Baha'i Perspectives

nadim February 10th, 2008

…the size of the armaments of every government should be strictly limited, for if the preparations for war and the military forces of any nation should be allowed to increase, they will arouse the suspicion of others.

(Abdu’l-Baha, The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 64)

Revealed well over a century ago, the significance of these words has been demonstrated time and time again on the world’s fragile political scene. And now, here are the latest set of incidents presented in the news that have aroused the suspicion of political leaders:

• Russian President Vladimir Putin expresses strong reservations over the proposed U.S. missile defense shield, saying that this will lead to a new arms race.
• The West fears the recent rocket test by Iran is ominous in terms of their perceived nuclear ambitions.

The increase in incidents of this nature is deeply worrying, for in the Atomic Age, differences between nuclear powers can no longer be resolved by simply resorting to warfare, as the consequences would clearly be catastrophic. We find ourselves in an unfortunate situation, where the technological gains made in the past century have not progressed in parallel with the moral sense of how best to use them. Distressing, too, are the vast sums spent worldwide in developing weapons and military equipment. We are only 40 days into 2008, and already estimated spending has topped the USD$150 billion mark (click on the link to watch that how quickly that number rises).

The Baha’i International Community, in it’s statement on The Relationship Between Disarmament and Development, makes three important observations:

• Disarmament and development are interrelated. Funds used to make weapons are a drain on the national and world economies. Such funds could be better used to raise the living conditions of the world’s peoples.

• The economic connection between disarmament and development represents only one side of the issue. A spiritual connection also exists. Resources spent for weapons drain not only national treasuries; they also drain the reservoirs of human hope and trust.

• The two issues must be approached in an integrated manner. Not only can disarmament further the cause of development; development can further the cause of disarmament. Indeed, the key to advancing the cause of both disarmament and development lies in fostering a sense of global unity. Unless unity is attained, true peace and security will remain out of reach.

Part 2 will discuss some of the options available to us…

Tags: development, disarmament, unity

• Baha'i Concepts , News & Current Affairs
• Comments(1)

nadim February 18th, 2008

…and they think that they do well, and that they are harbored in the citadel of security. The matter is not as they suppose: tomorrow they shall see what they [now] deny.

(Abdu’l-Baha, A Traveller’s Narrative, p. 79)

History has demonstrated that mankind’s capacity to develop increasingly powerful and sophisticated weapons has been exceeded only by it’s willingness to use them. Each time we hear of a new weapon, we hear that it will “only be deployed under exceptional circumstances”, yet the mere fact that it is developed presupposes its eventual use. If humanity is going to break the cycle, and avoid the wasted bloodshed that results from it’s own continued negligence, it needs to re-examine seriously the goals of world peace and disarmament in light of recent history.

The goals of world peace and disarmament are fundamentally linked, in that disarmament would never succeed without a governing authority that is empowered, as well as universally supported, to ensure that the provisions of a disarmament treaty are enforced.

In attempting to push the agenda of disarmament, whilst ignoring the imperative for a world authority to oversee the process, the following options have been suggested in the past:

1. Unilateral Disarmament: On the surface this appears like a noble option, however on further reflection it’s impracticality becomes evident:

   No nation can follow a peace policy while its neighbour remains warlike. There is no justice in that. Nobody would dream of suggesting that the peace of the world could be brought about by any such line of action. It is to be brought about by a general and comprehensive international agreement, and in no other way…

   (Extracts from interview with newspaper reporter, quoted in “‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Canada” (Thornhill: Bahá’í Canada Publications, 1987), pp. 34-35)

2. Disarmament to anything above Deterrence Levels: In his book, “World Government and World Peace“, J Tyson puts it eloquently: “Who will find comfort in the knowledge that there are now 6,000 nuclear warheads pointed at his country, simply because the number was previously 10,000?” Our mutual destruction, although delayed, would still be assured.

3. Disarmament to below Deterrence Levels: Whilst reducing their severity, disarmament to below deterrence levels would increase the likelihood of wars, as nations would have less fear of reprisal.

4. Full disarmament: This is unlikely to happen, considering a nation’s duty to provide a sense of security for their citizens. Also, there is no guarantee that a neighbouring nation wouldn’t secretly develop weapons, starting the cycle of conquest all over again.

For disarmament to truly be effective, it has to be carried out within the context of a larger framework, one that would make nations answerable to their actions. This, in turn, requires some ceding of the current rights to do with national sovereignty. The Kellogg-Briand Pact of 1928 demonstrated to the world the ineffectiveness of treaties that do not address the issue of national sovereignty in relation to the common good; that don’t impose strict punishment on nations acting in violation of the agreed terms. Sixty-two nations, the majority of the world at the time, signed a treaty “providing for the renunciation of war as an instrument of national policy.” As it turned out, within ten years the treaty had already been broken by Japan, Italy and Germany, who all went ahead and invaded other nations.

Ultimately, since the Pact did not make any provisions for a united response to any acts of defiance, it proved ineffective in achieving it’s primary aim.

The time must come when the imperative necessity for the holding of a vast, an all-embracing assemblage of men will be universally realized. The rulers and kings of the earth must needs attend it, and, participating in its deliberations, must consider such ways and means as will lay the foundations of the world’s Great Peace amongst men. Such a peace demandeth that the Great Powers should resolve, for the sake of  the tranquillity of the peoples of the earth, to be fully reconciled among themselves. Should any king take up arms against another, all should unitedly arise and prevent him. If this be done, the nations of the world will no longer require any armaments, except for the purpose of preserving the security of their realms and of maintaining internal order within their territories. This will ensure the peace and composure of every people, government and nation.

(Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 248)

Part 3 to follow (in the meantime, your comments are welcome).

Tags: disarmament, unity

• Baha'i Concepts , News & Current Affairs
• Comments(1)

nadim February 26th, 2008

In Part 1 of this series, I mentioned the recent news reports discussing the build-up of armaments and the negative reaction by governments who are suspicious of one another’s intentions. Also highlighted was the billions of dollars spent on the development of armaments worldwide, money which should rather be used to fund development efforts.

Part 2 discussed the traditional disarmament options that a fragmented world has considered putting in place. It was concluded that any efforts in this regard would ultimately prove futile without the existence of a world authority, endorsed by all nations, with the necessary strength to ensure that all conditions of a disarmament treaty are realized.

Few, if any, would agree that current international bodies have the necessary backing to achieve any kind of sustained progress. Indeed, for meaningful progress to be made, a mental shift on the part of both individuals and governments is required, such that the importance placed on national sovereignty — and only doing what is considered beneficial for one’s country — is replaced by a higher aspiration, in line with Baha’u'llah’s statement that “The Earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens“. The fostering of a sense of unity, and the establishment of peace, are prerequisites for lasting disarmament, and not an outcome.

J Tyson, in World Peace and World Government, notes that the Baha’i model of governance takes the best elements of Western models, but introduces certain key elements based on the concept of unity. And while this may appear strange to some at first, “anyone who observes the problems that plague existing national governments as a result of their internal disunity will readily acknowledge the value of these unifying proposals.”

In World Order of Baha’u'llah, Shoghi Effendi provides us with an outline of the manifold aspects of world governance which future generations will seek to establish. In the process of advancing towards this vision, the issue of disarmament will need to be addressed, such that we can get to the stage where nations will have willingly ceded “all rights to maintain armaments, except for purposes of maintaining internal order within their respective dominions.“

However, it should be added that Baha’is do not view disarmament or the establishment of systems of world governance as a panacea to the world’s ills, but rather as a necessary first step in confronting them.

All we can reasonably venture to attempt is to strive to obtain a glimpse of the first streaks of the promised Dawn that must, in the fullness of time, chase away the gloom that has encircled humanity.

(Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha’u'llah, p. 34)

Observe that if such a happy situation be forthcoming, no government would need continually to pile up the weapons of war, nor feel itself obliged to produce ever new military weapons with which to conquer the human race. A small force for the purposes of internal security, the correction of criminal and disorderly elements and the prevention of local disturbances, would be required — no more. In this way  the entire population would, first of all, be relieved of the crushing burden of expenditure currently imposed for military purposes, and secondly, great numbers of people would cease to devote their time to the continual devising of new weapons of destruction — those testimonials of greed and bloodthirstiness, so inconsistent with the gift of life — and would instead bend their efforts to the production of whatever will foster human existence and peace and well-being, and would become the cause of universal development and prosperity.

(Abdu’l-Baha, The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 65)

Tags: disarmament, unity

• Baha'i Concepts , News & Current Affairs
• Comments(1)