomed and perceived as significantly preferable to lawless violence and conflict. The rise of the modern state brought with it the emergence of a “citizen” of a nation state. State citizenship represented a level of solidarity that transcended familial or tribal loyalties.
At the time of the European Enlightenment, it was Immanuel Kant who advocated cosmopolitanism, a concept entirely consistent with his overall emphasis on rationality and moral universalism. The Kantian legacy affirms that the conditions that assure peace, or as he would say, “perpetual peace,” are linked to an increase in democratic institutions, international trade and participation in international organizations.
It is often asserted that democratic nations do not threaten one another. To a large extent this is true. Insecurity tends to arise due to the existence of “failed states” or despotic states. Established democracies are not prone to all-out military aggression toward one another.
Likewise, dynamic and productive trade relations between nations create disincentives for conflict, as conflict threatens markets, profits and prosperity. Mutually beneficial trade relations between and among countries establishes an aversion to conflict.
Participation in intergovernmental organizations is an added disincentive to war, and an encouragement for peace. In terms of this latter point, we witnessed in the 20th century the rise of intergovernmental and economic unions such as not only the League of Nations and the United Nations but also SAARC, ASEAN, the EU, NATO, the African Union, the Pacific Island Forum, the OIC, the G20, the WTO, etc. These developments are evidence of an increase in the spirit of collaboration on both regional and the global levels.
Although the incentive for collaboration is not always purely altruistic or idealistic, and is rather often related to self interest, the overall outcome is of immense the benefit to the peoples of the world. Collaboration, if you will, provides a context for an “invisible hand” to function so as to increase prosperity and peace.
In the West, the ideal of cosmopolitanism emerged as an outgrowth of the Enlightenment, along with the ideals of internationalism or transnationalism. With these ambitions came also the hope for concord and peace. These ideals did not arise merely as pure abstractions but had their origins, at least in part, in the experience of war.
The Treaty of Westphalia had followed decades of war and gave rise eventually to the modern nation state. Following the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century, the Council of Vienna was formed in 1815 as a forerunner to the League of Nations, which grew out of the ashes of World War I. The United Nations, in turn, was born out of World War II’s horror as the highest expression of our collective need for international cooperation and collaboration. The United Nations, including the International Declaration on Human Rights, is a great human achievement.
In addition to the growing awareness of the need for collaboration among nations, there are several very significant and concurrent trends that support and complement the practice of international collaboration.
The first is the rise of transnational trade and commerce. In this respect, the private sector, through trade or commerce, has been a leading force in promoting collaboration globally. Trade breaks down barriers. From the time of the silk road to the rise of on-line shopping, producers and sellers seek markets and, in the process, collaboration increases. Buyers and sellers know very well that an understanding of the culture and values of one’s counterparts is essential for success. Respect, service, courtesy and collaboration are necessary for success in the market place.
In this way, not only monetary capital, but also social capital is increased, and especially trust among peoples. Social capital has been called the glue, or perhaps the oil, that makes societies function together productively and happily. One of the most essential ingredients in social capital is trust. If trust is lost or weakened, exchanges of all sorts become overly complicated, insecure and dysfunctional.
A second global trend is the rise of transnational civil society organizations or NGOs. The civil society factor is a growing presence on the world’s stage. As the voice of the people, NGOs are at play in every community and every nation, promoting awareness, bringing people together, and providing widespread forums for “people to people” diplomacy and advocacy, so called “track two” diplomacy. Civil society, like the digital communications systems that facilitate its advance, transcends national borders, and, very often, national loyalties.
A third trend is the growth of interfaith dialogue and cooperation. While we often think of the world as organized by nation states, we also recognize that religions lie at the root of our great civilizations. At least two thirds of the world’s population identify with one of the major world religions. Many others identify with minority traditions, or may affirm spiritual values without being a member of an organized religion. Religion has not withered away as some materialists had predicted.
India is a perfect example of the ongoing significance of religion, for it is impossible to understand Indian civilization without an appreciative understanding of its spiritual and religious roots. Moreover, the religions that underlie civilizations remain alive and active as agents that contribute to collaboration. This remains true even though we also recognize the occasional failings of religion or of its misguided adherents.
The same can be said of the “West,” including Europe, North and South America and Sub-Saharan Africa, so strongly influenced by Christianity, a religion that had its roots in Judaism.
The power of Islam is evident in the crescent of nations that span North Africa, the Middle East and across the globe to Indonesia and Mindanao. China has its religious and philosophical foundations in Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. Buddhism, an export of the Indian sub-continent, has had powerful impact on the peoples of Sri Lanka, Thailand, Korea, Japan, China and many other nations and civilizations.
The dialogue among religions is a core aspect of the broader dialogue among civilizations and among nations. This has become even more important in the post-Cold War era.
I have recently been in the Middle East, where the Universal Peace Federation convened meetings in Amman, Jordan, and in Jerusalem with special focus on the crisis in Syria. As we know, this crisis is both local and global, both geopolitical and, at the same time, very much tied to ethnic, tribal, religious and cultural differences. On the one hand, the crisis is a civil war between the Assad regime and various opposition groups. Internally there are conflicts between Sunni and Shiite groups, and between extremists and moderates; other groups are also at play, such as the Kurds and the Druze. At the same time, the crisis has global import and involves other nations in the region -- Iran, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Israel---as well as “superpower” nations, such as the US and Russia, and, of course the United Nations.
To properly address the crisis in Syria, political solutions alone are inadequate. The interfaith dimension must also be addressed.
International collaboration is of supreme importance to our world, as is interreligious collaboration. The Universal Peace Federation has consistently advocated for a “soft power” approach to peace, centering on the voices of faith-based and spiritual NGOs and non-state actors. We have consistently recommended that the UN build within its system an interfaith council of religious and spiritual leaders. Collaboration among religions is of paramount importance for peace and prosperity in our world.
I commend the Global Citizen Forum for its efforts to promote collaboration, particularly among the USA, China and India. The relationship among these three nations is critical for the future of our world. We realize that tensions are high in the South and East China Seas concerning island territories claimed by various nations. China and India have had their own border conflicts in the far north of India.
Nevertheless, we know that any global conflict involving superpower nations will produce devastation of unimaginable proportion, due to the destructive power of modern weapons. Our work at this conference is, therefore, of great importance. Together we strive so that reason and wisdom will prevail and that collaboration will reign supreme over competition for hegemonic power. Such has been the counsel of India’s great teachers such as Ashoka Maurya, Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda, and others.
If collaboration among nation-states, private sector corporations, civil society and faith-based organizations increases, there is hope that prosperity can be universal. In this way, globalization can be a process that brings benefit to all peoples. Nations such as India, China and the USA can lead the way in this endeavor. I believe, moreover, that India has much to teach other nations about the value of spiritual traditions and their capacity to empower and enhance the peoples and nations of the world.
Global citizenship, grounded in the principle of collaboration, is a value that derives from the concept of trans-nationalism, and, at the same time, it has roots in universal spiritual values concerning human origins and human destiny. We are one human family, beyond religion, nationality and ethnicity. We derive from a common origin that our spiritual teachers, along with billions of believers, know as God, Allah, or the ultimate reality.
In conclusion, collaboration is of such importance to our human survival and development that it should be a key component of our educational curricula, not only in our schools, but even more importantly within the family. The family is the true primary school, the school of love, of ethics and indeed of collaboration.
Our religions are also “schools,” and within the religions, more emphasis needs to be given to the promotion of interfaith dialogue, respect and collaboration.
The link between the development of collaboration skills and capacities, on the one hand, and peace and prosperity, on the other hand, should be given emphasis.