During the Second World War, in the United States there was a government-sponsored publicity campaign to save automobile gas with the slogan “Is this trip necessary?” The aim was to show that if one really asked the question, many trips were not really necessary. We can ask the same question about wars today. In Yemen, is the Saudi-led war really necessary?
On March 17th the “federal democratic system of Rojava,” a Kurdish term for northern Syria, was proclaimed officially. Some 150 representatives of Kurdish, Arab, and Assyrian groups met in the city of Rmellane in north-east Syria and voted in favor of the union of three 'cantons' largely populated by Kurds.
The Turkish government’s attacks on Kurdish-populated areas in Turkey, Iraq and Syria, as well as the recent arrests in Turkey of academics who protested anti-Kurdish measures, has focused attention on the role of Kurdish movements in Syria, Iraq, and Turkey, and on the role of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK).
The difficulties of restoring order in Burundi are strong. More basic reconciliation is even more difficult. The UN's Expert Mission is unlikely to discover new elements. Thus we must watch the situation closely and see what means to bridge building are possible.
There are three longer-range challenges where choices must be made, choices made more complex by the attacks: the COP21 meeting, upcoming regional elections in France, and the wider conflicts in the Middle East.
The 2015 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to the National Dialogue Quartet of Tunisian NGOs who in 2013, when the country was on the brink of civil war, provided for negotiations among socio-political factions leading to more inclusive and democratic structures for the country.
Copyright Toward Freedom 2019