We are happy to send you a few of the latest essentially important articles on transnational affairs – reaching from the individual through the state and region to the world level – where others are still stuck in the inter-national affairs.
Why? One, because that transnational perspective was what TFF set out with 30 years ago and because it is the relevant perspective on our common globe today. Thus, for instance, it’s completely outdated to talk about national security and military means as central. Security today reaches from human security to global security; its main means is intelligent conflict-handling, violence prevention, defensive military and civil defence elements based on a sense of the common good. Military means come as the last resort only – not, as today, as the first. There is only – as stated by Olof Palme who was killed 30 years ago yesterday – one type of security and that is common security and there can be no security at the expense of somebody else’s security. The last people to recognise that simple truth will be today’s government leaders and their fellow world destroyers in the Military-Industrial-Media- Here Iran’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif, expresses that insight recently at Chatham House. All wars imply violations of human rights – since there is a right to live in peace. For decades, the West has been bent on promoting one set of human rights and conveniently ignoring that particular right to peace and economic rights such as the right to employment. China which has lifted 400 million people out of poverty in about 20 years, according to the World Bank, is still perceived throughout the West as a bad guy in human rights terms. And here TFF Associate Johan Galtung here gives you a fascinatingly different perspective on the human rights concept. The essential idea is that such concepts must remain dynamic and open to debate and development and never become stagnating mantras to legitimise violent policies in the real word. Say human right violations and th right to peace? Say Syria! Here is a brilliant article on why the Syria tragedy began with CIA’s arrival to the country in 1949. It’s written by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and debunks all the nonsense you have heard the last 5 years about al-Assad being the cause of it all. It’s another pipeline dream, stupid! By the way we collect good Americans… Did you ever heard about Jill Stein – the medical doctor who promotes a totally new vision of a truly democratic, peaceful and just United States of America? A U.S. that would be good for and loved by the world too? See video conversation with Chris Hedges here. Hardly, however, she is a presidential candidate but since she doesn’t have the same morally corrupting backing by the corporate world as the other candidates do, you haven’t heard about her! Oh, dear Abraham Lincoln – “that government of the people, by the people, for the people” has already perished from the US soil (and most other places)! In sum… TFF’s new “Transnational Affairs” gathers remarkable, well-researched, sharp articles by TFF Associates and others equally relevant and excellent. Now over 725 articles in a completely new and delightful “flipping” reading mode – ideal for your phone and tablet. There is a world beyond the mainstream(ed) media and it’s exciting!
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Transnational affairs: truly independent analyses and different angles…
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