Articles by René Wadlow
We found 552 results.
Climate Conference Highlights Challenges to the World Society
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
18 Nov 2024
14 Nov 2024 – The Climate Conference (COP 29) organized from 11 to 22 November 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan is held at a time of armed conflicts in the Middle East and Russia-Ukraine.
→ read full article11 November: Armistice and Remembrance
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
11 Nov 2024
Today, the images of war in the Middle East and Ukraine have not led to new creative literature nor to proposals for peace-making. However, the need for dialogue among Jewish Israelis and Palestinians has led to a reading of Martin Buber (1878 -1965).
→ read full articleGrowing Darkness over Gaza
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
4 Nov 2024
Francesca Albanese, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Occupied Palestine, presented her Report to the Human Rights Council on 30 Oct 2024. She pointed clearly to the danger of genocide, a policy with the intent to cleanse ethnically all or part of Gaza, the Occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
→ read full articlePeace with Nature
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
28 Oct 2024
The conference of the governments that have signed the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity are meeting from 21 Oct to 1 Nov 2024 in Cali, Colombia with the theme of the conference being “Peace with Nature.” It is under tight security as a rebel guerrilla group is active in the area.
→ read full articleA Gaza Development Corporation
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
21 Oct 2024
16 Oct 2024 – There is increasing discussion concerning the Gaza Strip, its relation to the West Bank, and “the day after” when there is a ceasefire, people return to their home area, and reconstruction begins.
→ read full article
Hibakusha Receive Nobel Peace Prize
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
14 Oct 2024
On 11 Oct 2024, Jorgen Watne Frydnes, chairman of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee, announced that it had been awarded to the Japanese anti-nuclear arms organization Nikon Hidankyo for striving for a world without nuclear weapons.
→ read full articlePact for the Future: A Partly Open Door for NGO-U.N. Cooperation
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
7 Oct 2024
3 Oct 2024 – The Pact for the Future was accepted by the U.N. General Assembly in a three-stage process. It should be seen as a springboard for action rather than as an end point. We will have to see what as NGO representatives we can make of the partly open door.
→ read full articleStrong Measures Needed to Prevent Escalation of Israel-Hezbollah Armed Conflict
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
30 Sep 2024
“Gaza is a non-stop nightmare that threatens to take the entire region with it. Look no further than Lebanon. We should all be alarmed by the escalation. The peoples of Lebanon, of Israel, and of the world cannot afford Lebanon to become another Gaza.” — Antonio Guterres
→ read full articleArmed Conflict Transformation: Our Strengths and Weaknesses
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
16 Sep 2024
The United Nations system is preparing for the U.N. Summit of the Future to be held in New York on 21-24 Sep 2024. It is important that a TRANSCEND orientation be present in such discussions. We will have to see how such participation can be increased. It will be useful to have the views of our active colleagues.
→ read full articleSeptember Challenges
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
9 Sep 2024
On Sep 22-23, the UN “Summit of the Future” where high level representatives from many countries will be present. On Sep 20-21, meetings where representatives of non-governmental organizations, academic institutions and corporations can be present.
→ read full articleSudan Peace Agreement: Still a Long Way to Go
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
26 Aug 2024
22 Aug 2024 – U.S.-sponsored talks began in Geneva on 19 Aug 2024 to address the ongoing conflict in Sudan, which has been devastating the country for more than 16 months. The representatives of the Regular Sudanese Army are not participating in the talks, so little progress is expected.
→ read full articleBuild Stronger Track-II Networks in the Absence of Governmental Negotiations
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
5 Aug 2024
Track-I Diplomacy are official governmental negotiations with their research and intelligence resources. Track-II “back channels” of informal contacts are non-official efforts, usually by NGOs with backup resources from academic institutions.
→ read full articleSmall Steps to Russia-Ukraine Conflict Negotiations
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
24 Jun 2024
20 Jun 2024 – On the eve of the Summit in Switzerland, President Putin spoke with Russian diplomats and officials in Moscow and set out his conditions for a ceasefire and a political settlement. This meeting was the first of this style since Nov 2021, indicating the importance of what he had to say.
→ read full articleStart to Dangerous Regression of Liberty in Georgia
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
10 Jun 2024
Despite strong protests from Georgian NGOs and street protests for three weeks in the capital Tbilisi, the Parliament adopted on 3 Jun 2024 the controversial law on “foreign influence.”
→ read full articleNorth Korea: Government-sponsored Labor Migration
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
3 Jun 2024
Historically, migration has benefited the economies where it has happened, but it has also led to popular antagonism. The main argument is usually about the numbers arriving and the nature of the immigrants–often displaying traits of racism and ethnic contempt.
→ read full article
Iran Deaths: New Elements in the Troubled Middle East
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
27 May 2024
23 May 2024 – On 19 May, the helicopter with President Ebrahim Raisi of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian, and the governor of the East Azerbaijan Province crashed into a mountain near the Azerbaijan-Iran border. They had attended a ceremony to mark the start of a joint Azerbaijan-Iran dam project.
→ read full articleMorality Police Crackdown again in Iran
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
6 May 2024
2 May 2024 – After several weeks when the attention of the Iranian government was focused on its relations with Israel after the exchanges of drones, there is a renewed activity of the morality police directed on women who do not wear a hidjab.
→ read full article
50 Years: Portugal’s Carnation Revolution
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
29 Apr 2024
25 April 1974: what began as a military coup led by young officers who had participated in Portugal’s colonial wars became a revolution of the people. Red carnations were placed by people in the barrels of the insurgents’ guns.
→ read full articleOn the Ideological Battlefield for the European Parliament Elections
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
22 Apr 2024
Currently in most of the states of Western Europe, political debate is often related to the 9 June 2024 elections to the European Parliament. There is a certain irony in the fact that the representatives of narrow nationalist parties are among the most active in these discussions.
→ read full articleRwanda Genocide: The Lasting Consequences of Armed Violence
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
15 Apr 2024
On 7 April 2024, Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda, lit the memorial flame of the monument to the victims of the 1994 genocide during which some 800,000 persons, mostly ethnic Tutsi, were killed. Paul Kagame in 1994 was the head of a Tutsi-led militia, the Rwanda Patriotic Front which put an end to the massacres in Rwanda.
→ read full articleHaiti: Efforts for Stability and Hope for the Future
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
18 Mar 2024
16 Mar 2024 – The interaction between political leaders, criminal gangs and voodoo religious leaders is not new in Haiti as was seen by the paramilitary killers, Les Tontons Macoutes, during the presidencies of Papa Doc and Baby Doc in the 1960s-70s. Action Needed
→ read full articleBurma’s Crumbling Junta
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
19 Feb 2024
Burma, now renamed Myanmar after 1988, faces two basic and related issues: the installation of a democratic government and a constitutional system which grants real autonomy to the minority peoples. There is little democratic tradition or ethos upon which to structure a democratic government.
→ read full articleLeadership at the World Level
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
29 Jan 2024
26 Jan 2024 – Given the armed conflicts such as Palestine-Israel and Russia-Ukraine, there is a widespread feeling that the UN Charter (1945) needs to be revitalized and renewed. To expand the rule of law and democratic institutions at the world level strong leadership is required.
→ read full articlePreventing the Expansion of the Gaza Conflict: Are Peace Brigades a Possibility?
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
22 Jan 2024
One possibility, developed by followers of Mahatma Gandhi in India to deal with Hindu-Muslim violence, is to place some nongovernmental teams on the frontier between antagonists in order to provide an opportunity for all parties to negotiate.
→ read full articleTorture in Wartime: Growing Awareness–a Human Rights Council Focus
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
18 Dec 2023
Conflict related sexual violence refers to rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution, forced abortion and other ways to humiliate. The U.N. Human Rights Council has Special Rapporteurs on specific topics or countries. The current Special Rapporteur on Torture is Prof. Alice Jill Edwards, from Australia.
→ read full articleGaza Hostilities Renewed: New Mediation Efforts Needed
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
4 Dec 2023
1 Dec 2023 – There is a need for more go-betweens, third-party mediators who can help to overcome barriers and to start negotiations. Mediation is an effort to change perceptions both of the nature of the conflict and of the nature of the enemy. There is a need to lessen misconceptions and exaggerated fears.
→ read full articleAfghan Refugees in Pakistan Expelled: International Action Needed
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
20 Nov 2023
16 Nov 2023 – The authorities of Pakistan are proposing to expel the majority of Afghan refugees back to Afghanistan where they face grave danger. The Hazara are largely Shi’a in religion but are considered as non-Muslim infidels or as heretics by the Taliban. There are some two million refugees who may be expelled.
→ read full articlePeacebuilding: New Efforts Needed in a Crisis Situation
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
6 Nov 2023
There is a widespread sense of despair and apprehension about the future. There is frustration that earlier Track Two dialogues have not been able to move the situation forward. Thus, we are at a time when new, revitalized efforts on the part of NGOs and academic peace researchers are needed.
→ read full articleWomen as Peacebuilders
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
30 Oct 2023
As UNSG Antonio Guterres wrote in his 2023 Report on Women, Peace, and Security, “Despite our best efforts, women represented just sixteen percent of negotiators or delegates in the peace processes led, or co-led, by the United Nations.” Such as Ethiopia, Sudan, Libya, and Myanmar.
→ read full articleHamas-Israelis: Is Mediation Possible?
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
23 Oct 2023
19 Oct 2023 – As the Israeli-Hamas conflict intensifies, the situation looks as if it were on a downward spiral. There seems to be little possibility for mediation, but we must keep our eyes open as the non-governmental avenue may be the most likely for progress.
→ read full articleExodus to Sinai
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
16 Oct 2023
There are signs that the situation will grow more violent. There are no negotiations in sight.
→ read full articleNagorno-Karabakh: Armenian Exodus
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
9 Oct 2023
6 Oct 2023 – The warnings have been ignored. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe created the Minsk Group to facilitate negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan but no visible progress was made. The Association of World Citizens encouraged Track Two informal meetings. The international community must stay on alert.
→ read full articleCyprus Anti-Migrant Violence: Reconciliation Efforts Needed
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
2 Oct 2023
28 Sep 2023 – To highlight the calls of Pope Francis in Marseille calling for humanitarian efforts for migrants, there was a wave of anti-migrant violence in southern Cyprus in September. Cyprus, in practice, is divided into two.
→ read full articleThe Balance Between Analysis and Action
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
25 Sep 2023
21 September had been set by the United Nations as the International Day of Peace when, through meditation and action, we try to advance a culture of peace. This September there were enough armed conflicts and areas of tension so that we did not have to search far for objects of study.
→ read full article
U.N. General Assembly Starts: NGO Action Needed
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
18 Sep 2023
With the United Nations General Assembly starting on 19 September 2023, there is a good deal of reflection going on among governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) regarding the effectiveness of the U.N. to meet the challenges facing the world community.
→ read full article
Coup in Gabon: Change of Persons Not of Structures
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
4 Sep 2023
1 Sep 2023 – On 27 Aug, some of the military of Gabon, in particular members of the Presidential Guard, took power and placed President Ali Bongo Ondimba under house arrest. The consequences of the coup are unlikely to produce any quick changes in structures, but the situation merits watching closely.
→ read full article(Italiano) Pacificazione: il contributo spirituale
René Wadlow | Centro Studi Sereno Regis – TRANSCEND Media Service,
28 Aug 2023
Ovviamente, le organizzazioni religiose possono avere un ruolo positivo nel creare possibilità di dialogo e una comprensione di posizioni opposte. Però, com’è stato detto, il vento soffia dove vuole e spiritualmente non è limitato ai gruppi religiosi organizzati. Di fatto, in alcuni paesi ci sono in aumento persone che dicono “Sono spirituale ma non religioso”.
→ read full articleIran Repression Continues: NGO Action Needed
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
21 Aug 2023
17 Aug 2023 – The U.N. International Independent Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran has called on non-governmental organizations for information. The broader NGO community needs to keep public attention focused on events in Iran.
→ read full article
Ecologically-sound Development: A Vital Need for Concerted Action
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
14 Aug 2023
11 Aug 2023 – With the consequences of climate change in the background, ecologically-sound development must be the center of a concerted action.
→ read full articlePeacemaking: The Spiritual Contribution
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
31 Jul 2023
Obviously, religious organizations can play a positive role in creating possibilities for dialogue and an understanding of opposite positions. However, spirituality is not limited to organized religious groups. In fact, in some countries there is an increasing number of people who say “I am spiritual but not religious.”
→ read full articlePeace Planners: Awake!
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
24 Jul 2023
“We do not hold the vision of a world without conflict. We do hold the vision of a world without war – and this inevitably requires an alternative system for dealing with conflict.”
→ read full articleStronger Respect for International Humanitarian Law: NGO Action Needed!
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
17 Jul 2023
14 Jul 2023 – The carnage in Ukraine and the violent actions by ethnic militias in the DRC have highlighted that the Geneva Conventions are not bedside reading for those engaged in war. There are warlords whose only claim to the charisma of leadership is the ruthlessness with which they wield a gun.
→ read full articleUkraine and the Cluster Bombs Debate
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
10 Jul 2023
7 Jul 2023 – There is currently a debate, at the highest foreign policy-making level in the U.S.A., concerning the delivery of cluster bombs to Ukraine in support of the ongoing counter offensive. However, cluster weapons have been outlawed on 30 May 2008 by the Cluster Weapons Convention, signed by many states.
→ read full articleDemocratic Republic of Congo: Sky Getting Darker
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
3 Jul 2023
The current armed conflict is among a Tutsi-led militia, Movement du 23 mars, DRC army, and different ethnic militias. President Felix Tshisehed sponsored the creation of local militias to help government soldiers, but the government does not control these militias.
→ read full article
UN Summit of the Future: A Structure for Action or a Shopping List?
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
26 Jun 2023
Preparations are already underway. A “New Agenda for Peace” is to be issued this July 2023 by the Secretary-General António Guterres. Thus, there is an opportunity for peacebuilders to present ideas and recommendations to individual foreign ministries or to the UN itself through non-governmental organizations in consultative status.
→ read full articlePeace by Peaceful Means
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
19 Jun 2023
The 11 Jun 2023 Vienna Declaration for Peace has taken a TRANSCEND Media focus as its title is “Peace by Peaceful Means: Ceasefire and Negotiations”. Some 300 persons from 38 countries met in Vienna on 10-11 Jun to discuss the armed conflict in Ukraine and the possibilities of negotiations in good faith to end it.
→ read full articleTrack Two Diplomacy Efforts Needed to Reduce China-India Frontier Tensions
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
12 Jun 2023
9 Jun 2023 – There has been a buildup of military forces by the governments of India and China along their frontiers. The Indian province of Arunachal Pradesh (called Zangman by the Chinese) with Itanagar as its capital is claimed by the Chinese.
→ read full articleInternational Day of the Oceans
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
5 Jun 2023
8 June has been designated by the UNGA as the International Day of the Oceans to highlight the important role that the U.N. played in the creation of the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention. -Progress on Asian Maritime Delimitations Needed-
→ read full articleSudan Instability Pushes Refugees to Chad
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
29 May 2023
26 May 2023 – It is difficult to know how long the struggle for power between the generals will go on and how it will impact different parts of the country. We must hope that some of the mediation proposals already made can lead to a halt to the violence.
→ read full articleU.N. Security Council Focus on World Hunger
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
15 May 2023
The Food and Agriculture Organization’s report highlights that some 250 million persons are living under acute food insecurity, with the DRC leading with some 27 million due to armed violence and the breakdown of governmental structures.
→ read full article
Moving Forward to Protect the Oceans
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
1 May 2023
On 4 March 2023, at the United Nations in New York, an important step toward the protection of the oceans was taken with the presentation of the Treaty on the High Seas. The aim of the treaty is the protection of the biodiversity of the oceans beyond the national territorial limits. These negotiations began in 2004.
→ read full articleThe Sky Darkens in Sudan
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
24 Apr 2023
On 15 Apr 2023, a conflict between two generals who had seized power in a coup in 2021 broke into armed battles especially in Khartoum. Use of tanks, jets and artillery has been reported. The split between them is no great surprise as there is often place for only one person in a military junta.
→ read full article
Benjamin Ferencz, Champion of World Law, Leaves a Strong Heritage on Which to Build
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
17 Apr 2023
14 Apr 2023 – World Citizen Benjamin Ferencz died on 7 Apr 2023 at the age of 103, leaving a strong heritage of action for world law on which we can build. He was particularly active in the creation of the International Criminal Court in the Hague.
→ read full articlePreliminaries to Russia-Ukraine Negotiations: The Key Role of China
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
10 Apr 2023
French Pres. Emmanuel Macron was in China from 5 to 7 Apr 2023 and urged the country to play a major role in bringing peace to the Russia-Ukraine armed conflict. China’s 12-point plan has indicated President Xi Jinping’s willingness to be active in peace efforts.
→ read full articleConfidence-building Measures in Asia-Pacific: Reversing the Slide to Violence
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
3 Apr 2023
Today, there is a need to draw upon these experiences to impart conflict resolution skills to new individuals and groups, thereby building and expanding the constituencies working for conflict reduction measures.
→ read full articleAlternatives to War: Renewal and Impact
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
6 Mar 2023
One year into the Russia-Ukraine War, one has a “been there, done that” feeling. To settle arguments by war is not a new idea. For those of us working on alternatives to war, it is imperative that we renew our efforts and find ways to increase our impact. Present governments cannot to be trusted to deal with conflicts nonviolently or build peace by peaceful means. These became Civil Society’s tasks. Like war, peace is too important to be left to the generals.
→ read full article
Human Rights Rapporteurs Express Concern on Education of Tibetan Students
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
20 Feb 2023
17 Feb 2023 – Three UNHRC Special Rapporteurs have recently highlighted the quality and methods of education of Tibetan students. When the reply of the government is non-existent or superficial, then the SR can “go public.”
→ read full article
The Use of Child Soldiers: Children of Conflict
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
13 Feb 2023
12 Feb is the UN sponsored International Day Against the Use of Child Soldiers. Forced to learn to kill instead of pursuing education, they lack the knowledge and skills needed to build their futures and of their communities. For a society, the lives destroyed could have a devastating effect on long-term stability and development.
→ read full articleReconciliation in Africa: A Vital Need
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
6 Feb 2023
3 Feb 2023 – What is required today in eastern Congo is not more soldiers but persons who are able to restore relations among ethnic groups of the area. Such bridge builders can help strengthen local efforts at conflict resolution and the restoration of confidence among peoples in conflict.
→ read full articleTensions in the Asian Trinity: China – Japan – U.S.A.
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
30 Jan 2023
26 Jan 2023 – After five years of growing tensions among China Japan and the U.S.A., U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will make an official visit to Beijing on 5-6 February 2023. There is a long list of possible issues to discuss although the list of common actions may be much shorter.
→ read full article
Kahlil Gibran (6 Jan 1883 – 10 Apr 1931): Spirits Rebellious
Rene Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
2 Jan 2023
Gibran’s bitter denunciation of both religious and political injustice brought his anticipated exile from Lebanon. He was also excommunicated from the Church in a country where much civil identity and justice was based on religious membership — not to mention the popular idea that God did not allow excommunicated souls into his Heaven.
→ read full articleBuilding Stronger Track-Two Networks
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
12 Dec 2022
The continuing armed conflict in Ukraine and the likelihood that the conflict will drag on through the winter–as well as armed conflicts in other parts of the world–forces us to ask if more can be done on the part of non-governmental organizations to encourage negotiations in good faith.
→ read full article
Albert Camus (7 Nov 1913 – 4 Jan 1960)
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
7 Nov 2022
Albert Camus was born in Algeria, the son of a French father killed in the First World War when he was only one and an illiterate Spanish mother who raised him while working as a cleaning woman. Camus was intellectually stimulated by his father’s brother who read books of philosophy and was active in the local Masonic lodge.
→ read full article
(Italiano) Iran: L’evoluzione dei simboli della protesta
René Wadlow | Centro Studi Sereno Regis - TRANSCEND Media Service,
24 Oct 2022
Sempre più spesso, i temi simbolici delle proteste si stanno spostando dall’attenzione alle restrizioni imposte alle donne alla natura stessa del regime clericale. L’ayatollah Khamenei è anziano e non sta bene. Non c’è un ovvio sostituto in caso di sua morte. La situazione in Iran merita di essere osservata da vicino.
→ read full articleIran: The Evolving Symbols of Protest
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
17 Oct 2022
14 Oct 2022 – The themes of the protests are shifting from the restrictions on women to the clerical regime itself. Ayatollah Khamenei is aged and not well. There is no obvious replacement should he die. The situation in Iran merits to be watched closely.
→ read full article
Iran: Women-Life-Liberty
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
3 Oct 2022
28 Sep 2022 – The cry “Women-Life-Liberty!” is going up in many different parts of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Some observers believe that there is a new spirit in these protests. They may be the wave of the future and should be watched closely.
→ read full article
A Day of Deeper Peace
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
26 Sep 2022
21 September is the International Day of Peace marking the annual start of the UNGA. Often, there are informal talks behind the scenes among the representatives of States in conflict. However, there is little or no avenue for talks with non-State armed groups such as ISIS. NGOs have no direct standing with the General Assembly but NGO representatives are active in the hallways and coffee bars during the General Assembly making government representatives aware of their suggestions.
→ read full articleEducation for a World Society
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
12 Sep 2022
“Transforming education means empowering learners with knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to be resilient, adaptable and prepared for the uncertain future while contributing to human and planetary well-being and sustainable development.”
→ read full article
Hermann Hesse (2 Jul 1877 – 9 Aug 1962): Revolt and Enlightenment
Rene Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
27 Jun 2022
Rebellion against established structures, the quest for personal values and a religious impulse are all elements in Siddhartha, published in 1922, perhaps his most widely-read book. It is not clear that Hesse found the harmony of enlightenment in his own life. In his last major work The Glass Bead Game (1943) he describes what might be an ideal Buddhist monastery devoted to the discovery, preservation and dissemination of knowledge.
→ read full article
Antoine de Saint Exupéry (29 Jun 1900 – 31 Jul 1944): Solitude and Solidarity
Rene Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
27 Jun 2022
Saint Ex’s style was influenced by Frederic Nietzche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra which he had read. However, the spirit is much closer to Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet. His outlook was basically that of the Stoics: the common nature of all humans whatever the cultural differences, harmony with Nature, and calm in the face of danger.
→ read full article
William Butler Yeats (13 Jun 1865 – 28 Jan 1939): The Transition to Aquarius
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
13 Jun 2022
William Butler Yeats is the modern European poet most conscious of the transition within astrological cycles from the Piscean Period to the Age of Aquarius. The concept that humanity is at the end of a 2000-year cycle and about to start a new dispensation at a higher turn of the spiral – the gyre as Yeats called the historic spiral – was the framework within which he always worked.
→ read full articlePeacebuilding and the Transformation of Education
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
6 Jun 2022
“Transforming education means empowering learners with knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to be resilient, adaptable and prepared for the uncertain future while contributing to human and planetary well-being and sustainable development.”
→ read full article
Teilhard de Chardin (1 May 1881 – 10 Apr 1955): Evolution toward World Unity
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
25 Apr 2022
Pierrre Teihard de Chardin, the French paleontologist, after a lifetime of study of the evolution of the human species concluded that humanity was entering a new age with a higher, peaceful and more responsible sense of the unity of the world community. Optimism and evolution are the two themes that Teilhard de Chardin leaves with us. He insisted at looking at the human population as one global family, developing a network of mutual support − recognizing the need of global solidarity.
→ read full articleChinese-Russian Text on Constructing a Community of Common Destiny for Mankind – A Crucial Peacebuilding Approach
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
14 Feb 2022
The presence of the Russian President to the start of the Beijing Winter Olympics led to an important Joint Statement that stresses current proposals of the two States meriting close attention. It highlights the concept of the community of common destiny for humankind and sets out the political framework for its proposals.
→ read full articleUkraine-Donbas-Russian Frontier: Is a Non-governmental Interposition Peace Team a Possibility?
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
24 Jan 2022
20 Jan 2022 – There are discussions at the UNSC on what could be a U.S.- led response if there were a Russian intervention into Ukraine. While such a Russian intervention seems unlikely, the possibility is being seriously discussed in NATO government circles. Thus it is opportune for non-governmental organizations also to discuss possible measures to prevent conflict and reduce tensions.
→ read full article(Italiano) Anno nuovo: revisione e rinnovamento
René Wadlow | Centro Studi Sereno Regis - TRANSCEND Media Service,
10 Jan 2022
5 Gennaio 2022 – C’è da parte di molti una consuetudine diffusa di approcciare l’anno imminente rivedendo avvenimenti dell’anno al termine e facendo propositi di miglioramento per l’anno Nuovo – un momento di rinnovamento.
→ read full articleThe New Year: Review and Renewal
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
3 Jan 2022
We highlight two events that start 2022 and which may provide frameworks for renewal and conflict transformation.
→ read full article
Kahlil Gibran (6 Jan 1883 – 10 Apr 1931): Spirits Rebellious
Rene Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
3 Jan 2022
Gibran’s bitter denunciation of both religious and political injustice brought his anticipated exile from Lebanon. He was also excommunicated from the Church in a country where much civil identity and justice was based on religious membership — not to mention the popular idea that God did not allow excommunicated souls into his Heaven.
→ read full article
Albert Camus (7 Nov 1913 – 4 Jan 1960)
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
1 Nov 2021
Albert Camus was born in Algeria, the son of a French father killed in the First World War when he was only one and an illiterate Spanish mother who raised him while working as a cleaning woman. Camus was intellectually stimulated by his father’s brother who read books of philosophy and was active in the local Masonic lodge.
→ read full article(Norwegian – Norsk) Det andre Afghanistan
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
18 Oct 2021
Krigen i Afghanistan har kostet Norge mer enn 20 milliarder kroner i militær og sivil bistand fra årsskiftet 2001/2002 til utgangen av april 2021. Hele 9 000 norske soldater tjenestegjorde i landet, hvorav ti ble drept. Forfatteren kommenterer forholdene i dette fattige, krigsherjede landet.
→ read full article
(Italiano) Un altro Afghanistan
René Wadlow | Centro Studi Sereno Regis - TRANSCEND Media Service,
13 Sep 2021
Per quelli di noi attivi nel peacebuilding, la situazione afghana richiede valutazione e la disponibilità a considerare nuovi approcci, [peraltro] come faranno molto il US Dipartimento di Stato USA e il Pentagono. Adesso possiamo dire che le forze militari non sono addestrate o socializzate per realizzare società liberal-democratiche. Tuttavia, può darsi che si debba essere più chiari su quali misure di peacebuilding avrebbero potuto fare una vera differenza in società complesse e divise come l’Afghanistan.
→ read full articleThe Other Afghanistan
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
6 Sep 2021
For those of us active in peacebuilding, the Afghan situation requires evaluation and a willingness to consider new approaches. We can say now that military forces are not trained or socialized to bring about democratic liberal societies. However, we may have to be clearer on what peacebuilding measures could have made a real difference in such complex and divided societies as Afghanistan.
→ read full articleSaber Rattling in the South China Sea
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
16 Aug 2021
12 Aug 2021 – Six days of Chinese naval maneuvers have begun on 6 August 2021 near southeast Hainan province in the South China Sea at the same time as war ships of the U.S.A, the United Kingdom, Australian Defense Forces ships and those of the Japan Self-Defense Forces are also training in the area. The South China Sea is fast becoming a theater of brinkmanship.
→ read full articleAntoine de Saint Exupéry (29 Jun 1900 – 31 Jul 1944): Solitude and Solidarity
Rene Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
28 Jun 2021
Saint Ex’s style was influenced by Frederic Nietzche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra which he had read. However, the spirit is much closer to Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet. His outlook was basically that of the Stoics: the common nature of all humans whatever the cultural differences, harmony with Nature, and calm in the face of danger.
→ read full article
Giuseppe Garibaldi (4 Jul 1807 – 2 Jun 1882): Godfather of Transnational Democratic Politics
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
28 Jun 2021
Giuseppe Garibaldi, born in Nice, now France, often called the hero of two worlds because of his efforts for independence in Latin America and then Europe, is in many ways inventor of transnational democratic politics.
→ read full article
Hermann Hesse (2 Jul 1877 – 9 Aug 1962): Revolt and Enlightenment
Rene Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
28 Jun 2021
Rebellion against established structures, the quest for personal values and a religious impulse are all elements in Siddhartha, published in 1922, perhaps his most widely-read book. It is not clear that Hesse found the harmony of enlightenment in his own life. In his last major work The Glass Bead Game (1943) he describes what might be an ideal Buddhist monastery devoted to the discovery, preservation and dissemination of knowledge.
→ read full article
(Italiano) Peacebuilding: in quale direzione?
René Wadlow | Centro Studi Sereno Regis - TRANSCEND Media Service,
21 Jun 2021
Benché i discorsi su una “Nuova Guerra Fredda” siano troppo drammatici, ci sono reali tensioni strutturali in atto da tempo e non facilmente superabili. I recenti avvenimenti in Medio Oriente, il futuro dell’Afghanistan e il suo effetto sull’area più vasta Pakistan-India-Iran, il futuro delle due Coree – sono tutte tematiche fondamentali relative all’equilibrio di forze a livello regionale e mondiale.
→ read full articlePeacebuilding: Where Do We Go from Here?
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
14 Jun 2021
While talk of a “New Cold War” is overly dramatic, there are real structural tensions that have been there for a long time and that will not be easily overcome. Recent events in the Middle East, the future of Afghanistan and its impact on the wider Pakistan-India-Iran area, the future of the two Koreas – all are fundamental issues related to the balance of power at the regional and world levels.
→ read full article
William Butler Yeats (13 Jun 1865 – 28 Jan 1939): The Transition to Aquarius
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
7 Jun 2021
William Butler Yeats is the modern European poet most conscious of the transition within astrological cycles from the Piscean Period to the Age of Aquarius. The concept that humanity is at the end of a 2000-year cycle and about to start a new dispensation at a higher turn of the spiral – the gyre as Yeats called the historic spiral – was the framework within which he always worked.
→ read full articleSyrian Monologues
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
7 Jun 2021
Review of two books of poems related to the armed conflict in Syria.
→ read full article
UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration: An Alliance for Action
René Wadlow | Association of World Citizens – TRANSCEND Media Service,
31 May 2021
On World Environment Day, 5 June 2021, begins the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030. An ecosystem is the interaction between people, plants, animals, and their surroundings.
→ read full article
Urgent Appeal to Halt Violence in the Jerusalem-Gaza Area
René Wadlow | Association of World Citizens – TRANSCEND Media Service,
17 May 2021
13 May 2021 – The Association of World Citizens, devoted to ending armed conflicts through negotiations in good faith, addresses an Urgent Appeal to all parties to halt violence in the Jerusalem-Gaza area. In this highly inflammatory situation, there can be an escalation to the conflict at any point.
→ read full article
Falk, a Citizen Pilgrim
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
17 May 2021
For those who wish to know where Falk stands on political issues today, one can start with Chapter 16 “Intellectually Engaging the World: Fears, Desires, and Hopes.” However, if one is interested in how he got there, it is better to start with the front of the book which details his experiences but also people met, what he did with them at the time and also later. This review starts in the same style.
→ read full article
Rabindranath Tagore (7 May 1861 – 7 Aug 1941): The Local and the Universal
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
3 May 2021
In a period of rapid change as we face today, it is often difficult to find the right balance between the cultural contributions and needs of the local, the national, and the universal. One way of finding this balance is to look at the life and work of others, who earlier confronted the same challenges. One such person was the poet, writer and cultural reformer Rabindranath Tagore.
→ read full article
Teilhard de Chardin (1 May 1881 – 10 Apr 1955): Evolution toward World Unity
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
26 Apr 2021
Pierrre Teihard de Chardin, the French paleontologist, after a lifetime of study of the evolution of the human species concluded that humanity was entering a new age with a higher, peaceful and more responsible sense of the unity of the world community. Optimism and evolution are the two themes that Teilhard de Chardin leaves with us. He insisted at looking at the human population as one global family, developing a network of mutual support − recognizing the need of global solidarity.
→ read full articleSaber Rattling and Tension Reduction in Ukraine
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
26 Apr 2021
The Ukraine-Donbass-Russia crisis is a call to us in the non-governmental world to be able to move quickly and in a somewhat coordinated way.
→ read full articleSaber Rattling Along the Frontiers of Ukraine
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
19 Apr 2021
16 Apr 2021 – The question that faces us as peace-builders is “What can we do?” It is certain that the French and German diplomats are already aware of the dangers of the situation, but it is useful that non-governmental voices be heard. Are there avenues for Track II exchanges or non-governmental mediation efforts?
→ read full article
Hans Küng: Towards a Global Ethic
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
12 Apr 2021
Hans Küng was a Swiss Roman Catholic theologian who died on 6 Apr 2021 at the age of 93. From the early 1980s he turned his attention to other religions. He wrote a book on Judaism and another on Islam. Then he turned his attention to the religions of Asia, looking for common themes that could provide a bridge.
→ read full article
Jean Giono (30 Mar 1895 – 9 Oct 1970) and the Energies of the Earth
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
29 Mar 2021
Jean Giono was one of the most original French advocates of nonviolence. Giono, a pantheist philosopher, novelist of rural life, and in his later days, a movie-maker, had fame in the wider public even among those who opposed his nonviolence.
→ read full articleContinuing Instability in the Darfur Conflicts
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service,
15 Mar 2021
The Darfur conflict of western Sudan is a textbook example of how programmed escalation of violence can get out of control. Neither the insurgencies nor the government-backed forces have been able to carry out good faith negotiations or deal with the fundamental issue of how to get cattle farmers and settled agriculturalists to live together in a relatively cooperative way.
→ read full article