2010 Results and Prospects for 2011: Toward a Tight-knit Network

Photo: A military-civilians dialog

After 5 years of construction, our network seems to have reached a solid density and field work has shown remarkable maturity: contacts have multiplied and the sharing of ideas is in steady progress. Therefore we have initiated new considerations at the level the Foundation to give the currently "informal" network an incorporated structure.

This would make the year 2011 literally a "transition year": not just on a political level, but also for our modest efforts in building a “citizens’ initiative” for peace in security.

Security and defense are becoming increasingly important issues in the practical implementation of a "New World Governance" that shall be based on the principles of responsibility and of universal ethics.

You only need to look to the South, especially toward the African continent, to be convinced that the attitude of security and defense forces (armed forces, police, militias, etc.) facing mass demonstrations was crucial for the evolution of crises and for the fate of revolutionary movements.

Being heard and being able to achieve the acceptance of requirements are almost always hanging on a string and on the fact that responsible military leaders and/or units refused to obey orders given by their rulers to disperse the rallies by shooting at their own compatriots.

But the risks arising from overthrowing existing power and state structures can neither be merely confined to only the territories of the affected countries or continents. They have an impact on international relations and seriously challenge Western governments, international organizations, and the whole of democratic civil society in terms of stabilization and solidarity.

The self-conception of our international network has always been to address precisely these challenges and foster an open dialogue among the different—sometimes conflicting— “worlds” ... considering at all times responsibility for stability and peaceful development as the basis of “good governance” and a “global approach to human security.”

The year 2010 was particularly rich in encounters and in the sharing of experiences in the perspective of creating a “common culture of security.”

Thanks to the generous support of the Charles Léopold Mayer Foundation for the Progress of Humankind and with the support of other partners we have made lasting headway, especially through our two flagship projects: the International Colloquium of Dakar and the publication of the volume “Wars, Humanism and Ethics” written by the Colombian author Arturo Guerrero.

Where do we stand at the beginning of the year 2011?

Read the full report here