{"id":101606,"date":"2017-11-13T12:00:40","date_gmt":"2017-11-13T12:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=101606"},"modified":"2017-11-09T16:59:42","modified_gmt":"2017-11-09T16:59:42","slug":"prospects-for-a-world-free-from-nuclear-weapons-and-for-integral-disarmament","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2017\/11\/prospects-for-a-world-free-from-nuclear-weapons-and-for-integral-disarmament\/","title":{"rendered":"Prospects for a World Free from Nuclear Weapons and for Integral Disarmament"},"content":{"rendered":"

Presentation to the International Symposium on Nuclear Weapons at the Vatican, Rome, 10-11 Nov 2017:\u00a0 The Peace Process in Northern Ireland<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Eminences, Excellencies, Colleagues Nobel Laureates, Ladies and Gentlemen:<\/p>\n

It is good to be with you all, and \u00a0I would like to take this opportunity to thank you \u00a0for your work for Peace and Humanity.<\/p>\n

Thank you also for giving me the opportunity to speak about the Peace Process in N. Ireland.<\/p>\n

N.Ireland is a deep ethnic\/political conflict, and Religion plays both a negative and positive role in our society.\u00a0 This was brought home to me, when in the early l970s a young Irish Republican \u00a0man, told me he was in the Armed Struggle of the IRA \u00a0fighting a Just War and that the Catholic Church blesses\u00a0 \u201cJust Wars\u201c.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We need to throw out the Just War theory, a phony piece of morality. Instead we can \u00a0develop a new Theology of Peace and Nonviolence and articulate \u00a0a clear unambiguous rejection of violence. \u00a0Religion cannot be used to justify war or armed struggle.<\/p>\n

There are many lessons to be learned from the Northern Irish conflict.\u00a0\u00a0 One lesson is that \u00a0violence never works, be it State, Relational,\u00a0 Paramilitary violence, or the violence of sectarianism, discrimination or injustice.\u00a0 For many years these \u00a0methods were used and they plunged our country\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0(one and a half million people) into the darkness of death and further segregation and polarization.\u00a0\u00a0 A Light in the darkness came when in l976 thousands of people, 90% women, marched to call for an end to violence and for peace.\u00a0 They called for all inclusive, unconditional talks, including with those using violence, insisting we must talk to our perceived enemies, be reconciled together and find solutions. They insisted the UK Government uphold Human Rights and International Laws and not put aside the Rights of people, or use means which were \u00a0illegal and counter-productive.\u00a0 In the first few months of this Civil Society movement for peace and reconciliation, there was a 70% drop in violence.<\/p>\n

After a long process of dialogue, and diplomacy, \u00a0across the communities, between people, paramilitary groups, and politicians, mediated by Civil Community and members of Clergy, eventually a Good Friday Agreement was reached in l998.\u00a0 This Agreement, based on Power Sharing between the Unionists, Nationalists, and others, was a ground breaking achievement in that it brought together many Political parties and tackled hard issues.\u00a0 Unfortunately, many of the Policies agreed upon were not fully implemented and continue to cause dissention within our Executive, Assembly and Community.\u00a0 What could have been set up was an independent body charged with the implementation of the Agreement whose recommendations for resolving disputes would be binding on the parties.\u00a0 In the absence of this, the Executive is obliged to address every crisis on a case by case basis and with no commitment to accepting recommendations to resolve the crisis.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately our Executive has had many problems working on a power sharing basis but it is hoped that as time goes on they will adopt a more co-operative and compromising approach in working these institutions.\u00a0 For many the key to progress lies with the community where people live their daily lives.\u00a0 The integration of our society is very important and integrated Education, Peace Education, \u00a0Therapy, Counselling, \u00a0etc., will be ways in which to heal and reconcile our society.\u00a0 \u00a0At the heart of a peace culture is a recognition that every persons life and their humanity is more important than a persons ethnic inheritance.\u00a0 This peace culture only develops when every citizens humanity is valued above that citizens ethnic\/religious \u00a0inheritance. Where a citizens\u2019 vote is sought and cast on the basis of human worth rather than on perceived inheritance or identity.\u00a0 Enpowering local grassroots communities, including women and youth,\u00a0 to get involved in community peacebuilding, job creating, etc., will give hope and build self-belief, \u00a0confidence and courage.<\/p>\n

Post conflict we know how long and difficult the task before us.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We accept this challenge to change ourselves and deepen our virtues of compassion, empathy, love, so necessary to change our society.\u00a0 Seeing the person in every one and\u00a0 loving and serving them will help us transcent selfishness, bigotry and sectarianism. \u00a0Deepening our relationships, with family, friends, society, \u00a0will keep us strong and give us wisdom and courage in the hard times. \u00a0In a spirit of enjoyment and enthusiasm, aware of the beauty\u00a0 of life, creation, within and without, \u00a0we can live joyfully each moment and celebrate \u00a0the gift of being alive.<\/p>\n

We join with everyone around the world to build a demilitarized peaceful world.\u00a0 \u00a0We thank Pope Francis for his clear moral\/spiritual leadership in calling for the abolition of the death penalty and Nuclear Weapons.\u00a0 It is an illusion that we are in control and that these weapons give us security.\u00a0 Above all for any of us to harbour the thought that we have the right to use nuclear weapons and commit genocide is the most disturbing thing of all.\u00a0 We have yet to learn the lessons of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.\u00a0 An apology to the Japanese people by the US Government, those responsible\u00a0 for the genocidal act of using Nuclear bombs will help the healing of relationships and ensure such genocidal acts will never happen again.\u00a0 \u00a0The policy of Nuclear weapons, show that we have lost our moral compass. \u00a0\u00a0It is long overdue that we abolish nuclear weapons and put resources, human and financial, into abolishing poverty and meeting human security as set out in UN Development goals.<\/p>\n

However, we need to do more than this.\u00a0 Be brave and imaginative.\u00a0 Join together for a common vision \u2013 the total abolition of Militarism and war.\u00a0 We do not need to limit ourselves to civilizing and slowing down militarism, (which is an aberation and system of dysfunction), but demand its total abolition.\u00a0 We can offer a new hope to suffering humanity.\u00a0 Follow the vision of Nobel on global co-operation \u00a0to remove the scourge of\u00a0 militarism and war, and implement the architecture of peace based on Human Rights and International Law.<\/p>\n

People are tired of armaments and war, which release uncontrollable forces of tribalism and nationalism.\u00a0 These are dangerous and murderous forms of identity and above which we need to transcend, lest we unleash further \u00a0violence upon the world.\u00a0 Acknowledge that our common humanity and human dignity is more important than our different religions and traditions. Recognize our life and the lives of others are sacred and that we can solve our problems without killing each other.\u00a0\u00a0 Accept and celebrate diversity and otherness.\u00a0 Heal the old divisions and misunderstandings.\u00a0 Give and accept forgiveness and choose love, nonkilling and nonviolence as ways to solve our problem.<\/p>\n

Peace and Justice are necessary, and the ways of dialogue and diplomacy must be seriously undertaken, must be insisted upon by the International Community, as shown in the Iranian nuclear deal, and as could work for a North Korean Peace Treaty. \u00a0\u00a0We can transform the erroneous mindset that violence and threats of violence works, weapons and war can solve our problems. Punative Policies do not bring peace.<\/p>\n

We can take courage and confidence,\u00a0 from the fact that the Science of War, is \u00a0being replaced by a Global Science of Peace based on love, Harmony, reverence for life and creation. \u00a0\u00a0Thank you to Pope Francis and the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting\u00a0 Integral Disarmament.\u00a0 Your work of diplomacy, mediation, fearlessly speaking Truth to Power whatever the cost, gives hope to all of humanity.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>_________________________________________________<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Mairead Corrigan Maguire, co-founder of <\/em>Peace People, is a member of the <\/em>TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment<\/a>. She won the 1976 Nobel Peace Prize for her work for peace in Northern Ireland. Her book <\/em>The Vision of Peace (edited by John Dear, with a foreword by Desmond Tutu and a preface by the Dalai Lama) is available from www.wipfandstock.com<\/a>. She lives in Belfast, Northern Ireland. See: www.peacepeople.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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