“Ambition or duty, the vulnerability of life or the power of destiny provide some men the chance to lead others. This Higher Mission do not need to exercise only authority, yet so respected and astute, nor the use of constraint even the most efficient. It is a matter to know how to convince and to approach, to compose with persons, things and time. In the social order there is no power without Negotiation and Dialogue, inside or outside of any family, group and society.
This Century put Humanity in front of some very complicated if not destructive events, dramatic events. In spite of the progress of science and technology, the expansion and pace of mass communication, wealth or diminution the world especially our Arab World encloses several factors of turbulences, tensions and Violence. The Threat of Disorder and Ruptures made urgent and more than any time the necessity to exercise the practice of Negotiation and the use of all kind of peaceful means to resolve and to end any misunderstanding or crisis.
The Future of our Arab World being the cradle of religions and civilizations must be in a profound Peaceful Education and through the Culture of Dialogue. This Culture should be applied on all aspects of our social and political life, even more in our private life. It is the privileged task of the Arab Civil Society especially considering the failure of the Arab Establishment to sustain and to accomplish its obligations toward its Society.
This Mission is not only a privilege but more a responsibility that needs to be apprehended by an active, motivated and highly educated Civil Society, a wide and specialized number of nongovernmental organizations collaborating all together not only to simulate but to implement in our Arab Political and Social Life the knowhow of dialogue.
In our Arab World some characteristics should be perceived:
* Enormous budgets are still dedicated for the military in almost all the Arab Regimes.
* The Repression bodies are going stronger and stronger and managing all aspects of our life.
* After the 70’s with the Oil Revolution, what characterized the Arab Political System was the slogan: “Get Richer”, a slogan that pilots’ considerable social and economical changes and Money take it over the Human, over the Politics.
* At the latest 90’s the Successors leading our world wanted themselves as Renovators, they are welcome if they could capture the time and perceive the society needs. The reformatory discourse of those Leaders is not a Promise of Democratization and Modernization but it’s more about securing their elderly Systems using Modern means. They should know one major thing: it is all about the “human being” the Citizen in the Arab World.
It is a lack of communication and understanding between the system and the citizen, between citizens themselves, an urgent and crucial need that requires an enlightening elaboration that should took place as a part of our Arab Educational System and in our daily life, it is all about how to Cultivates Value of Peace, of Justice, of Democracy, of Liberty and of Dialogue.
This task should be prevailed by developing in Young Arab People, as an unending Mission, the spirit and the custom of resolving conflicts through Peaceful and Realistic Approaches based on ethical values.
The Future of the Arab World must be handled by our Arab Youth; Youth who should know how to bring into play a very wealthy Civilization with Modernization, Human with Knowledge and Science.
Youth who know how to use history to built a bright future, and who are ready to take over this Mission for generations to come in order to create a new image of a people who Love Life and know how to Live, a new image that passes over all global misconceptions about the Arab World as a World of Violence and Terrorism and that shows the Reality in its Intense Human Dimension, as a non Violent, Comprehensive and a World of Understanding and Dialogue.”
Marie-Ange J.B. Bokassa (alias Kiki) is an autodidact artist of Lebanese and Central-African backgrounds. Kiki has over the past years participated in several exhibitions in Lebanon and overseas. Her paintings are displayed in private collections from the Arabian Gulf to the American Midwest, through metropolis such as New York. She is also a writer and an active member in society, directly involved in a wide-range of humanitarian causes to which she devotes much of her time. In 2005 she started engaging in several humanitarian efforts, including the creation of non lucrative children’s books and activities such as “Let me tell you a story” publication and “Paint for Peace” workshop. She also holds reading sessions under the umbrella of the Ministry of Culture, and works as an art educator periodically, by training children and volunteers in public schools and public spaces all over the country. Visit these websites for more on Kiki’s work: www.kikibokassaart.com, www.kikibokassa.com, www.letmetellyouastory.com
KIKI BOKASSA in her post has made some very good points and brought them to us in a way which allows people to understand how dialogue, education and Arab youth can plan to bring positive change for the future.
One assertion Kiki has made may be a common perception in the Arab world – but cannot be called factual. Without a discussion surrounding the context some assertions may leave the wrong impression with readers.
Kiki says,
(Begin quote)
“IN OUR ARAB WORLD SOME CHARACTERISTICS SHOULD BE PERCEIVED:
*ENORMOUS BUDGETS ARE STILL
DEDICATED FOR THE MILITARY IN ALMOST
ALL THE ARAB REGIMES.”
(End Quote)
As if thats a bad thing! Enormous budgets? Compared to which countries?
Yes, the numbers may look large. But there is a reason for this. Without the protection a modern military affords the oil-fields of the Middle East, that oil would have been embezzeled years ago.
Religious shrines such as in Mecca and Medina would have been bombed to rubble on the first day of a war started to control the petroleum reserves of the Middle East – and any Arabs left alive after such a conflict would be living at the whim of an occupying army.
There is no real way to stop a larger, better-equipped and determined invading force.
However, if a defending military can exact a high enough casualty and equipment toll on the invading force, it usually acts as a deterrent to invasion. Many thousands of hours each year are spent simulating attack and defense scenario’s in countries all over the world, including the nations of the Middle East.
The only effective deterrent to invasion is a healthy defense budget. Nations such as Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States have minimal defense budgets considering the great wealth they must protect, the great importance that are placed on Islams shrines and the general threat level other militaries (and nowadays, non-state actors) induce. In addition to this, the people of the Middle East expect a high level of sovereignty at the borders and excellent internal security inside their countries.
(The following numbers are courtesy of Haaretz.com December 29, 2007 issue where they discussed the 2008 IDF Budget)
Israel spent 13.3 Billion (in US Dollars) on defense in 2008 – thereby setting yet another new record for defense spending. The total population of Israel in 2008 was 7.3 million.
(The following numbers are courtesy of Wikipedia)
Saudi Arabia spent 31.5 Billion (in US Dollars) on defense in 2008 – but includes a significant amount of money to fund civil security services, such as disaster relief and internal state security. The total population of Saudi Arabia in 2008 was 28 million.
In addition to having four-times as many residents as Israel to protect, Saudi Arabia’s land mass is eighty-three times larger than Israel’s, (10,000 Square Miles for Israel, as compared to Saudi Arabia’s 830,000 Square Miles) and as I pointed out earlier, a large portion of the Saudi defense budget is allocated to civil security.
(The following numbers are courtesy of rediff.com)
India spent $26.4 Billion (in US Dollars) on defense in 2008 – an increase of 7% from the previous year. The total population of India in 2008 was estimated at 1.1 Billion.
(The following numbers are courtesy of Wikipedia and include war spending in Iraq and Afghanistan)
The United States spent $1.05 Trillion (in US Dollars) on defense in 2008 – which sets yet another defense spending record for the U.S.
It may interest you to know that the United States, with only 6% of the worlds population spends more money on its military – than ALL the other countries on earth combined spend on their military forces!
In any event, having a modern military with well-trained members with the capability to deter and repel attacks upon the nation-state is costly and a reasonable guarantee of sovereignty and security.
Without that capability, any nation possessing significant wealth, petroleum/mineral resources, or a strategic location, would fall quickly to a more powerful invader. (In the past fifty years this has occurred several times – Iraq War, Afghanistan War, Somalia, Gulf War, former Yugoslavia, Vietnam).
Failing to maintain an adequate military in a wealthy, petroleum-rich region might open that possibility.
May God’s light illuminate your path.