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Date:         Thu, 31 Dec 1992 10:56:00 +0100
Reply-To:     Aldo de Moor <ADEMOOR@KUB.NL>
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From:         Aldo de Moor <ADEMOOR@KUB.NL>
Subject:      The EC, an 'Egoistic Community' only?

For the deliberate obstruction of the United Nations Conference on Environment
and Development, as it was organized in Rio de Janeiro last June, the United
States of America have been heavily criticized. If a more positive attitude
would have been adopted at that time, much more concrete and practical
results could have been obtained from this gathering of world leaders that
could have been of such an eminent importance for the future of this planet.
After the conference, the USA had plenty of reasons to be angry about their
own misbehaviour.

Achieving economic development and conserving nature and environment are only
two of the themes that have to be addressed in order to be able to sustainably
develop our world. A very important third factor is to have international
stability, for which peace-enforcing is an indispensable tool.

By now, it is the European Community's turn to be ashamed of itself. In the
past year, countless excuses have been made up, that tried to explain why it
would not have been possible to actively stop the savagery that is still
going on in former Yugoslavia. The killing and slaugthering of so many
innocent people, the creation of so much pain and fear, which will fuel
hatred and instability for centuries to come, has been accepted as a matter
of fact. With the harsh winter still to come, hundreds of thousands of other
civilians are facing a terrible fate, but even this seems not to be a
sufficient incentive for other action than just 'observing the situation'.

A relatively small number of fanatics, whether they call themselves Serbs,
Croats, Bosnians, christians or muslims, bring doom and despair for the
millions of people who just want to go on with their lives in peace.
Instead of seriously intervening in this unfolding drama, the European
Community has shown to be nothing more than a lame duck. It apparently is,
as many have feared before, a European Economic Community only, its major
goal being to increase the profitability and competitiveness of its
industries. The EC has largely neglected its humanitarian responsibilities.
European policy is very good at focusing on numbers, statistics and risk
calculations. The war in Bosnia on the other hand, is about ordinary
people being mass-murdered, raped, maimed and traumatized for live.

Over fortyseven years after having liberated the European continent from the
nazi terror, so that it could become one of the most peaceful and prosperous
regions in the world, the USA appear to have to take control once more.
The United States could show Europe its irresponsibility and cowardice by
setting a admirable example like they are setting in Somalia now, dragging
the EC out of its state of paralysis, and forcing the Community to start
restoring order in its own neighbourhood. Only then, the EC may be capable
not only of uttering beautiful words of compassion, but instead of taking
its full responsibility as a peacekeeping and -enforcing organization..

Of course, many 'rational' objections can be found which justify the status
quo. Nobody, however, claims that intervention will not be a difficult or
dangerous mission. But at a certain moment, humanitarian concerns must
prevail over all the listed technical hindrances. Time has long yet come for
going into direct military action, under United Nations supervision, to
stop this senseless, medieval kind of violence. Dictatorial regimes and
individuals must be prevented from getting the impression that by brute
aggression they can achieve their goals. It has successfully happened
before in Kuwait, it is now happening in Somalia, it can be done in former
Yugoslavia as well.

The road to global sustainable development is a very rocky one. But it has
to be followed, since the other way can only lead the world into chaos and
selfdestruction of a yet unknown scale. Mistakes will inevitably be made
by everybody. What we need is a global cooperation between nations and their
citizens, showing eachother where they are failing if necessary, but even
more important, trying to help eachother with the construction of this
so desperately needed united world.

I feel very disappointed to belong to a EC that talks so much, but in
practice cares so little about defending human dignity. I hope that one
day, if possible in a very nearby future, I can feel proud again to be
a member of the European Community, provided it stands for something more
than just profits and jobs.

Dear netters, I wish you all a very happy 1993, and hope that we will
continue to expand our cooperation via the networks, showing our leaders
that it IS possible to work together on common goals, no matter the
nationality, religion, or race we have.

'Gelukkig nieuwjaar'

Aldo de Moor
Tilburg University
The Netherlands
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