Vi skulle have gjort noget af dette i stedet for krig…

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Åbn øjnene for muligheder istedet for “Øje for øje”

Princippet om øje for øje vil en dag gøre hele verden blind – som Gandhi, der den 2. oktober fødtes for 145 år siden, så klogt sagde.

Det er imidlertid dét princip den danske regering, et stort flertal i Folketinget og efter sigende 62% af den danske befolkning nu følger når Danmark går i krig for 5. gang på 15 år.

Danmark bomber sammen med de store NATO-lande USA, England og Frankrig og så nogle arabiske småstater. Ud af 193 lande i verden!

Som kritiker af en militaristisk – men ikke aktiv – udenrigspolitik får jeg ofte spørgsmålet hvad Danmark (jeg siger ikke ”vi”) i stedet skulle have gjort.

Svarene forudsætter dels en anden måde at tænke på og en vis uddannelse og dels nogle konkrete ideer, der skulle kunne implementeres.

Her er nogle hurtigt nedfældede svar på de to dimensioner – ingen rangordning, tingene er alle vigtige:

Tænkemaade og (ud)dannelse

– Lær noget af de tidligere krige. Det er gået ret skidt og ingen af antagelserne forud for dem holdt stik. Dette er specielt vigtigt hér fordi ISIS i hovedsagen er et resultat af besættelsen af Irak.

– Indse at terrorismen ikke kan nedkæmpes ved at slå terrorister ihjel – så lidt som man kommer kriminalitet til livs ved at slå alle kriminelle ihjel. Man maa forsøge at forstaa drivkræfterne bag den.

– Gør en grundlæggende konfliktanalyse eller -diagnose og se på problemet mere end aktørerne.

– Udform din egen politik kreativt og inddrag værdier: Udenrigspolitik kan ikke bestå i at have en telefonsvarer til opkald fra Washington, der siger: Vi kommer så snart I kalder.

– Tænk i overensstemmelse med FN-Erklæringen som vi er moralsk og juridisk bundet af, nemlig at alle civile midler skal være prøvet og fundet resultatløse inden man tager voldelige midler i anvendelse.

– Handl ikke i panik – tag et længere tidsperspektiv og se på alle aktørers rolle, inklusive den vestlige verdens historiske rolle i stort alle konflikter, ikke mindst i Mellemøsten.

– Brug empati – spørg dig selv om hvorledes modparterne vil opfatte det du gør og hvordan de vil reagere.

– Lad dig ikke forblinde af den militære magts muligheder – i sidste ende vindes krige og løses konflikter udelukkende gennem intellektuel formåen og moralsk overlegenhed. Hybris er en meget farlig partner i alle statslige og menneskelige relationer.

– Forstaa ISIS og deres had som mere end galninge – se den som noget vi selv gennem besættelsen og (fejl)administrationen af Irak selv har et medansvar for. Det aktuelle kalifat og måden deet skabes på er en vanvittig idé, som vi ikke kan acceptere, men den har en gedigen historisk baggrund i Islam og i Vestens skalten og valten med regionen i hundredvis af år.

– At gå i krig er den vigtigste enkeltbeslutning noget land kan tage. Se til at dit lands kompetence er nogenlunde proportionel med dét og har tilstrækkeligt mange eksperter og velinformerede folketingspolitikere, der kan noget om globale spørgsmål.

Konkrete forslag

– Istedet for krig, erklær dig villig til at snakke med ISIS’s ledelse. En del af dem er trænet af vestverden så vi har altså kunnet snakke med dem før.

– Erkend tidligere begåede fejl – måske endog sige undskyld – for tidligere tiders synder – ikke mindst for den cirka 1 million menneskeliv Irak-krigen har kostet (invasion, besættelse og 13 års sanktioner). Piet Hein har sagt det så fint: ”The nobel art of losing face may one day save the human race and turn into eternal merit what weaker minds would call a disgrace.”

– Faa stoppet finansieringen af ISIS – det er desværre i hovedsagen vestens allierede som Saudi Arabien og Qatar, der giver dem penge.

– Indsæt en robust, upartisk sammensat global FN-ledet styrke ikke til offensivt at bekæmpe ISIS men defensivt beskytte byer, infrastruktur og oliekilder og kombinér det med humanitær hjælp til ISIS’ ofre.

– Samarbejd med Iran og Rusland – uden dem kan ingen løsning findes. Ophør derfor med intimideringen af begge.

– Stop al våbenhandel til konfliktområder! Disse konflikter ville aldrig været blevet så dybe og krævet så mange ofre hvis ikke i Vesten i hovedsagen havde pumpet ufattelige mængder af våben ind for milliarder af dollars år efter år. ISIS har fået sin militære styrke gennem de våben vi selv har pumpet ind.

– Stands snakken om moderate terrorister/oppositionelle. De eneste, der bør have vores støtte er de 98% af alle befolkninger i alle landene, der udgør det civile samfund og aldrig har rørt et våben men er ofre for våbenhandel såvel som indre og ydre militarister og gangsters.

– Det er fra et demokratisk synspunkt civilsamfundet, der skal finde freden, ikke autoritære lokale ledere eller Vesten.

– Miltære midler kan være nødvendige men ikke med en Coalition of the Killing uden FN-mandat. Der må findes både en militær balance, en exit-strategi og en vision der indeholder en forhandlet løsning på vejen til et fredelige Mellemøsten.

– Man kan ikke bekæmpe terrorister fra luften uden at slå mange gange flere uskyldige ihjel. Lad være med gang paa gang at paatage dig ansvar for massemord.

– Stil Danmark/Norden til rådighed som mægler, mødeplads for konsultationer.

– Opret frie forskningsinstitutter, der arbejder med konfliktløsning i fremtiden og ikke i hovedsagen legitimerer militarismen fordi de finansieres af staten.

– Brug høringer – få konfliktens deltagere samlet og fortæl verdensoffentligheden hvad parterne a) er bange for og b) hvad de ønsker i fremtiden.

– Kræv at dine medier balancerer den voldsfokuserende journalistik med konflikt-journalistik – altså fokus på de underliggende problemer og giv plads for kritiske spørgsmål. Brug nettet i stedet for at forlade dig udelukkende på vestlige medier og nyhedsbureauer, der savner filtre mod krigspropaganda og påvirkningsoperationer.

– Tænk nyt om Mellemøsten og vor egen rolle dér. Tænk ikke i stater men i federationer, konfederationer, autonomi, selvstyre, kantoner – og i et slags OSCE og et EU for hele området. Tænk på de positive ting vi alle kan vinde på samarbejde istedet for at bekrige hinanden i århundreder. Konfliktløsning handler om at se en bedre fremtid – ikke at hænge fast i hvem der gjorde hvad igår.

– Stræb efter det FN allerede har besluttet: At Mellemøsten skal være en zone befriet for masseødelæggende våben.

– Skab et moratorium for vold i hele Mellemøsten og opret en forhandlingsstruktur over 3-5 år med alle relevante parter på regerings- og civilsamfundsniveau, ledt af FN, den Arabiske Liga, BRICS og lignende men ikke af USA eller NATO-lande, fordi de ikke kan opfattes af regionens aktører som upartiske mæglere.

Altså 27 principper, idéer og konkrete forslag – til diskussion for enhver der ikke ønsker at have krigen – for/imod – i centrum for opmærksomheden. Vi bliver aldrig af med krigen medmindre vi diskuterer alternativerne til den.

PhD, Peace & future researcher + ‌Art Photographer, Professor Emeritus and media commentator

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