Olen kirjoitellut viime päivinä muualle kuin tähän, joten loppuvuoden sanomiset alkavat olla sanottu. Itseään voi ilmaista toki muutenkin. Visuaalisia itseilmaisumuotoja pääset tarkastelemaan napauttamalla alta löytyvää linkkiä. .
Kuviin tästä.
The UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is retiring, in three weeks time to be more precise. He made his final speech as the UN SC at the Truman Presidential Museum and Library in Independence, Missouri.
Annan crystallized his 44 years at the UN in five thesis or principles, which he believes “are essential for the future conduct of international relations: collective responsibility, global solidarity, the rule of law, mutual accountability, and multilateralism.”
The most controversial - I assume - is Annan’s principle of mutual accountability. It goes straight against the much cherished and traditional assumption of state sovereignty. According to Annan - and his views are still quite conservative from the cutting edge theorizing of international relations discipline point of view - “governments must be accountable for their actions in the international arena, as well as in the domestic one.”
Annan continues: “As things stand, accountability between states is highly skewed. Poor and weak states are easily held to account, because they need foreign assistance. But large and powerful states, whose actions have the greatest impact on others, can be constrained only by their own people, working through their domestic institutions.
That gives the people and institutions of such powerful states a special responsibility to take account of global views and interests, as well as national ones.”
The first part of the quote is quite commonsensical and accepted by many. However, the key to betterment, if so judged, is rockier. How to ensure that the powerful do not stomp the weak? Furthermore, who should have power and say in international affairs? Is power there just to be catched and utilised by those who can? What restraints the potentially powerful not to abuse their abilities?
Do we need a global catastrophe that affects everyone to be able and willing to act collectively or would that just exaggerate the problems: run if you can. Sink or swim. Nobody is throwing you a life jacket.
The retiring Annan offered a ray of hope. He spoke of the Truman tradition and essentially about the ability of human beings to build their own future for the better. If they only would decide to do so.
I neither know Kofi Annan personally nor can be sure of his ability to change the world but the image that has reached me via media is one of calmness and a tribal chief-like wiseness. I hope that he manages to transfer these abilities to his successor for the betterment of all humanity.
Lopettelin päivän työt jo pari tuntia sitten. Nyt jäi joutavaa aikaa muutama tunti ennen unta, joten paneudun kirjallisuuden pariin. Pöydällä odottaa kasa kirjamessuilta hankkittuja lukemattomia teoksia, joiden sumaa puran erittäin mielläni. Yö on parastaa lukea, kun turha hälinä ja puhelimen pirinä eivät häiritse elämystä. Orhan Pamukin kirjoja on kaksikin lukematta, puhumattakaan poliittisista elämänkerroista tai - tyhmänrohkea veto ummikolta - Cervantesin Don Quijotesta. Ei kai espanja ylitsepääsemättömän vaikeaa voi olla. Lukemalla oppii. Espanja on jo EU:ssa, Turkki jää nähtäväksi.
