Читать книгу A Melody Called Peace - Scott Johnson - Страница 11

A Note

Sustaining Peace and Security; Inclusive International Commitment

One of the characteristics of Iranian civilization is peace. Iranians have been well-known throughout history as a peaceable populace.

Inquiring the adverse news of the world has confirmed that ominous phenomena such as terrorism, violence, war, racism, etc. are all the outcome of post-modern humanity.

Mankind attempts to prove his identity by denying another's identity, and fathoms his existence only through the absence of another's. Why is the emphasis on one's identity still associated with the denial of another's identity in the third millennium? Will our societies remain forever plagued by deadly violence and bursts of suicide attacks, genocides and injustice, simply because of differences in religion, language, race, nationality, and the dogmas of the souls who live in it? Certainly, the role of oppressive and colonial governments in these circumstances cannot be disregarded. All these differences and turmoil in the world are due to the inability of human beings to reach a common understanding, rather than resulting from different points of view.

Yet, first, one must reach a common language to reach a common understanding afterward; a common language from which everyone could grasp common and similar sentiments. Conversation occurs when there is a common language.

Basically, human beings have endeavored to present their principles to others throughout history, and others have sometimes accepted these principles and sometimes not.

Where mankind reached a common ground, consistent peace was established; where peace happened only because of the greater power of one side against the other, peace came into being but was inconsistent, and as soon as the strong side weakened or the weak side gained strength, another war broke out. The importance of human beings reaching common understanding and notions for achieving abiding peace is evident.

Now, international peace and security are among the prerequisites for human rights. With the endangerment of international peace and security, all human rights and liberties are threatened; one could imagine the extent of it by considering that global warfare and threats not only disrupt international peace and security but also undermine civil, political, social and cultural rights, the right to development, and the rights upon the environment.

In recent decades, measures have been implemented to maintain international peace and security, and various forms of it have emerged. The international community endeavors to establish an inclusive international commitment for peace and security by acknowledging living in peace as a fundamental human right.

Finally, I would like to thank the Academy of Messengers of Peace and Civilization for presenting the Melody for Peace festival and for compiling this valuable book.

Seyed Abbas Mousavi

Former Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Republic of Azerbaijan