Collective West Is Over – Peace Activism Can Prevent Complete Self-Destruction
TRANSCEND VIDEOS, 17 Mar 2025
Neutrality Studies - TRANSCEND Media Service
The “West” is losing its power. The traditional Anglo-European powers are no longer able to assert themselves, neither discursively nor physically, on the world stage as they used to. At the same time, these powers have lost their peace movements. What happened? We explore the decline of the peace movement that went hand in hand with the decline of “the West” itself and chart ideas for future peace actions.
Today, I talk with Dr. Ulrike Guérot in Germany and Dr. Jan Oberg in Sweden. Both are intellectuals who founded peace organizations. Ulrike, most recently, the newly established “European Transcontinental Initiative.” Jan created over 30 years ago the “Transnational Foundation”.
Prof. Jan Oberg, Ph.D. is director of the independent Transnational Foundation for Peace & Future Research-TFF in Sweden and a member of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment. CV: https://transnational.live/jan-oberg
https://transnational.live.
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Tags: Anglo America, Anglo Saxons, Europe, Peace, West
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 17 Mar 2025.
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6 Responses to “Collective West Is Over – Peace Activism Can Prevent Complete Self-Destruction”
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Peace Activism, extremely active since the birth of the first international Peace organization, IPB (International Peace Bureau), 134 years ago, (and now we have 75,000 Peace NGO’s with 42,000 active) cannot Prevent Self-Destruction, complete or partial ! Simply because Peace activists don’t seek an end to conflict. Peace activists think that politicians don’t know how to prevent war and that they should be educated.
Peace activists don’t consider the fact that Governments are the only authority allowed to own slaves (Armed Forces) to train them in the Art of fighting, maiming, torturing, killing, and destroying (buildings, families, societies, Nature and the economy). Governments are the only authority allowed to give orders to the Armed Forces to go to war, to kill and to die.
The same politicians have the duty to ensure that the thousands of workers in the war industry don’t lose their jobs. For this, the machine guns, bullets, grenades, landmines, bombs, rocket launchers, guided and cruise missiles, torpedoes, tanks, bombing helicopters and drones, air-fighters and warships, torture instruments, military uniforms they produce must be sold and used, damaged, destroyed, so that the industry can keep producing.
Politicians are not magicians or miracle producers, which is what Peace Activists seem to think. Politicians cannot promote military trading and training, and military “inactivity” at the same time. An oxymoron.
Neither the War industry not religious corporations can be seen involved in promoting war, so they both use politicians to achieve their financial needs and ambitions.
Dear Fellow, Peace Propagator, Dr Alberto Portugheis
Greetings from Durban, South Africa. I read the original paper and your comments with great deal of interest. Sir, you are absolutely correct in classifying the collective west as literally impotent in the face of the mighty powers of President Donald Trump who is presently, “The King of the World”, for now, until he undertakes interstellar exploration with his good supporter, Mr Elon Musk and is then classified as “Emperor of the Universe” in his personal odyssey to “Make American Great Again”.
May I congratulate you and highlight some of the important points you make: –
As far as the west is concerned, starting a war, and keep it festering away, means big business for the western countries, especially United States.
The idea of starting and sustaining a war elsewhere for economic benefits is highly controversial and ethically questionable. Wars typically result in significant human suffering, destruction, and long-term economic costs. However, from a purely analytical perspective, some argue that certain economic benefits might accrue to a country engaged in war, though these are often short-term and come with substantial risks and costs. Below is an enumeration of potential economic benefits, while also acknowledging the broader context:
Potential Economic Benefits of Starting and Sustaining a War Elsewhere:
1. Stimulating Domestic Industries: War can lead to increased demand for military equipment, weapons, and supplies, benefiting defense contractors and related industries. Manufacturing sectors may experience growth due to wartime production needs.
2. Job Creation: Military mobilization and increased production can create jobs in defense, logistics, and manufacturing sectors.
3. Post-war reconstruction efforts may also provide employment opportunities.
4. Resource Acquisition:
5. A country may gain access to valuable natural resources (e.g., oil, minerals) in the region where the war is fought
6. Control over strategic resources can enhance economic power and energy security.
7. Economic Expansion Through Reconstruction:
8. Post-war reconstruction contracts can be lucrative for companies from the aggressor nation.
9. Infrastructure projects and rebuilding efforts can create long-term economic ties.
10. Strengthening Geopolitical Influence: Winning a war can enhance a country’s geopolitical standing, potentially leading to favorable trade agreements or alliances.
11. Dominance in a region can open new markets for exports and investments.
12. Currency and Financial Markets: In some cases, war can lead to a temporary boost in financial markets, particularly for defense-related stocks.
13. The aggressor nation’s currency might strengthen if the war is perceived as increasing its global power.
14. Diversion from unhappy Domestic Issues: War can sometimes divert attention from domestic economic problems, such as unemployment or recession, by creating a sense of national unity and purpose.
15. Technological Advancements: Military research and development during wartime can lead to technological innovations that later benefit civilian industries (e.g., GPS, the internet).
Caveats and Risks:
1. Human and Social Costs: Wars result in loss of life, displacement, and long-term trauma for both soldiers and civilians. The social and moral consequences can outweigh any economic gains.
2. Economic Costs: Wars are expensive. The cost of military operations, equipment, and personnel can strain national budgets.
3. Long-term costs include veterans’ care, reconstruction, and debt repayment.
4. Destabilization and Uncertainty: Wars can destabilize regions, leading to refugee crises, terrorism, and prolonged conflict.
5. Uncertainty can deter foreign investment and disrupt global trade.
6. Reputational Damage: Aggressive actions can lead to international condemnation, sanctions, and isolation.
7. Loss of soft power and diplomatic influence can harm long-term economic prospects.
8. Resource Drain: Resources diverted to war efforts could otherwise be used for domestic development, education, healthcare, and infrastructure.
Unintended Consequences:
1. Wars can escalate unpredictably, drawing in other nations and leading to prolonged conflicts.
2. The economic benefits may be short-lived, while the costs persist for decades.
The Bottom Line:
While there may be some perceived economic benefits to starting and sustaining a war elsewhere, the costs, both economic and human, are typically far greater. History has shown that wars often lead to long-term economic decline, social unrest, and global instability. Sustainable economic growth is better achieved through peaceful means, such as trade, innovation, and international cooperation.
In my humble opinion, there will be no peace on earth no matter what the various peace Organisations propose as anti-conflict measures for the following reasons:
1. The big finance will ensure that the efforts of the Peace Organisation is negated because the ultimate aim is pursuit of material gain rather than global peace.
2. Most NPO Peace Organisations receive funding from large corporations with vested interests. In fact, Transcend Media Service under the super baton of Professor Antonio Silva Carlos Rosa, has actively kept away from advertising, community funding and other financial avenues of income which would obviate editorial independence. This is truly admirable.
3. It pays to totally destroy a country like Gaza, often a taboo to discuss in certain circles, and then rebuild it like Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, filling the coffers of the orchestrators of war.
4. Often the large Peace Propagating Organisation, express emotional rhetoric, but really and practically nothing is being done to stop the conflict.
5. It is possible that anti-peace agents have infiltrated the so-called Peace Organisations for their vested interests and their bona fides are indeed questionable.
6. In the end, please do not delude yourself that peace can ever be achieved in the present era. There has to be a catharsis like World War II, to achieve peaceful sanity.
I have written numerous papers on the topic and these can be reviewed on TMS website. https://www.transcend.org/tms/author/?a=Prof%20Hoosen%20Vawda
May I propose that a webinar be held to discuss “War and Unattainable Peace-The peace organisations are only deluding themselves.”
You are invited to contact me: Hoosen Vawda e-mail: vawda@ukzn.ac.za
Dear Hoosen Vawda,
You are absolutely right in saying that “Peace is Unattainable” and that Peace organisations are only deluding themselves.” But HUFUD is not part of the Peace Industry, which actually needs wars in order to make money. They are anti-war, anti-violence, ant-Right wing Politics, anti Arms Trade, etc. A waste of time in the pursuance of Peace.
All Peace NGOs teach Peace Education, conflict resolution through dialogue, culture of Peace, Justice, Human Rights, etc. A total waste of time and a totally misleading education.
The War industry is for making wars. And the war industry needs Armed Forces, Only governments can be clients of the war industry and only governments can own slaves (Armed Forces).
WWI produced 37 million dead and many wars until WWII happened. WWII produced 67 million dead and many wars and genocides, homelessness galore, poverty and hunger.
I cannot understand how and why you think that WWIII is the solution!!!!!
Best wishes, Alberto
FURTHER COMMENTS ON THE ELUSIVE CONCEPT OF PURSUIT OF GLOBAL PEACE
Dear Fellow, Peace Propagator, Dr Alberto Portugheis
Greetings from Durban, South Africa, again. I acknowledge your response ad question raised to me in your e-mail of Monday 24th March 2025, received at 1502 hours SAST.
I thank you for reading my response to you on TMS and raising further questions. May I respectfully suggest, while I am honoured to receive your e-mails, privately and compliment you on reading the publications, that in future you kindly address all your responses through the TMS publication officially, for two reasons:
1. Professor Rosa, the respected Editor of TMS is aware of our private discourse, albeit by e-mails.
2. The greater readership of TMS is informed about this line of thoughts expressed by the both of us, excluding the vast readership of TMS on the important topic of attainment of peace, in the future.
Referring to the points you make and the question you raise to me, the answers are all in my 169 publications which I sent you a full link, to access, however, may I respond as follows:
My three generations of family in South African have experienced two world wars, several cold wars, space exploration and Moon landings, apartheid government, the harsh realities of racial racial discrimination, dismantling of apartheid in 1994, not by choice of the White racist nationalist government but by the impossible odds of 4 million whites controlling million majority Blacks, We have noted the hypocrisy of the British in this odyssey, seen soccer World Cups, The Guptagate Scandal, The “Stepping Aside” of government leaders after committing gross corruption. Post liberation in 1994 we are in the throes of organized crime with complicity of the law enforcement services. Therefore, even after achievement of democracy in a peaceful transition of power to the Black majority, the ordinary citizenry have not experienced any PEAC, either way. How can there be peace when 60 million people are suffering from unemployment, abject poverty, starvation and epidemics of TB, HIV and communicable diseases. Therefore, what we all are guilty of is self glorification, and pursuit of PSEUO PEACE, which is enhanced by the same strategis used by Roman Emperors of having games, chariot racing, gladiatorial fights often to death and dismemberment in order to keep the plebeans entertained and distracted from the agonies of the realities of life with rampant inflation and community disenchantment with life in general, whether it is black or white populace.
The Bottom Line is that there will be NO Peace because there are a large cohort of dissatisfied primates and ONLY WAR will bring about a TEMPORARY PSEUDO PEACE until the cycle repeats its, as history has shown from antiquity, through to medieval period and the present era.
I therefore, as a Peace Propagator actively, as well as through my authorship of sole publication I will reiterate that WAR is an inevitable means to an end: the pursuit of the elusive peace. Please do not delude yourself that your sustained efforts will effect a meaningful change. The financial Tsars will make sure that wars will become a regular feature of the modern society, to keep the economy buoyant and employment is flourishing, as it did during the Vietnam War in the States.
I also like to refer you to my publications to support my conclusion on the futility of the pursuit of an elusive pseudo peace.
1. TRANSCEND MEDIA SERVICE » Stoicism: Unveiling the Elusive Path to Peace (Part 2)
Zeno’s Stoicism, Aurelius’ Foresight, Renatus’ Strategic Wisdom, and Galtung’s Positive Peace: The Collective Foundation and Pillars Upholding Peace
“The present global situation, in the 21st century, regarding sustainable Peace is so precarious that Humanity needs to interweave peace proposals from different eras to ensure the eradication of global belligerence.”
2. TRANSCEND MEDIA SERVICE » Peace Disruption: Multipronged Treatment for this Cancerous Malady
“Peace Disruptions at a personal level, as well as globally, have reached pandemic proportions. Oh you selfish humans, curtail this malady, forthwith”
3. TRANSCEND MEDIA SERVICE » Applicability of “Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum” to the Present Context of International Belligerence
“If you want Peace Prepare for War” The Roman General Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus’s seminal work, “Epitoma Rei Militaris,” 435 AD. If you followed President Donald Trumps inauguration as the 47th President of US, you would have heard Vice President J.D. Vance reaffirmed the use of the same strategy in 2025. There will be a Second Great War again while strategies are in place to MAGA.
I could go on referring you to my numerous publication, which will probably influence your perspectives as well as will favour WWIII, to effect future Peace.
I have visited your websites and congratulate you. In order to prevent conflict of interests and maintain loyalty, I only publish my papers in Transcend Media Services under the Editorship of Professor Antonio Carlos Silva Rosa, a Peace Propagator himself, of international repute, and a protégé of the great, Late Professor Johan Galtung MHSRIEP.
As mentioned, we could have a Zoom Webinar, at my expense under the auspices of TMS to unpack this topic. Please respond through TMS, Peace Journalism, if you wish to pursue this line of discussion, further.
With all good wishes and again I commend you, dear Dr Alberto Portugheis, for stimulating discussion, the first one since 08th February 2021. Keep up the excellent work of positivism, unlike my pessimistic approach to the outcomes of Peace Propagation by good Peace Developers, like yourself.
Dated: Tuesday, 25th March 2025
Hoosen Vawda
Durban
South Africa
Global: +27 82 291 4546 e-mail: vawda@ukzn.ac.za
Dear Professor Hoosen Vawda,
First of all, with regards to your suggestion that “in future I address my responses through the TMS publication, officially”, I’d like to say that I did share my thoughts with the Transcend community, but I also sent you the message into your inbox because you invited me to do so. You wrote “You are invited to contact me: Hoosen Vawda e-mail: …….(I’ll not publish your email)
We shall never agree, for my observations and studies, since I was 4 years old (80 years ago) and was made to sing the national anthem of my country, I asked myself ‘why should I one day kill people and risk been killed because my government decides so?’ by the age of 13 I had learnet the lyrics of 14 anthems, through the many immigrants or exiles from as many countries who came to live in South America, ALL OF THEM (my own family included) escaping the horrors of war; all of them trying to protect the only life each of us have.
I later looked at the ‘age’ of those anthems and almost all of them coincided with the time in the history of their country, with the gradual disappearance of slavery. Monarchs and Religious corporations needed a way of ‘owning’ and ‘controlling’ slaves, whom they called soldiers, (armies, later Armed Forces). This royal, aristocratic, religious elite, needed the anthems to brainwash the soldiers, make them feel “God protects us, God loves our country’. ‘I’m prepared to die for the glory of my country’. The Church knew from experience that for the best results of mental brainwashing, one has to start to inject the brainwashing material when the person is very young and innocent and would never suspect he’s being lied to.
From the beginning of the end of the 19th century, newspapers, books, cartoons, later radio, cinema and TV,
have been used to compliment the brainwash-education, augmented many fold by the Internet, video-games for the young. All extremely well planned, with the support of the war industry. Nothing more artificial.
I have to stop now. All good wishes,
Alberto
Dear Sir, Dr Alberto Portugheis
Greetings again. I am pleased that you have read my publication and ponderous responses o your questions. I apologize for my oversight, as received and opened your e-mail, before I accessed the website of TMS and saw your comments, hence my appeal. Dear Albert Portugheis, you would have read that the Nordic countries have order their citizens to prepare a seven day sustenance pack, in case of impending war. I still feel that the globe needs to have a catharsis before the elusive peace can be achieved. You are still most welcome to contact me by e-mail if there are any points you wish to discuss and my offer of a webinar, at my expense, still stands. Please think about this interactive webinar. Thank you, God bless, keep the excellent work and in case I forgot to mention, I am 73, a third generation South Africa by birth of descendants of people of Indian Origins from Surat India wo came to South Africa as merchant class, free citizens. Hoosen Vawda (No titles, please, as I am very simple human being) Global: +27 82 291 4546 e-mail: vawda@ukzn.ac.za