PressInfo

At least three recent pieces of good news from the Balkans have passed virtually unnoticed: – Yugoslavia has established a Commission for Truth and Reconciliation. – Dr. Ibrahim Rugova’s and LDK’s election victory opens new prospects for reconciliation in Kosovo/a. – Non-violence has proved to be stronger than police repression and authoritarian rule in Serbia and stronger than extremist violence by the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA/UCK) in Kosovo. Contrary to violence and war, non-violence and opportunities for reconciliation don’t make it to the headlines. As a matter of fact, they don’t make it to the media at all. Destructive news furthers pessimism and the feeling of powerlessness. Constructive or good news furthers the opposite and signals that peace may, in spite of all, be possible. In short, those in power, as well as power-loyal media, naturally prefer the former rather than the latter. These three news items contain important evidence...

This time of the year provides us all with an opportunity to reflect. Reconciliation and forgiveness, peace of mind and compassion come to our minds. We send season’s greetings to each other and express hopes for a better new year. The latest PressInfos and this one circle about these issues in a concrete manner, applied to a concrete case. That is important in itself. But by focusing on the Balkans we also want to make the point that there are other problems than the September 11 terror that merit attention. That is, if we embrace all of humanity in our compassionate thoughts and deeds and not just the few. It has gone unnoticed that non-violence proved stronger than police repression and authoritarian rule in Serbia and stronger than extremist violence by the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA/UCK) in Kosovo. Milosevic went the militant, repressive way. He finally lost when citizens and...

Ten years ago it was not impossible to see… Ten years ago, TFF’s conflict-mitigation team started working with Dr. Ibrahim Rugova and LDK people in the belief that a) they were the best dialogue partners Belgrade could hope to get, and b) they were the only political leadership in ex-Yugoslavia that advocated non-violence, albeit pragmatic. I have no evidence that they have ever read a line by, say, Gandhi. We participated in formulating characteristics of the independent Kosova they aimed at: it should be a region with no military, open border to all sides and politically neutral. We helped devise negotiation strategies and facilitated the only written dialogue between them and governments in Belgrade between 1992 and 1996. The foundation produced a concrete plan for a negotiated solution. See Preventing war in Kosovo (1992) and UNTANS (1996). Our team quickly learned to respect the complexity and difficulties of the Kosovo conflict. We were...

Happy news from our own world! On Friday October 26, 2001, TFF co-founder Christina Spännar successfully defended her dissertation at the Department of Sociology at the University of Lund. The title is With foreign luggage. Thoughts and experiences told by young people with roots in other cultures or The postmodern strangehood. “Christina has conducted her research while also caring for many everyday tasks at the foundation, particularly when I travel,” says Jan Oberg. “She participates in all important decisions about TFF policies and does a lot of editorial work on our publications and site articles. No PressInfo is distributed around the world before she has commented and improved on the drafts.” “She reads and comments on virtually all my texts and I am happy to have been able to pay back a little now by being her test reader and comment-maker through the work with her dissertation, ” says Jan Oberg....

Glädjande nyheter från vår egen värld. Fredag den 26 oktober 2001 försvarade TFF:s medstiftare, Christina Spännar, sin doktorsavhandling på Sociologiska Institutionen vid Lunds Universitet. Titeln är Med främmande bagage. Tankar och erfarenheter hos unga människor med ursprung i annan kultur eller Det postmoderna främlingskapet. “Christina har genomfört sin forskning samtidigt som hon tar hand om många vardagsuppgifter vid stiftelsen, inte minst när jag är borta,” säger Jan Öberg. “Hon deltar i alla beslut om TFF:s verksamhet och politik och utför massor av redaktionellt arbete på våra publikationer och hemsidesartiklar. Det går inte ut någon PressInfo utan hon har kommenterat och förbättrat utkasten.” “Hon läser och kommenterar i praktiken alla mina texter och jag är glad över att ha kunnat betala tillbaka lite genom att under tiden ha givit synpunkter på de olika delarna i slutfasen av avhandlingen,” säger Jan Öberg. “Christina är TFF-ankare och inspiratör – i mycket större omfattning än...

Advancing human security and controlling terrorism By Michael Renner  and Dick Bell, Worldwatch Institute What do you think of this advice from a senior U.S. military officer and statesman about how the people of the United States should deal with a part of the world torn by war, poverty, disease, and hunger: “…it is of vast importance that our people reach some general understanding of what the complications really are,rather than react from a passion or a prejudice or an emotion of the moment….It is virtually impossible at this distance merely by reading, or listening, or even seeing photographs or motion pictures, to grasp at all the real significance of the situation. And yet the whole world of the future hangs on a proper judgment.” The speaker was General George C. Marshall, outlining the Marshall Plan in an address at Harvard University on June 5, 1947. Surveying the wrecked economies...

Åter till PressInfo 138 Problemställning och syfte Allt fler ungdomar i vårt land, liksom i många andra länder, lever i vardagen med mer än en kultur. En femtedel av eleverna i den svenska skolan är antingen själva födda i ett annat land eller har minst en förälder med utländsk bakgrund. För många av dessa barn och ungdomar har därför inte samhällets dominerande kultur funnits med från början av deras liv. Bekantskapen med majoritetskulturen inleds inte sällan i samband med skolstarten. Skolgången innebär då inte bara tillägnandet av de kunskaper och färdigheter som läroplanen föreskriver, utan också en annan kultur och ofta ett främmande språk. En process, som kommer att prägla även andra av livets områden, tar sin början. Mitt syfte med denna avhandling är att försöka komma åt hur denna process ser ut. Jag gör detta genom att beskriva ungdomarnas möte med det nya samhället och hur vägarna in i...

(This text was finalised before the bombing of Afghanistan began) This PressInfo offers concrete examples of how the Swedish government chooses to acquiesce in the policies of the U.S. and the European Union (EU) rather than defending the interests of small states and the UN norm of peace by peaceful means. Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson sent a letter of condolences immediately after the September 11 terror attack and Sweden participated in the EU statement . However, it was not until September 24 that the Prime Minister stated the following (excerpts): “The terrorist attack on the United States was a crime against international peace and security. The Member States of the European Union stand united in their recognition of the right of the US to defend itself. The EU has also declared its intention to cooperate with the US in the fight against terrorism,” said the Prime Minister Goran Persson...

(Den oprindelige tekst blev skrevet før bombningen af Afghanistan begyndte). Denne PressInfo giver konkrete eksempler på, hvordan den svenske regering vælger at føje sig efter USAs og EUs politik snarere end at forsvare de små staters interesser og FNs norm om fred med fredelige midler. Sveriges statsminister, Göran Persson, sendte et kondolencetelegram straks efter terrorangrebet den 11. september og Sverige deltog i EU-udtalelsen. Og så udsendte statsministeren den 22. september følgende udtalelse (i uddrag): “Terroristangrebet på USA var en brud mod den internationale fred og sikkerhed. EUs medlemsstater står forenede i deres anerkendelse af USAs ret til at forsvare sig. EU har også erklæret sin vilje til at samarbejde med USA i kampen mod terrorismen,” sagde statsminister Göran Persson i en udtalelse efter det extraordinære uformelle møde i det Europæiske Råd i Bruxelles fredag. “USAs ret til at forsvare sig, om nødvendigt med militære midler, er i overensstemmelse med FNs...

There is all reason to rejoice at the fact that the United Nations and Secretary-General Kofi Annan have been awarded the centenary Nobel Peace Prize. It is the right choice. Though one would wish it had happened before, the award comes at a critical moment when governments around the world need to be reminded of the fundamental importance of the UN and its norms. It is the only government organisation that truly represents “the international community.” It is the leading one symbolising humanity’s struggle to abolish war and seek peace by peaceful means. It does a lot of good and much less harm than most self-appointed peacemakers like NATO. And its budget is still about 3% of what its governments waste on weapons and wars. Kofi Annan The Nobel Committee correctly emphasises that Kofi Annan has brought new life to the organisation. He is a soft-spoken man with inner calm,...

Svensk utgåva av denna Once upon a time, there was a Sweden that was different and wanted to make a difference in the world. Over the last few years it has become an acquiescing, commonplace Sweden that has almost abandoned its creativity and independent foreign policy. Now it follows the flock and the leader(s) of the flock. A country of only 8 million people, Sweden used to base its welfare on heavy industry and science, on Scandinavian welfare thinking, equality and a strong civil society filled with active NGOs. There is even a term for that quality: “folkrörelses-Sverige,” the “peoples’ movement Sweden.” As a foreign policy actor, Sweden made a difference by vigorously promoting goals such as international solidarity, non-alignment, nuclear disarmament, common security, confidence-building and peace-keeping through a policy of active neutrality. It was a staunch believer in and supporter of the United Nations. It took a stand when...

Det fanns en gång ett Sverige som var annorlunda och som ville hjälpa till att förändra världen. Under de senaste få åren har det blivit ett passivt och fogligt alldagligt Sverige som nästan har övergivit sin kreativitet och sin oberoende utrikespolitik. Nu följer det flocken och dess ledare. Sverige, ett litet land med 8 miljoner innevånare, grundade sitt välstånd på tung industri och vetenskap, på ett skandinaviskt välfärdstänkande och ett starkt civilsamhälle, fyllt av aktiva NGOs. Det fanns t.o.m. en särskild benämning på detta: “folkrörelse-Sverige”. Som utrikespolitisk aktör hade Sverige en särskild betydelse i världen genom att verka för mål som internationell solidaritet, allianfrihet, kärnvapennedrustning, gemensam säkerhet, förtroendeskapande och fredsbevarande genom en aktiv neutralitetspolitik. Det gav ett starkt och pålitligt stöd till Förenta Nationerna. Det tog ställning när små stater angreps. Dess regering främjade folkrörelseaktiviteter som Den stora Fredsresan och Folkriksdagen för nedrustning. Den svenska utrikespolitiken grundades på folklig debatt...