The Ambassadors - EDITORIAL - Vol.2, Issue 1 (January 1999)

Like a young child staring through the glass of a candy shop, humanity peeks forward in awe and anticipation through the tainted window that separates it from the next millennium. Only a thin sheet of impenetrable glass stands between us and our future.

With every mention of Y2K, an ambivalent array of emotions and expectations floods our minds. Conflicting and contradictory bouts of euphoria and pessimism alternate as we live through the few hundred days remaining. But it is not until the clock strikes midnight on December 31, that all the dust will settle. Only then can we look back through that very window at the years past. At that moment, we can legitimately comprehend the reasons and implications of a century gone astray, one that is tainted with the blood of the innocent and blotched with the wrath of evil.

In retrospect, the 20th century has been a very long and eventful one, remembered for humankind's breakthroughs and advancements in medical practice, remarkable ventures into outer space, and countless other celebrated achievements. But more evidently, this century will be best remembered for the most grotesque and malicious acts of evil known to man. Early colonialism, nuclear warfare, genocide, manipulation and exploitation of nature, and the abuse of modern science and technology are only a few notables. Yet the most striking characteristic emblematic of our 20th century
is the phenomenon we call 'war'.

By Toughan, Al-Gomhoriya Newspaper, 1998

Unlike any hundred year period in human history, this century has witnessed an extraordinary number of wars. No land on this earth has not been marked a burial site for the lives of those lost in battle. No country's history is unblemished with the blood of war victims. Even today, as we conclude the final chapter of this millennium, the world map is still filled with pockets of violence and hostility that claim the lives of many everyday.

Over the period of ten decades, we have seen ideologies rise and fall, others are now in the making. Amidst the political, economic and military turmoil and strife, a vision was conceived. A vision that promised the extermination of war and the inauguration of universal peace. Leaders and representatives of world countries attested to it, hoping that it would transcend political borders, religious divisions, ethnic differences and socio-economic classes.

Over 50 years since the first hopeful attempt to commit to world peace, it appears little progress has been made. With every step forward to proclaiming peace, we have fallen back a stride to delve deeper into the grim shadow of war. We have seen the virtual abolition of colonialism, only to have it return camouflaged.

In today's definitions, no longer does political sovereignty entail freedom. Neo-colonialism is disguised in the form of economic, political, social and even cultural subjugation, where large powerful nations reap the resources of small weak ones. While the United Nations faces criticism for its shortcomings, and nations' interests precede the pursuit of peace, we seem to have lost sight and derailed from the original vision enshrined in the charter.

In the years to come, advanced military technology will present us with new strategies of war. The main test for diplomacy will be the ability to adapt to the new challenges of maintaining peace using contemporary notions. Faithful commitments to human rights, genuine plans for 'world' development, and legitimate humanitarian aid will become the life-support devices in the campaign to resuscitate world peace.

The question that prevails as we step over the last hurdle of the 20th century is whether we have been attentive pupils?

Before we crack open the window to the millennium, we must first wash off the stains that smear our glass and dishonour our history.

Over the next two issues of The Ambassadors, we will present reviews, analyses, and opinions from around the world on the future of peace in the coming age. These special issues are an attempt to reach out and deliver a message of solidarity and neighbourhood to all.