Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Globalization and the end of nuclear weapons
http://www.wagingpeace.org/articles/2001/02/21_roche_globalization.htm
*some part of the article*
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Why are some in the abolition movement now saying that the abolition of nuclear weapons is a remote, receding, and unrealistic goal?
Why are governments still being allowed to claim that the outmoded strategy of nuclear deterrence has even a shred of credibility or morality?
Why are the nuclear retentionists not being driven to obscurity by the sheer force of the legal, moral, political, and military arguments against the possession of nuclear weapons?
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It is not the resources that are lacking, but the political will. Let us remember such contrasts when we think of globalization and building a common ethic for a culture of peace. Elimination of the instruments of violence, beating swords into plougshares, making the transition from a culture of war, maintained and advanced by the huge war machine human industry has built up over many centuries, would be the greatest legacy we could ever leave to future generations. This must be our resolve.
Policy-makers must rid themselves of the idea that peace and security can be bought only with weaponry. We need to foster and promote the transition from a culture of war, violence, and discrimination to a culture, an ethic, of non-violence, dialogue, and tolerance. It will have to be based on collective efforts from a variety of partners inside and outside of government. It will depend upon the ability to raise people's awareness of the fundamental human security needs and rights affecting the daily lives of millions.
A transformation of human consciousness, as great as the transformative power of globalization itself, must occur.
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The public seems precariously unaware of the present nuclear danger. Let us bring the basic facts into sharp focus. Today, eight nations possess some 32,000 nuclear bombs containing 5,000 megatons of destructive energy, which is the equivalent of 416,000 Hiroshima-size bombs. This is enough to destroy all major cities of 500,000 population or greater in the United States, Canada, Europe, Russia, Japan, China, India, Pakistan, Korea, Vietnam, Australia, South Africa, and Cuba.
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Why then is there no real action for elimination on the part of all the Nuclear Weapon States? Because the political will has not yet been developed.
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Reflection:
This article actually talks about the relationship between nuclear weapons, politics and globalization. As the author mentioned in his article, the abolition or elimination of nuclear weapons depend on the political wills of many countries.
The political globalization leads to the forming of many international organizations. We can often see that government leaders of different countries meet together to discuss about political or security issues. This is because, as an effect of globalization, all the countries are being linked together. Thus, the problem in one country is no longer the problem just for itself, but for its neighboring countries and many countries which may have the same stand on politics with it.
Now, the abolition of nuclear weapons is a very hot topic because it relates to the serious security issue. We all know that nuclear weapons have huge power and are very harmful for people. However, many countries are still developing nuclear weapons and thus it has become an issue that the UN concern about. And in fact, many countries are concerned about the security issues due to various reasons. But we can see that still many countries keep their nuclear weapons.
In my opinion, the globalization gives many countries the chance to co-operate and help each other. But at the same time, it also gives them the chance to compete with each others, especially for the developed countries and some countries which are developing very fast. And the competition is in many areas and they are all somehow related to the political issues. There was a news article earlier this year which talks about China sending missiles to destroy its satellite. Some actually think that China did this to show its military power. I think the reason why many countries keep their nuclear weapons is similar to this. They may want to show that they have strong power.
So as the author said in his article, in order to abolish nuclear weapons and create peace, we also need the help of globalization. Because of the effect of globalization, there will be spread of consciousness to this issue. Thus, it will affect the reaction of several international organizations and countries. As the author said “It is now the responsibility of civil society to put a worldwide spotlight on the recalcitrance of the NWS governments and show them that human consciousness has moved beyond them.”
[[your political expert Liu Sha]]
; i'm lovin' it
