Articles by Rene Wadlow
We found 520 results.
Cyprus Anti-Migrant Violence: Reconciliation Efforts Needed
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
2 Oct 2023
28 Sep 2023 – To highlight the calls of Pope Francis in Marseille calling for humanitarian efforts for migrants, there was a wave of anti-migrant violence in southern Cyprus in September. Cyprus, in practice, is divided into two.
→ read full articleThe Balance Between Analysis and Action
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
25 Sep 2023
21 September had been set by the United Nations as the International Day of Peace when, through meditation and action, we try to advance a culture of peace. This September there were enough armed conflicts and areas of tension so that we did not have to search far for objects of study.
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U.N. General Assembly Starts: NGO Action Needed
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
18 Sep 2023
With the United Nations General Assembly starting on 19 September 2023, there is a good deal of reflection going on among governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) regarding the effectiveness of the U.N. to meet the challenges facing the world community.
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Coup in Gabon: Change of Persons Not of Structures
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
4 Sep 2023
1 Sep 2023 – On 27 Aug, some of the military of Gabon, in particular members of the Presidential Guard, took power and placed President Ali Bongo Ondimba under house arrest. The consequences of the coup are unlikely to produce any quick changes in structures, but the situation merits watching closely.
→ read full article(Italiano) Pacificazione: il contributo spirituale
René Wadlow | Centro Studi Sereno Regis – TRANSCEND Media Service,
28 Aug 2023
Ovviamente, le organizzazioni religiose possono avere un ruolo positivo nel creare possibilità di dialogo e una comprensione di posizioni opposte. Però, com’è stato detto, il vento soffia dove vuole e spiritualmente non è limitato ai gruppi religiosi organizzati. Di fatto, in alcuni paesi ci sono in aumento persone che dicono “Sono spirituale ma non religioso”.
→ read full articleIran Repression Continues: NGO Action Needed
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
21 Aug 2023
17 Aug 2023 – The U.N. International Independent Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran has called on non-governmental organizations for information. The broader NGO community needs to keep public attention focused on events in Iran.
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Ecologically-sound Development: A Vital Need for Concerted Action
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
14 Aug 2023
11 Aug 2023 – With the consequences of climate change in the background, ecologically-sound development must be the center of a concerted action.
→ read full articlePeacemaking: The Spiritual Contribution
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
31 Jul 2023
Obviously, religious organizations can play a positive role in creating possibilities for dialogue and an understanding of opposite positions. However, spirituality is not limited to organized religious groups. In fact, in some countries there is an increasing number of people who say “I am spiritual but not religious.”
→ read full articlePeace Planners: Awake!
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
24 Jul 2023
“We do not hold the vision of a world without conflict. We do hold the vision of a world without war – and this inevitably requires an alternative system for dealing with conflict.”
→ read full articleStronger Respect for International Humanitarian Law: NGO Action Needed!
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
17 Jul 2023
14 Jul 2023 – The carnage in Ukraine and the violent actions by ethnic militias in the DRC have highlighted that the Geneva Conventions are not bedside reading for those engaged in war. There are warlords whose only claim to the charisma of leadership is the ruthlessness with which they wield a gun.
→ read full articleUkraine and the Cluster Bombs Debate
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
10 Jul 2023
7 Jul 2023 – There is currently a debate, at the highest foreign policy-making level in the U.S.A., concerning the delivery of cluster bombs to Ukraine in support of the ongoing counter offensive. However, cluster weapons have been outlawed on 30 May 2008 by the Cluster Weapons Convention, signed by many states.
→ read full articleDemocratic Republic of Congo: Sky Getting Darker
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
3 Jul 2023
The current armed conflict is among a Tutsi-led militia, Movement du 23 mars, DRC army, and different ethnic militias. President Felix Tshisehed sponsored the creation of local militias to help government soldiers, but the government does not control these militias.
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UN Summit of the Future: A Structure for Action or a Shopping List?
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
26 Jun 2023
Preparations are already underway. A “New Agenda for Peace” is to be issued this July 2023 by the Secretary-General António Guterres. Thus, there is an opportunity for peacebuilders to present ideas and recommendations to individual foreign ministries or to the UN itself through non-governmental organizations in consultative status.
→ read full articlePeace by Peaceful Means
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
19 Jun 2023
The 11 Jun 2023 Vienna Declaration for Peace has taken a TRANSCEND Media focus as its title is “Peace by Peaceful Means: Ceasefire and Negotiations”. Some 300 persons from 38 countries met in Vienna on 10-11 Jun to discuss the armed conflict in Ukraine and the possibilities of negotiations in good faith to end it.
→ read full articleTrack Two Diplomacy Efforts Needed to Reduce China-India Frontier Tensions
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
12 Jun 2023
9 Jun 2023 – There has been a buildup of military forces by the governments of India and China along their frontiers. The Indian province of Arunachal Pradesh (called Zangman by the Chinese) with Itanagar as its capital is claimed by the Chinese.
→ read full articleInternational Day of the Oceans
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
5 Jun 2023
8 June has been designated by the UNGA as the International Day of the Oceans to highlight the important role that the U.N. played in the creation of the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention. -Progress on Asian Maritime Delimitations Needed-
→ read full articleSudan Instability Pushes Refugees to Chad
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
29 May 2023
26 May 2023 – It is difficult to know how long the struggle for power between the generals will go on and how it will impact different parts of the country. We must hope that some of the mediation proposals already made can lead to a halt to the violence.
→ read full articleU.N. Security Council Focus on World Hunger
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
15 May 2023
The Food and Agriculture Organization’s report highlights that some 250 million persons are living under acute food insecurity, with the DRC leading with some 27 million due to armed violence and the breakdown of governmental structures.
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Moving Forward to Protect the Oceans
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
1 May 2023
On 4 March 2023, at the United Nations in New York, an important step toward the protection of the oceans was taken with the presentation of the Treaty on the High Seas. The aim of the treaty is the protection of the biodiversity of the oceans beyond the national territorial limits. These negotiations began in 2004.
→ read full articleThe Sky Darkens in Sudan
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
24 Apr 2023
On 15 Apr 2023, a conflict between two generals who had seized power in a coup in 2021 broke into armed battles especially in Khartoum. Use of tanks, jets and artillery has been reported. The split between them is no great surprise as there is often place for only one person in a military junta.
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Benjamin Ferencz, Champion of World Law, Leaves a Strong Heritage on Which to Build
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
17 Apr 2023
14 Apr 2023 – World Citizen Benjamin Ferencz died on 7 Apr 2023 at the age of 103, leaving a strong heritage of action for world law on which we can build. He was particularly active in the creation of the International Criminal Court in the Hague.
→ read full articlePreliminaries to Russia-Ukraine Negotiations: The Key Role of China
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
10 Apr 2023
French Pres. Emmanuel Macron was in China from 5 to 7 Apr 2023 and urged the country to play a major role in bringing peace to the Russia-Ukraine armed conflict. China’s 12-point plan has indicated President Xi Jinping’s willingness to be active in peace efforts.
→ read full articleConfidence-building Measures in Asia-Pacific: Reversing the Slide to Violence
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
3 Apr 2023
Today, there is a need to draw upon these experiences to impart conflict resolution skills to new individuals and groups, thereby building and expanding the constituencies working for conflict reduction measures.
→ read full articleAlternatives to War: Renewal and Impact
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
6 Mar 2023
One year into the Russia-Ukraine War, one has a “been there, done that” feeling. To settle arguments by war is not a new idea. For those of us working on alternatives to war, it is imperative that we renew our efforts and find ways to increase our impact. Present governments cannot to be trusted to deal with conflicts nonviolently or build peace by peaceful means. These became Civil Society’s tasks. Like war, peace is too important to be left to the generals.
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Human Rights Rapporteurs Express Concern on Education of Tibetan Students
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
20 Feb 2023
17 Feb 2023 – Three UNHRC Special Rapporteurs have recently highlighted the quality and methods of education of Tibetan students. When the reply of the government is non-existent or superficial, then the SR can “go public.”
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The Use of Child Soldiers: Children of Conflict
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
13 Feb 2023
12 Feb is the UN sponsored International Day Against the Use of Child Soldiers. Forced to learn to kill instead of pursuing education, they lack the knowledge and skills needed to build their futures and of their communities. For a society, the lives destroyed could have a devastating effect on long-term stability and development.
→ read full articleReconciliation in Africa: A Vital Need
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
6 Feb 2023
3 Feb 2023 – What is required today in eastern Congo is not more soldiers but persons who are able to restore relations among ethnic groups of the area. Such bridge builders can help strengthen local efforts at conflict resolution and the restoration of confidence among peoples in conflict.
→ read full articleTensions in the Asian Trinity: China – Japan – U.S.A.
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
30 Jan 2023
26 Jan 2023 – After five years of growing tensions among China Japan and the U.S.A., U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will make an official visit to Beijing on 5-6 February 2023. There is a long list of possible issues to discuss although the list of common actions may be much shorter.
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Kahlil Gibran (6 Jan 1883 – 10 Apr 1931): Spirits Rebellious
Rene Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
2 Jan 2023
Gibran’s bitter denunciation of both religious and political injustice brought his anticipated exile from Lebanon. He was also excommunicated from the Church in a country where much civil identity and justice was based on religious membership — not to mention the popular idea that God did not allow excommunicated souls into his Heaven.
→ read full articleBuilding Stronger Track-Two Networks
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
12 Dec 2022
The continuing armed conflict in Ukraine and the likelihood that the conflict will drag on through the winter–as well as armed conflicts in other parts of the world–forces us to ask if more can be done on the part of non-governmental organizations to encourage negotiations in good faith.
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Albert Camus (7 Nov 1913 – 4 Jan 1960)
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
7 Nov 2022
Albert Camus was born in Algeria, the son of a French father killed in the First World War when he was only one and an illiterate Spanish mother who raised him while working as a cleaning woman. Camus was intellectually stimulated by his father’s brother who read books of philosophy and was active in the local Masonic lodge.
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(Italiano) Iran: L’evoluzione dei simboli della protesta
René Wadlow | Centro Studi Sereno Regis - TRANSCEND Media Service,
24 Oct 2022
Sempre più spesso, i temi simbolici delle proteste si stanno spostando dall’attenzione alle restrizioni imposte alle donne alla natura stessa del regime clericale. L’ayatollah Khamenei è anziano e non sta bene. Non c’è un ovvio sostituto in caso di sua morte. La situazione in Iran merita di essere osservata da vicino.
→ read full articleIran: The Evolving Symbols of Protest
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
17 Oct 2022
14 Oct 2022 – The themes of the protests are shifting from the restrictions on women to the clerical regime itself. Ayatollah Khamenei is aged and not well. There is no obvious replacement should he die. The situation in Iran merits to be watched closely.
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Iran: Women-Life-Liberty
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
3 Oct 2022
28 Sep 2022 – The cry “Women-Life-Liberty!” is going up in many different parts of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Some observers believe that there is a new spirit in these protests. They may be the wave of the future and should be watched closely.
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A Day of Deeper Peace
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
26 Sep 2022
21 September is the International Day of Peace marking the annual start of the UNGA. Often, there are informal talks behind the scenes among the representatives of States in conflict. However, there is little or no avenue for talks with non-State armed groups such as ISIS. NGOs have no direct standing with the General Assembly but NGO representatives are active in the hallways and coffee bars during the General Assembly making government representatives aware of their suggestions.
→ read full articleEducation for a World Society
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
12 Sep 2022
“Transforming education means empowering learners with knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to be resilient, adaptable and prepared for the uncertain future while contributing to human and planetary well-being and sustainable development.”
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Hermann Hesse (2 Jul 1877 – 9 Aug 1962): Revolt and Enlightenment
Rene Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
27 Jun 2022
Rebellion against established structures, the quest for personal values and a religious impulse are all elements in Siddhartha, published in 1922, perhaps his most widely-read book. It is not clear that Hesse found the harmony of enlightenment in his own life. In his last major work The Glass Bead Game (1943) he describes what might be an ideal Buddhist monastery devoted to the discovery, preservation and dissemination of knowledge.
→ read full article
Antoine de Saint Exupéry (29 Jun 1900 – 31 Jul 1944): Solitude and Solidarity
Rene Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
27 Jun 2022
Saint Ex’s style was influenced by Frederic Nietzche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra which he had read. However, the spirit is much closer to Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet. His outlook was basically that of the Stoics: the common nature of all humans whatever the cultural differences, harmony with Nature, and calm in the face of danger.
→ read full article
William Butler Yeats (13 Jun 1865 – 28 Jan 1939): The Transition to Aquarius
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
13 Jun 2022
William Butler Yeats is the modern European poet most conscious of the transition within astrological cycles from the Piscean Period to the Age of Aquarius. The concept that humanity is at the end of a 2000-year cycle and about to start a new dispensation at a higher turn of the spiral – the gyre as Yeats called the historic spiral – was the framework within which he always worked.
→ read full articlePeacebuilding and the Transformation of Education
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
6 Jun 2022
“Transforming education means empowering learners with knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to be resilient, adaptable and prepared for the uncertain future while contributing to human and planetary well-being and sustainable development.”
→ read full article
Teilhard de Chardin (1 May 1881 – 10 Apr 1955): Evolution toward World Unity
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
25 Apr 2022
Pierrre Teihard de Chardin, the French paleontologist, after a lifetime of study of the evolution of the human species concluded that humanity was entering a new age with a higher, peaceful and more responsible sense of the unity of the world community. Optimism and evolution are the two themes that Teilhard de Chardin leaves with us. He insisted at looking at the human population as one global family, developing a network of mutual support − recognizing the need of global solidarity.
→ read full articleChinese-Russian Text on Constructing a Community of Common Destiny for Mankind – A Crucial Peacebuilding Approach
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
14 Feb 2022
The presence of the Russian President to the start of the Beijing Winter Olympics led to an important Joint Statement that stresses current proposals of the two States meriting close attention. It highlights the concept of the community of common destiny for humankind and sets out the political framework for its proposals.
→ read full articleUkraine-Donbas-Russian Frontier: Is a Non-governmental Interposition Peace Team a Possibility?
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
24 Jan 2022
20 Jan 2022 – There are discussions at the UNSC on what could be a U.S.- led response if there were a Russian intervention into Ukraine. While such a Russian intervention seems unlikely, the possibility is being seriously discussed in NATO government circles. Thus it is opportune for non-governmental organizations also to discuss possible measures to prevent conflict and reduce tensions.
→ read full article(Italiano) Anno nuovo: revisione e rinnovamento
René Wadlow | Centro Studi Sereno Regis - TRANSCEND Media Service,
10 Jan 2022
5 Gennaio 2022 – C’è da parte di molti una consuetudine diffusa di approcciare l’anno imminente rivedendo avvenimenti dell’anno al termine e facendo propositi di miglioramento per l’anno Nuovo – un momento di rinnovamento.
→ read full articleThe New Year: Review and Renewal
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
3 Jan 2022
We highlight two events that start 2022 and which may provide frameworks for renewal and conflict transformation.
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Kahlil Gibran (6 Jan 1883 – 10 Apr 1931): Spirits Rebellious
Rene Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
3 Jan 2022
Gibran’s bitter denunciation of both religious and political injustice brought his anticipated exile from Lebanon. He was also excommunicated from the Church in a country where much civil identity and justice was based on religious membership — not to mention the popular idea that God did not allow excommunicated souls into his Heaven.
→ read full article
Albert Camus (7 Nov 1913 – 4 Jan 1960)
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
1 Nov 2021
Albert Camus was born in Algeria, the son of a French father killed in the First World War when he was only one and an illiterate Spanish mother who raised him while working as a cleaning woman. Camus was intellectually stimulated by his father’s brother who read books of philosophy and was active in the local Masonic lodge.
→ read full article(Norwegian – Norsk) Det andre Afghanistan
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
18 Oct 2021
Krigen i Afghanistan har kostet Norge mer enn 20 milliarder kroner i militær og sivil bistand fra årsskiftet 2001/2002 til utgangen av april 2021. Hele 9 000 norske soldater tjenestegjorde i landet, hvorav ti ble drept. Forfatteren kommenterer forholdene i dette fattige, krigsherjede landet.
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(Italiano) Un altro Afghanistan
René Wadlow | Centro Studi Sereno Regis - TRANSCEND Media Service,
13 Sep 2021
Per quelli di noi attivi nel peacebuilding, la situazione afghana richiede valutazione e la disponibilità a considerare nuovi approcci, [peraltro] come faranno molto il US Dipartimento di Stato USA e il Pentagono. Adesso possiamo dire che le forze militari non sono addestrate o socializzate per realizzare società liberal-democratiche. Tuttavia, può darsi che si debba essere più chiari su quali misure di peacebuilding avrebbero potuto fare una vera differenza in società complesse e divise come l’Afghanistan.
→ read full articleThe Other Afghanistan
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
6 Sep 2021
For those of us active in peacebuilding, the Afghan situation requires evaluation and a willingness to consider new approaches. We can say now that military forces are not trained or socialized to bring about democratic liberal societies. However, we may have to be clearer on what peacebuilding measures could have made a real difference in such complex and divided societies as Afghanistan.
→ read full articleSaber Rattling in the South China Sea
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
16 Aug 2021
12 Aug 2021 – Six days of Chinese naval maneuvers have begun on 6 August 2021 near southeast Hainan province in the South China Sea at the same time as war ships of the U.S.A, the United Kingdom, Australian Defense Forces ships and those of the Japan Self-Defense Forces are also training in the area. The South China Sea is fast becoming a theater of brinkmanship.
→ read full articleAntoine de Saint Exupéry (29 Jun 1900 – 31 Jul 1944): Solitude and Solidarity
Rene Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
28 Jun 2021
Saint Ex’s style was influenced by Frederic Nietzche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra which he had read. However, the spirit is much closer to Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet. His outlook was basically that of the Stoics: the common nature of all humans whatever the cultural differences, harmony with Nature, and calm in the face of danger.
→ read full article
Giuseppe Garibaldi (4 Jul 1807 – 2 Jun 1882): Godfather of Transnational Democratic Politics
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
28 Jun 2021
Giuseppe Garibaldi, born in Nice, now France, often called the hero of two worlds because of his efforts for independence in Latin America and then Europe, is in many ways inventor of transnational democratic politics.
→ read full article
Hermann Hesse (2 Jul 1877 – 9 Aug 1962): Revolt and Enlightenment
Rene Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
28 Jun 2021
Rebellion against established structures, the quest for personal values and a religious impulse are all elements in Siddhartha, published in 1922, perhaps his most widely-read book. It is not clear that Hesse found the harmony of enlightenment in his own life. In his last major work The Glass Bead Game (1943) he describes what might be an ideal Buddhist monastery devoted to the discovery, preservation and dissemination of knowledge.
→ read full article
(Italiano) Peacebuilding: in quale direzione?
René Wadlow | Centro Studi Sereno Regis - TRANSCEND Media Service,
21 Jun 2021
Benché i discorsi su una “Nuova Guerra Fredda” siano troppo drammatici, ci sono reali tensioni strutturali in atto da tempo e non facilmente superabili. I recenti avvenimenti in Medio Oriente, il futuro dell’Afghanistan e il suo effetto sull’area più vasta Pakistan-India-Iran, il futuro delle due Coree – sono tutte tematiche fondamentali relative all’equilibrio di forze a livello regionale e mondiale.
→ read full articlePeacebuilding: Where Do We Go from Here?
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
14 Jun 2021
While talk of a “New Cold War” is overly dramatic, there are real structural tensions that have been there for a long time and that will not be easily overcome. Recent events in the Middle East, the future of Afghanistan and its impact on the wider Pakistan-India-Iran area, the future of the two Koreas – all are fundamental issues related to the balance of power at the regional and world levels.
→ read full article
William Butler Yeats (13 Jun 1865 – 28 Jan 1939): The Transition to Aquarius
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
7 Jun 2021
William Butler Yeats is the modern European poet most conscious of the transition within astrological cycles from the Piscean Period to the Age of Aquarius. The concept that humanity is at the end of a 2000-year cycle and about to start a new dispensation at a higher turn of the spiral – the gyre as Yeats called the historic spiral – was the framework within which he always worked.
→ read full articleSyrian Monologues
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
7 Jun 2021
Review of two books of poems related to the armed conflict in Syria.
→ read full article
UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration: An Alliance for Action
René Wadlow | Association of World Citizens – TRANSCEND Media Service,
31 May 2021
On World Environment Day, 5 June 2021, begins the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030. An ecosystem is the interaction between people, plants, animals, and their surroundings.
→ read full article
Urgent Appeal to Halt Violence in the Jerusalem-Gaza Area
René Wadlow | Association of World Citizens – TRANSCEND Media Service,
17 May 2021
13 May 2021 – The Association of World Citizens, devoted to ending armed conflicts through negotiations in good faith, addresses an Urgent Appeal to all parties to halt violence in the Jerusalem-Gaza area. In this highly inflammatory situation, there can be an escalation to the conflict at any point.
→ read full article
Falk, a Citizen Pilgrim
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
17 May 2021
For those who wish to know where Falk stands on political issues today, one can start with Chapter 16 “Intellectually Engaging the World: Fears, Desires, and Hopes.” However, if one is interested in how he got there, it is better to start with the front of the book which details his experiences but also people met, what he did with them at the time and also later. This review starts in the same style.
→ read full article
Rabindranath Tagore (7 May 1861 – 7 Aug 1941): The Local and the Universal
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
3 May 2021
In a period of rapid change as we face today, it is often difficult to find the right balance between the cultural contributions and needs of the local, the national, and the universal. One way of finding this balance is to look at the life and work of others, who earlier confronted the same challenges. One such person was the poet, writer and cultural reformer Rabindranath Tagore.
→ read full article
Teilhard de Chardin (1 May 1881 – 10 Apr 1955): Evolution toward World Unity
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
26 Apr 2021
Pierrre Teihard de Chardin, the French paleontologist, after a lifetime of study of the evolution of the human species concluded that humanity was entering a new age with a higher, peaceful and more responsible sense of the unity of the world community. Optimism and evolution are the two themes that Teilhard de Chardin leaves with us. He insisted at looking at the human population as one global family, developing a network of mutual support − recognizing the need of global solidarity.
→ read full articleSaber Rattling and Tension Reduction in Ukraine
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
26 Apr 2021
The Ukraine-Donbass-Russia crisis is a call to us in the non-governmental world to be able to move quickly and in a somewhat coordinated way.
→ read full articleSaber Rattling Along the Frontiers of Ukraine
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
19 Apr 2021
16 Apr 2021 – The question that faces us as peace-builders is “What can we do?” It is certain that the French and German diplomats are already aware of the dangers of the situation, but it is useful that non-governmental voices be heard. Are there avenues for Track II exchanges or non-governmental mediation efforts?
→ read full article
Hans Küng: Towards a Global Ethic
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
12 Apr 2021
Hans Küng was a Swiss Roman Catholic theologian who died on 6 Apr 2021 at the age of 93. From the early 1980s he turned his attention to other religions. He wrote a book on Judaism and another on Islam. Then he turned his attention to the religions of Asia, looking for common themes that could provide a bridge.
→ read full article
Jean Giono (30 Mar 1895 – 9 Oct 1970) and the Energies of the Earth
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
29 Mar 2021
Jean Giono was one of the most original French advocates of nonviolence. Giono, a pantheist philosopher, novelist of rural life, and in his later days, a movie-maker, had fame in the wider public even among those who opposed his nonviolence.
→ read full articleContinuing Instability in the Darfur Conflicts
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
15 Mar 2021
The Darfur conflict of western Sudan is a textbook example of how programmed escalation of violence can get out of control. Neither the insurgencies nor the government-backed forces have been able to carry out good faith negotiations or deal with the fundamental issue of how to get cattle farmers and settled agriculturalists to live together in a relatively cooperative way.
→ read full articleCreating a Climate for Negotiations
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
8 Mar 2021
Negotiation means a joint undertaking by those in conflict with the aim of finding common interests that are acceptable to a large segment of the population. Thus, often an agreement must be more than a compromise. It must transcend the original negotiating positions to create a situation of positive peace–an advance in the welfare of much of the populations of the parties.
→ read full articleDemocratic Republic of Congo: Need for Reconciliation, Bridge-Builders
René Wadlow - TRANSCEND Media Service,
1 Mar 2021
24 Feb 2021 – The people in eastern Congo have lived together for many centuries and developed techniques of conflict resolution. However, the influx of a large number of Hutu, local political considerations, a desire to control the wealth of the area — rich in gold, tin and tropical timber — all these factors have overburdened the local techniques of conflict resolution and have opened the door to new, negative forces interested only in making money and gaining political power.
→ read full articleNew Start for Stability in Libya
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
22 Feb 2021
The Libya Political Dialogue Forum on 5 Feb 2021 announced the creation of a new executive authority for all of Libya. To what extent the new interim authority will be able to create public services, limit outside influences and create appropriate forms of government will have to be seen. Libya merits close attention.
→ read full articleProtracted Conflict, Elusive Justice: The International Criminal Court Trial of Dominic Ongwen
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
15 Feb 2021
At the age of 9, Dominic Ongwen was captured by the militia of the Lord’s Resistance Army in northern Uganda and became a “child soldier”. The Lord’s Resistance Army is a continuation of the Holy Spirit Mobile Force created in 1986 around Alice Auna Lakwena, a woman healer who combined Christian Pentecostal elements, especially the direct intervention of the Holy Spirit, with more traditional African beliefs in charms that can prevent being wounded.
→ read full articleWendel Willkie (18 Feb 1892 – 8 Oct 1944): “We Want Willkie”
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
15 Feb 2021
Wendel Willkie had been a Democrat most of his adult life and was considered as “a wild card” among the Republican elite. Moreover, he had never run for a political office and to start out by wanting to run for President struck some, especially Republican senators and governors, as premature. Willkie was disliked by Democrats as a renegade and by Republicans as an interloper.
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Interfaith Harmony Week: Chou Tun-yi, a Voice for Our Time
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
1 Feb 2021
The United Nations General Assembly on 20 October 2010 proclaimed the first week of February of each year as the “World Interfaith Harmony Week” among all religions, faiths and beliefs. The General Assembly resolution recognized “the imperative need for dialogue among the different faiths and religions in enhancing mutual understanding, harmony and cooperation among people.”
→ read full articleResistance: Voices of Exiled Writers
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
18 Jan 2021
This is an anthology of poems and short prose texts describing the situations that led to the exile of the writer. The suffering and loss of country, home, family members and friends along with the personal experiences of torture and imprisonment are shared with others through memory.
→ read full articleAlbert Schweitzer (14 Jan 1875 – 4 Sep 1965): Reverence for Life
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
11 Jan 2021
“Just as the rivers are much less numerous than underground streams, so the idealism that is visible is minor compared to what men and women carry in their hearts, unreleased or scarcely released.”
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Kahlil Gibran (6 Jan 1883 – 10 Apr 1931): Spirits Rebellious
Rene Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
4 Jan 2021
Gibran’s bitter denunciation of both religious and political injustice brought his anticipated exile from Lebanon. He was also excommunicated from the Church in a country where much civil identity and justice was based on religious membership — not to mention the popular idea that God did not allow excommunicated souls into his Heaven.
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Can You Hear the People Sing? Global Responses to the Pandemic
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
28 Dec 2020
For many, the Covid 19 pandemic took loved ones and livelihoods away without discrimination. Yet for others, the confinement was a period in which some felt a sense that things could be better if all worked together. This is a rich collection of poems with reflections and observations. [Camilla Reeve (Ed.) London: Palewell Press, 2020]
→ read full articleSri Lanka: Still Fire under the Ashes
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
7 Dec 2020
In 1987, there was a 13th amendment to the Constitution which allows for the creation of “provincial councils”. In practice these provincial councils have not been able to function as avenues for popular aspirations. However, the structure exists. The hope is that wise leadership will manifest itself in these provincial councils and thus prevent a new round of violence based on desperation.
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Anniversary of the Genocide Convention: 9 December 1948
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
7 Dec 2020
The Genocide Convention is a landmark in the efforts to develop a system of universally accepted standards which promote an equitable world order for all members of the human family to live in dignity. Four articles are at the heart of this Convention and are here quoted in full to understand the process of implementation
→ read full articleNagorno-Karabakh: Protecting the Heritage of Humanity
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
30 Nov 2020
On 18 November 2020, the Director General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay received representatives of Armenia and Azerbaijan to discuss the situation in and around Nagorno-Karabakh. The protection of cultural heritage is only one of the many challenges concerning Nagorno-Karabakh, the Russian peacekeeping troops, and relations between Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey, and Iran. A situation that merits watching.
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Martin Wight (26 Nov 1913 – 15 Jul 1972): Analyst of International Relations Traditions
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
23 Nov 2020
Martin Wight was an analyst of approaches to the study and practice of international relations. He taught at the London School of Economics and later at the then newly created University of Sussex. He was a conscientious objector to military service during the Second World War.
→ read full articleNew Refugee Flows: Karabakh and Ethiopia
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
16 Nov 2020
13 Nov 2020 – The recent armed conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh between Azerbaijan and Armenia has led to a flow of refugees toward Armenia and Russia. The world community needs to develop more adequate early warning systems so that preventive action can be undertaken before the outbreak of destructive violence. Peace needs peacemakers; there is a need to train more adequate humanitarian workers.
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Jacques Maritain (18 Nov 1882 – 23 Apr 1973): World Citizen Philosopher
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
16 Nov 2020
Jacques Maritain was a French intellectual who spent the years of WWII in Princeton, U.S.A. where his friend anti-Nazi German author Thomas Mann also lived. Both were active advocates of world citizenship. In 1945-1948 he was named by Charles De Gaulle as the French Ambassador to the Vatican.
→ read full articleHow Frozen Are the OSCE’s Wars?
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
9 Nov 2020
6 Nov 2020 – The lack of progress in the UN/OSCE mediation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict indicates that non-governmental networks of conflict resolution must be developed. As Anthony Judge has pointed on TMS, one must choose one’s metaphor or symbol for a political situation with care. The metaphor of the flowing streams coming together in confluence to become a river of consequence may be the appropriate metaphor.
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Velimir Khlebnikov (9 Nov 1885 – 28 Jun 1922): The Futurian and World Citizen
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
9 Nov 2020
Velimir Khlebnikov was a shooting star of Russian culture in the years just prior to the start of the First World War. He was part of a small creative circle of poets, painters and writers who wanted to leave the old behind and set the stage for the future. They called themselves “The Futurians”.
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Eugene Victor Debs (5 Nov 1855 – 20 Oct 1926): An Early U.S. Socialist Voice
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
2 Nov 2020
With the increasingly high profile of Senator Bernie Sanders in U.S. politics, the term “Democratic Socialist” has become increasingly used. Thus it is useful to look at the first person on the U.S. political scene to represent the term.
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Nobel Literature Laureate Albert Camus (7 Nov 1913 – 4 Jan 1960): Stoic Humanist and World Citizen
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
1 Nov 2020
Albert Camus was born in Algeria, the son of a French father killed in the First World War when he was only one and an illiterate Spanish mother who raised him while working as a cleaning woman. Camus was intellectually stimulated by his father’s brother who read books of philosophy and was active in the local Masonic lodge.
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Paul Brunton (21 Oct 1898 – 24 Jul 1981): The Spiritual Search
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
19 Oct 2020
The world citizen Paul Brunton was concerned with building intellectual bridges between the West and the spiritual traditions of Asia, in particular India.
→ read full articleNagorno-Karabakh: A Phantom Republic Takes Center Stage
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
12 Oct 2020
9 Oct 2020 – The Phantom Republics is the name given to the States demanding the status of independence after the breakup of the Soviet Union: Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia, Transnistea in Moldova, and Nagorno-Karabakh between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The conflicts in Georgia and Moldova are now “frozen”, but they can “melt” at any time.
→ read full articleNagorno-Karabakh: Are Con-federal Structures Possible?
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
5 Oct 2020
1 Oct 2020 – On 27 Sep, military forces from Azerbaijan moved into six villages held by Armenian forces in the Nagorno-Karabakh area. The Prime Minister of Armenia warned that the two countries were “on the edge of war with unforeseeable consequences”. The President of Azerbaijan declared martial law and called up reserve military.
→ read full articleStrategic Nonviolent Struggle Spreads
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
28 Sep 2020
25 Sep 2020 – Gene Sharp may be looking down from Heaven as four nonviolent struggles go on at the same time in different political-cultural settings: Hong Kong, Thailand, Belarus, and Libya. It is difficult to know from the outside how much these struggles are the result of strategic planning or a spontaneous reaction to events.
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H.G. Wells (21 Sep 1866 – 13 Aug 1946): The Open Conspiracy for Peace
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
21 Sep 2020
Herbert George Wells, an active world citizen, is usually known as just H.G. Wells. He was a creator of modern science fiction, a pioneer of women’s rights (though he treated some badly in his many love affairs), a journalist, historian and novelist. Above all he was a social thinker devoted to peace and a stable world order.
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Paulo Freire: Popular Participation
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
14 Sep 2020
In the Declaration of Principles and Programme of Action adopted by the 1976 World Employment Conference it is stated, “A basic needs-oriented policy implies the participation of the people in making the decisions which affect them through organizations of their own choice.”
→ read full articleIndia the Malevolent Republic
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
14 Sep 2020
Malevolent Republic: A Short History of the New India, by K.S. Komireddi, London, C. Hurst and Co. 2019 – This is a lively analysis of Indian politics since independence.
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Tolstoy and Gandhi: Light as Darkness Approached
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
7 Sep 2020
By 1901 Tolstoy had been excommunicated from the Russian Orthodox Church — not that he expected much light to come from Church-State relations. The Church did insist that no prayers be said at Tolstoy’s funeral. For Tolstoy as for Gandhi, nonviolence was an expression of ‘soul force’ — the outward expression of the Inner Kingdom.
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Turkey-Greece Mediterranean Tensions: Track II Efforts Needed
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
7 Sep 2020
4 Sep 2020 – With Turkish war ships in the Mediterranean and the Greek army on alert, the tensions between Greece and Turkey are growing. Greek soldiers on the Greek island of Kastellorico, some two kilometers from the Turkish coast are on alert. Governmental efforts of mediation especially that of the German Foreign Minister Heiko Mass have not produced positive results.
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Maria Montessori (31 Aug 1870 – 6 May 1952): The Spirit of Education for World Citizenship
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
31 Aug 2020
Maria Montessori’s teaching displeased the narrow nationalist leaders in power in the 1930s. The Fascist government of Mussolini closed the Montessori schools in Italy in 1934 as did Hitler in Germany and then in Austria when Hitler’s troops moved into Vienna. The dictators saw that creative thinking among children was a danger to their authoritarian rule.
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Edward Carpenter (29 Aug 1844 – 28 Jun 1929)
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
24 Aug 2020
Edward Carpenter was an English writer, educator, pacifist, and socialist reformer. He lived in a homosexual relationship with a farmer at a time when homosexuality was considered a criminal offense. He saw that an awareness of the spiritual dimension of each person was the basis for the healing of the nations.
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Edmond Privat (17 Aug 1889 – 18 Aug 1962): The Inner Light
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
17 Aug 2020
It was natural for Privat, a citizen of Geneva, to be drawn to the efforts of the League of Nations. He served from 1923 to 1927 as the vice-delegate for Iran. Privat is an important symbol of those who worked between the two World Wars for new positive attitudes and strong inter-governmental structures that would create a climate of peace. The tasks still face us today.
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