LES CITOYENS DU MONDE APPELLENT A DES MESURES EFFECTIVES POUR METTRE FIN AUX ATTAQUES CONTRE LES CIVILS ET BATIR LA PAIX AU LIBAN
Il y a quarante ans, le groupe pop français Gold grimpait en haut des classements avec une ballade intitulée Ville de Lumière, chanson dont le personnage était un combattant de l’une des factions en guerre au Liban. Pleurant sa chère capitale, Beyrouth, dont il était éloigné, le soldat concluait : «Je sais, je ne te reverrai pas, Ville de Lumière, Qu’ont-ils fait de moi ?».
L’Association of World Citizens (AWC) est consternée de voir qu’une chanson d’il y a quarante ans, qui devrait être aujourd’hui un beau souvenir musical, pourrait avoir été écrite juste hier. Une fois de plus, le Liban est déchiré par la violence, avec les civils libanais pris pour cible par la Force de Défense israélienne (Tsahal) qui a envahi le pays, tandis que les civils israéliens sont attaqués par la milice oppressive du Hezbollah et, par-delà la frontière syrienne, là où la milice soutenue par l’Iran assistait autrefois la guerre barbare de la dynastie Assad contre son propre peuple, tant Tsahal que le Hezbollah frappent une nation qui commence à peine à guérir et se construire un autre avenir.
Aucun de ces trois pays n’a besoin ou envie de voir davantage de combattants périr les armes à la main, ou davantage de civils massacrés par des forces d’invasion. Aucun de ces trois pays n’a besoin ou envie de voir ses propres «villes de lumière» sombrer pour toujours dans l’obscurité. Même si les négociations entreprises par les Etats-Unis et l’Iran semblent offrir un rayon de lumière, rien ne peut être réellement résolu si le but est seulement, comme c’est le cas de manière quasi systématique au Moyen-Orient, d’atteindre un cessez-le-feu qui ne sera qu’une solution de bricolage sans autre issue.
Bien qu’il ne fasse aucun doute qu’il faut des négociations, il est essentiel que celles-ci traitent enfin les problèmes de fond au long terme qui alimentent l’hostilité et le conflit entre Israël et le Liban, avec la Syrie désormais également impliquée malgré elle en tant que tierce partie. Obtenir la fin des hostilités tout en mettant de côté les causes du conflit n’a mené dans le passé qu’à des massacres tels que celui de Sabra et Chatila en 1982, Qana en 1996, et une nouvelle fois Qana en 2006. Chaque jour qui passe expose les trois pays au risque d’une nouvelle tragédie de telle nature.
C’est pourquoi l’AWC appelle à des négociations urgentes, de bonne foi et exhaustives entre toutes les parties prenantes afin de mettre un terme aux violences en cours entre le Liban, Israël et la Syrie, ainsi que de traiter enfin les questions de fond entre Israël et le Liban auxquelles il a déjà été permis d’engendrer bien plus d’inhumanité qu’une terre de trois croyances peut tolérer. Il incombe à présent aux dirigeants de toutes les parties au conflit en cours de faire en sorte que, pour le quarantième anniversaire de la chanson, cette fois-ci, aucune «ville de lumière» ne se fasse éteindre.
Prof. René WADLOW Président
Bernard HENRY Officier des Relations Extérieures
Cherifa MAAOUI Officier de Liaison, Afrique du Nord & Moyen-Orient
WORLD CITIZENS CALL FOR EFFECTIVE MEASURES TO STOP ATTACKS ON CIVILIANS AND BUILD PEACE IN LEBANON
Forty years ago, the French pop band Gold topped the charts with a ballad called Ville de Lumière (City of Light), a song whose protagonist was a fighter from one of the warring factions in Lebanon. Crying from afar over his beloved capital, Beirut, the soldier concluded, “I know I will never see you again, City of Light, What have they made of me?”.
The Association of World Citizens (AWC) is appalled to see that a forty-year-old song which should be a beautiful musical memory by now might as well have been written yesterday. Once again, Lebanon is being torn apart by violence, with Lebanese civilians being targeted by the invading Israeli Defense Force (IDF) while Israeli citizens come under attack from the oppressive Hezbollah militia and, over the Syrian border where the Iran-backed militia used to assist the Assad dynasty’s barbaric war on their own people, both the IDF and Hezbollah are striking a nation and people barely starting to heal and build a new future.
None of these three countries needs to have more fighters killed in combat or civilians slaughtered by invading forces. None of the three countries needs to have its own “cities of light” turn dark forever. While the negotiations undertaken between the United States and Iran appear to offer a ray of hope, nothing can be truly resolved if the goal is only, as happens all but systematically in the Middle East, to reach a quick-fix, dead-end ceasefire.
Even though negotiations are undoubtedly needed, these need to finally address the long-term core issues fueling hostility and conflict between Israel and Lebanon, now also involving Syria as an unwilling third party. Having hostilities cease while leaving the causes for conflict unaddressed has only led in the past to such massacres as Sabra and Shatila in 1982, Qana in 1996, and Qana a second time in 2006. Every day that passes places all three countries at risk of a new tragedy of that nature.
Therefore, the AWC calls for urgent, honest, and comprehensive negotiations between all stakeholders with a view to ending the ongoing violence between Lebanon, Israel, and Syria, as well as to finally addressing the core issues between Israel and Lebanon which have already been allowed to create more inhumanity than a land of three faiths can possibly tolerate.
It is up to the leaders of all parties to the current conflict to ensure that, as the song turns forty, no “city of light” gets turned off this time.
Prof. René Wadlow President
Bernard J. Henry External Relations Officer
Cherifa Maaoui Liaison Officer, Middle East & North Africa
Il est des gens qui ont si longue vie que l’on se dit qu’ils restent pour éclairer la voie lorsque les ténèbres l’absorbent toujours un peu plus. Lorsqu’ils partent, celles et ceux qui se tournaient vers eux sont frappés non seulement de deuil, mais d’une soudaine solitude et, plus encore, de la peur d’un avenir qu’il faudra bâtir avec leurs mots, leur héritage, mais sans leur autorité morale.
Depuis le 29 mai dernier, médias et réseaux sociaux vibrent de tels sentiments mêlés pour Edgar Morin, célèbre sociologue et philosophe français qui s’est éteint à 104 ans.
La biographie d’Edgar Morin a été retracée de manière si vaste et exhaustive que nous n’aurions que vainement la prétention d’y rien ajouter d’utile. Ce qui est peut-être moins dit, c’est que, même si Edgar Morin n’avait jamais soutenu de manière ouverte et directe l’un des groupes composant le mouvement Citoyen du Monde, ni l’Association of World Citizens (AWC) ni un autre, il portait en lui ce que nous représentons et c’est dans toute son œuvre que se lisent et s’entendent nos combats et nos valeurs.
En 2011, Radio France avait même publié un disque reprenant ses entretiens avec Marie-Christine Navarro ayant pour titre Edgar Morin, citoyen du monde, et ce n’était en rien une exagération. Au-delà d’une œuvre prolifique, il n’est pas excessif de dire de lui que, comme l’avait écrit Gandhi à son propre sujet, sa vie même était son message. Certes, personne ne peut se résumer à sa naissance ou même son passé. Il est des gens, pourtant, qui semblent avoir en eux un talent unique d’en tirer le meilleur parti. Edgar Morin était de ces gens-là.
Edgar Morin est né trois fois. Sa première naissance a eu lieu le 8 juillet 1921 à Paris, sous le nom de David Salomon Nahoum, de parents juifs grecs de Salonique. La deuxième, en 1943, fut celle d’un Résistant, militant libertaire antifasciste pendant la guerre d’Espagne, membre du Parti Communiste Français (PCF) à partir de 1941, officier dans la Résistance en 1943, qui tenta de prendre le pseudonyme d’Edgar Magnin en hommage à L’Espoir d’André Malraux mais le vit mal retranscrit en Morin, sans tenter de rectifier. La troisième, ce fut lorsqu’un tribunal parisien lui accorda, le 12 août 1993, le droit de substituer le prénom Edgar à ses deux prénoms de naissance.
Après la Libération, Edgar Morin a suivi la voie académique – mais d’une manière qui était loin de l’être. Morin l’avouait lui-même, il était autodidacte, titulaire d’une licence en histoire-géographie et d’une licence de droit, ayant suivi des cours de philosophie, d’économie et de sciences politiques, mais sans avoir obtenu de diplôme. «J’ai pourtant fait une carrière au CNRS. J’ai été élu maître de recherche sans avoir écrit de thèse de doctorat», déclarait-il en 2009 au CNRS qu’il avait intégré en 1950.
Dans les années 1960, il enseigne au Chili puis, aux Etats-Unis, jette les bases de ce qui sera le concept-phare de sa vie, le concept épistémologique de pensée complexe, l’adjectif étant ici pris dans son sens étymologique latin, complexus, désignant un tissage d’enlacements, pour mettre en avant les liens entre chaque champ de la pensée et l’approche transdisciplinaire du savoir.
A la tête du Centre d’études des communications de masse (CECMAS) de 1973 à 1989, Morin deviendra l’initiateur de la revue Arguments, publiée de 1956 à 1962, la Revue française de sociologie en 1960, et enfin Communications.
Entre 1977 et 2004, il rédige son ouvrage majeur, La Méthode, somme en six volumes où il développe sa méthodologie de la transdisciplinarité. Il y décrit sa pensée comme constructiviste, mais non au sens traditionnel du terme en relations internationales : pour lui, il s’agit d’une collaboration entre le monde extérieur et l’esprit humain pour construire la réalité.
Dans cette approche académique nouvelle se décèle déjà un esprit Citoyen du Monde, la transdisciplinarité, concept parfois remplacé par celui d’interdisciplinarité, étant aussi au cœur de l’Institut d’Etudes mondialistes créé en 1977. Cet esprit qui est le nôtre, Morin en tirerait un essai, en 1993, puis un livre à quatre mains en 2011.
Dans le premier ouvrage, Terre-Patrie, avec Anne Brigitte Kern, Morin alerte sur la barbarie qui suit la fin de la Guerre Froide et sur la cause qui en est, selon lui, «l’impuissance de l’humanité à devenir l’humanité», proposant un nouveau mode de pensée dans un «tout planétaire», ainsi que de découvrir notre «carte d’identité terrienne» dans une «matrie terrestre», la Terre-Patrie. Dans le second, Le Chemin de l’espérance, Morin et Stéphane Hessel qui voyait en lui un «frère de lutte» revendiquent de «dénoncer le cours pervers d’une politique aveugle qui conduit au désastre, d’énoncer une voie politique de salut public et d’annoncer une nouvelle espérance», le concept de «Terre-mère» y étant également central.
«Je sens présente en moi l’humanité dont je fais partie. Non seulement, je suis une une petite partie dans le tout, mais le tout est à l’intérieur de moi-même. C’est peut-être cela qui me donne l’énergie de continuer sur la voie qui est la mienne. Et à un moment donné, sans que vous ne sachiez pourquoi, c’est comme une catalyse, quelque chose qui se passe, se transforme, bascule … C’est cela l’espoir.»
L’Espoir, un mot qui suivait Edgar Morin depuis qu’il y avait trouvé son nom de guerre dans la Résistance, en s’inspirant du roman d’André Malraux. Dans la pensée contemporaine, Edgar Morin a incarné les valeurs du mouvement Citoyen du Monde d’une manière unique et indélébile. Chaque disparition oblige davantage celles et ceux qui restent à poursuivre la lutte, à entretenir la flamme, à sentir en leur être l’humanité dont elles et ils font partie. A nous maintenant.
Bernard J. Henry est Officier des Relations Extérieures de l’Association of World Citizens.
With the acute tensions and the danger of violence concerning Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, it is useful to recall that it was President Mohammad Khatami of the Islamic Republic of Iran who proposed that the United Nations (UN) proclaim an International Year for a Dialogue among Civilizations. President Khatami stressed, “It is incumbent on those who uphold peace in the world to work for dialogue among cultures, religions, and peoples. Fight ignorance with knowledge, dispel darkness with light, defeat the logic of war with the logic of peace.”
The aim of the International Year was to highlight knowledge of civilizations, their diversity, their uniqueness as well as their universality. The Year would build bridges between different ideologies, cultures, and religions to create common ground for creative discussions. The theme of Dialogue among Civilizations would draw in participation from Nongovernmental Organizations, universities, and museums. The Year was to build upon efforts already undertaken at UNESCO on understanding among cultures. Also, earlier in 2000, political leaders of Africa and Europe had sat together to promote cultural cooperation and to safeguard African cultural forms.
The UN General Assembly set the Year of Dialogue for 2001-2002. However, on September 11, 2001, New York City’s Twin Towers were hit by two hijacked planes. The United States- led “War on Terror” began. Dialogue among Civilizations was replaced by what the then UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, called “a sense of equality in vulnerability.”
Today, there are obvious tensions among States based in part on their cultures and values. The need for understanding and cooperation is great if we are not to descend a spiral of violence. Thus, we should see how the efforts for a dialogue among civilizations could be revived and this time, carried out.
Prof. René Wadlow is President of the Association of World Citizens.
Since the month-old United States (U.S.) and Israeli military attacks against the Islamic Republic of Iran began, the Association of World Citizens (AWC) has called for negotiations in good faith to bring the war to a halt. The war is destructive of life and property. From the very start, it has been in danger of spreading to other countries. There are real dangers of miscalculations by the military that will lead to deeper military escalation.
The AWC has stressed that the war is a violation of international law as structured in the Charter of the United Nations. The war has also led to violations of international humanitarian law as structured in the Geneva Conventions. There have been attacks on schools, health facilities, and essential economic infrastructure. The war has led to a large number of persons being displaced.
U.S. President Donald Trump has recently warned the Iranian authorities that the USA could bomb Iran “back to the Stone Age” if the Iranian authorities did not meet U.S. demands for an agreement. In reality, Iran and Persia before it had long left the Stone Age and made important contributions to world culture.
Thus, strong efforts must be made through both the United Nations and Nongovernmental Organizations such as AWC for an end to the armed conflict and the start of a harmonious regional society. Your help in these vital efforts is much appreciated.
Prof. René Wadlow is President of the Association of World Citizens.
At this time when there is armed conflict and strong political tensions in world society, broadly-based efforts are needed to develop a harmonious political culture based on world law. A political culture is a set of attitudes and beliefs which give order and meaning to a political process. Such a positive political culture is a product of both the collective history of a political system and the life histories of the members of that system.
“To establish conditions under which justice and the respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained” is one of the four objectives of the United Nations (UN) as set out in the preamble to the Charter, firmly related to the three other aims: the prevention of war, respect for human rights, and social progress. The phrasing of the aims rightly stresses not the enactment of international law but rather the need to “establish conditions” under which justice and respect for international law is possible.
Respect for international law should place limitations upon the number of options open to a government in choosing how to carry out a policy in foreign affairs. The most fundamental limitation is the prohibition on using military action except in self-defense against aggression.
When abuse of State power, denial of human rights, corruption, and the absence of participation in decision-making are the daily routine, people look upon law as a method to establish justice. The rule of law at both the international and national level must be based on a social consensus.
Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) can play a vital role in developing this social consensus on the rule of law. NGOs have proven that they can respond effectively to the challenges faced by today’s world society. Thus, there is a growing role for NGOs within the UN system in the making and implementation of policies. NGOs are involved more than ever before in global policy-making and project implementation. They bring citizens’ concerns to governments and advocate specific policies.
Today, with armed violence ongoing in many parts of the world, cooperative peacebuilding efforts are urgently needed. NGOs are playing an increasing role in such peacebuilding efforts and must be encouraged.
Prof. René Wadlow is President of the Association of World Citizens.
One of the most renowned authors and educators in the field of peace education, Dr. Terrence Webster-Doyle, passed away at noon on Friday, June 16, 2023, in Paonia, Colorado, USA. He was 83.
Dr. Terrence Webster-Doyle (1940-2023) was the founder and director of the Atrium Peace Institute and the Brave New Child Peace Museum Exhibits. He had a sixth-degree black belt in martial arts and was a co-founder of the Martial Arts for Peace Safety Awareness Response System Program (MAP STARS). Holding a Ph.D. in Health and Human Services, a Master’s Degree in Humanistic Psychology, he taught at Sonoma State University and Santa Rosa Community College in California.
He was the author of more than 150 scientific and methodological works, including 15 monographs, 20 textbooks and 23 curricula; the developer of a series of conflict resolution courses for adolescents; a ten-time recipient of the Benjamin Franklin Lifetime Achievement Award for excellence in independent publishing. He was awarded the Robert Burns Medal by the Albert Schweitzer Society of Austria for outstanding service in promoting peace. Recipient of the Benjamin Franklin Gold Medal for his book “Fighting the Invisible Enemy. Understanding the Effects of Conditionality”.
Dr. Terrence Webster-Doyle’s books have been widely recognized by the professional community as an important resource in conflict prevention and resolution. He is the author of the first seminal book on bullying “Why Is Everybody Always Picking on Me? A Guide to Handling Bullies”. Dr. Webster-Doyle is credited to have given a human face back to the culture of peace.
A two-page spread of Terrence Webster-Doyle’s last book, We are the World, the World is Us (Samara, 2024. – 236 p.)
In one of his latest books, A Mini Museum on Understanding the Roots of Prejudice and Discord. Learn More about How to Make Life Safer and Kinder (Samara, 2022), T. Webster-Doyle invites young people to take a fascinating page-by-page museum tour through the illustrated ideas, images, and stories in the book, and learn more about the anthropological, psychological, historical, and social roots of reprehensible thinking and hostility between people, cultures, and nations. The author thrives to show that freeing oneself from prejudice and understanding the root causes of fear and violence in human life is the way to make life better, more peaceful and kinder.
A two-page spread of the book Museum: Learn More. Why is Everybody Always Picking on Us? A Mini Museum on Understanding the Roots of Prejudice (English Edition, Atrium Society Publications, USA, 2019. – 75 p.)
In his writings, Webster-Doyle sought to show that all the best in a person is tied to peace. To achieve peace, we must understand what hinders it, and what hinders it is our very predisposition to ethno- and sociocentrism. The origins of conflicts lie in our prehistory, in the biological predisposition of our brain to protect itself from external threats – imaginary and real. Sometimes a person does not notice how he/she himself/herself becomes a victim of his/her own prejudices. No image. No enemy. No war. It is important to be able to observe and recognize situations that challenge us based on cultural resistance and behavioral stereotypes, and not succumb to outbursts of intolerance, hostility, and aggression.
Once in a conversation with me, T. Webster-Doyle shared the thought that “peace is a given, but only as a premise, a potential, under attack every time by prejudice and preconceptions. Peace requires a true awakening of the mind, here and now, but peace does not require multiple and endless theoretical constructions. Therefore, it is important to understand what creates it, and how one can achieve a real, rather than an imaginary peace”.
Т. Webster-Doyle thought a lot about why people cannot create a lasting peace and find harmony with each other. He began to ask questions: how to bring cultures closer together, to deal with mistrust and enmity, to learn how to build peace on the basis of reasonable, virtuous and humanistic principles. In my search for answers to these questions, I began to use the training materials he developed on peacebuilding pedagogy.
Terrence Webster-Doyle never ceased to remind people that “understanding is the key to peace”. But how can we find the key to understanding itself? Maybe it is the works of T. Webster-Doyle that could become such a key, opening the doors to dialogue, peace and harmony among peoples, cultures and nations.
Vladimir Ionesov, Doctor of Cultural Studies, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Professor with the Department of Cultural Studies, Museology and Art History at Samara State Institute of Culture. Developer of the concept of cultural transformation and models of civilization viability in transition. Full member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. Deputy Chairperson, Research Advisory Council, “Personality. Culture. Peace” Scientific and Enlightening Center of Samarkand International University of Technology (SIUT).
Anatoly I. Ionesov & Vladimir I. Ionesov, The Culture of Peace and the Future of Humankind: Conversations with Outstanding Contemporary Intellectuals on How to Understand Culture, and What the World Should Be Like in the 21st Century
Vol. I-IV. [Volume I. Nobel Laureates]
Samara-Samarkand: Samara Scientific Center, 2025. 500 p.
The real essence of life is not in what it has,
But in what one believes there should be.
Iosif A. Brodsky (1940-1996)
This new book by Anatoly and Vladimir Ionesov contains and presents in four volumes the authors’ extensive materials on the culture of peace and citizen diplomacy, formed on the basis of direct conversation, correspondence, meetings and idea exchanges with outstanding intellectuals of our time. For 40 years, the authors have developed and maintained a dialogue with recognized global leaders in science, education, art, business, politics and sports. This has resulted in a diverse collection of unique written messages and tangible artifacts that have been designed as an International Archives of the Culture of Peace.
The Samarkand International Friendship Club “Esperanto” (Uzbekistan) and the Samara Society for Cultural Studies “Artefact – Cultural Diversity” (Russia), both led by the authors of this publication, created this archive through the organizations’ long-term activities. On the Samarkand site, the International Museum of Peace and Solidarity (1986) was established, and the Peace Autograph Project was initiated; while on the second – Samara city site, the project “Culture of Peace Personalities: People Who Changed the World” (1994) was conceived, launched and implemented. The latter was in direct dialogue on pressing issues of the philosophy of peacemaking and the viability of modern civilization with recognized experts in the field.
Thanks to these joint projects and other types of partnership activities, it was possible to include the two sister cities – Samarkand, the ancient pearl of the East, and Samara, the ‘Space Capital’ of Russia, in the dialogue with the wider world. Through correspondence, interviews, meetings, conversations, creative projects, scientific connections, educational exchange, and other cultural practices of citizen diplomacy, communication was established with contemporaries who, through their ideas, visions, achievements, and professional experience, showed how life can be changed for the better. The authors, using the example of these personalities, their spoken or written word, proposed thoughts, insightful intuition and skillfully embodied deeds, sought to testify to unique examples of personal selfless devotion in culture. And, thereby, convey their main message: any individual may cope with the challenges of the changing world if he or she relies on knowledge, creativity, morality, humanism and free thinking.
At different stages of the project, participants in dialogue with the authors included thousands of individuals. Their visions for solving the most pressing challenges help to better understand how to build and promote a culture of peace, a philosophy of nonviolence and tolerance in the multicultural diversity of humankind. This way we discussed multiple problems the world is facing today with the people who have probably managed to implement those principles into life most fully.
The participants in the direct conversation were a variety of personalities from a Nobel Prize laureate to a simple teacher of a provincial school, from an outstanding politician to an ordinary citizen, from a famous preacher to an inconspicuous volunteer, from a professional traveler and explorer to an ordinary wanderer and creator. Each of them has their own view of the world, their own visions, interests, values, preferences. Their answers to questions, remarks and comments are unequal, as are their biographies and professional activities. In short, they are as varied as life itself.
The materials included in each volume of this publication are divided into two main sections 1. Answers to Questions, Letters and Reflections and 2. Remarks, Comments, Greetings, and two Appendices. The personal messages are placed in alphabetical order without chronological sequence. Each separate block consists of three parts: information about the person, a photo with an autograph or gift inscription, and the text of the reply. All correspondence is represented by original texts – personal messages addressed to the authors in Samarkand or Samara. The Appendix provides a consolidated list of Nobel Prize laureates who have sent their feedback (messages, etc.) to the authors and a small photo chronicle.
The first volume consists of replies, letters, remarks and comments of 72 Nobel Prize laureates representing 20 countries of the world (Argentina, Belgium, Great Britain, East Timor (Timor Leste), China (territory of Tibet), Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Netherlands, Russia, former USSR, South Africa, Switzerland, USA). All the authors of the messages placed in the book are arranged in alphabetical order.
Our interlocutors are distinguished intellectuals in the field of scientific research whose works have changed the world for the better through revolutionary inventions and major contributions to the culture and development of society. Among the intellectual leaders of our time included in this volume who have shared with the authors their visions on how to understand culture and what the world should be like in the twenty-first century are Nobel Prize laureates in Chemistry (19), Physics (15), Physiology or Medicine (11), Economics (7), Literature (4), and for promoting world Peace (16).
The authors of the book are grateful to their distinguished interlocutors, who, in addition to answering questions, have also kindly provided the texts of their articles and other materials as expanded commentary on a given topic for translation and inclusion in this edition.
The book concludes with a list of all Nobel laureates who responded to the dialogue with the authors, including the names of those whose comments and greetings, although not included in this edition, have become an important and inspiring part of the project.
In total, responses were received from 253 Nobelists in six fields (including three scientists who were awarded this prize twice): 49 laureates in chemistry, 68 – in physics, 63 – in physiology or medicine, 30 – in economics, 13 – in literature and 30 participants of the project were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
It should be noted that the “Culture of Peace Personalities” project, launched and implemented by the authors, inspired the creation and suggested the name of the newly established “Personality. Culture. Peace” Scientific and Enlightening Center at Samarkand International University of Technology (SIUT). It is gratifying that it was the Center that became the main venue for the completion of such a significant book project.
The authors consider this publication as another step in strengthening partnership and twinning between Samarkand and Samara. They hope that their work will contribute to the development of not only the two sister cities, but also of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). In this regard, it is noteworthy that by the decision of the CIS Council of Heads of State, Samarkand has acquired another landmark status for itself – becoming the cultural capital of the Commonwealth in 2024.
When the first volume was ready to go to press, the authors of the book received a message from a Canadian scientist, Nobel Laureate in Physics (2015) Arthur B. McDonald (b. 1943). It contained remarkable words that insightfully reflect the main idea behind this publication: “The openness and international cooperation between basic scientists seeking and understanding of the world we live in can be a model for everyone and a direction for world peace”. – Arthur B. McDonald, March 23, 2023, Canada.
It remains to be hoped that an interested reader, within the dialogue space with the authors and participants of this edition, will find useful answers to pressing questions and gain clarity on complex issues in the current agenda of our turbulent times.
Anatoly Ionesov, founder, Samarkand International Friendship Club “Esperanto” (1977); International Museum of Peace and Solidarity (1986). Author of “The Peace Autograph” and “Samarkandiana” projects. Director, “Personality. Culture. Peace” Scientific and Enlightening Center of Samarkand International University of Technology (SIUT).
Vladimir Ionesov, Doctor of Cultural Studies, Candidate of Historical Sciences; Professor, Department of Cultural Studies, Museology and Art History, Samara State Institute of Culture. Developer of the concept of cultural transformation and models of civilization viability in transition. Full member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. Deputy Chairperson, Research Advisory Council, “Personality. Culture. Peace” Scientific and Enlightening Center of Samarkand International University of Technology (SIUT).
William Bloom who combines a long-standing interest in New Age approaches to spirituality with an identity focus in international relations (1), has written “We are in changing times. Our culture and technology are continually transforming, and the intellectual certainties of the last few hundred years are no longer secure…It is our need to find a new authenticity in our spiritual lives — to bring back fully into our consciousness — the sacred dimension of life, but we want to do this in a way that honours personal freedom and personal growth. In essence, then, we are turning to the teachings and experiences of what is called the ageless wisdom, but we are doing so with completely new attitudes”.
A key element of our changing culture is that we are discarding old religious forms and re-creating our spiritual and sacred world. Creative new attitudes, practices, and forms have been an emphasis of William Bloom. (2) As he writes, “As a teacher and author I often feel conflicted: on the one hand, I want to inspire and encourage people about their innate goodness and the wonders of creation; on the other hand, I do not want to support naiveté about the human condition. We are magnificent beings with cosmic consciousness, and yet at the same time we are also insecure and can do harm.
“Yet the current emergence and creation of a new culture is not always an easy process. It feels as if everything is being created anew. At the same time, we know that we are working with dimensions which have always been and which always shall be.”
The basis of many New Age approaches is that we live in a vast field of energy. Vibrations and atmospheres can move like waves through this field to impact others. Our thoughts, feelings and actions can cooperate with this vitality, energy and consciousness for our development and to benefit others. We find this use of energy fields in many schools of spiritual healing such as reiki, in yoga and martial arts. (3)
William Bloom sets out a three-step process for deepening and expanding our awareness, developing our hearts, and building a just, creative and benevolent world. He sets out some core skills.
The first is centering — a calm awareness, an integration of body, mind and spirit. This is best done through silent meditation, but some find music or ritual helpful. “Whatever works for you” is basically his approach. This is an approach called “mindfulness” in some Buddhist traditions and can also be helped by breathing exercises and other techniques.
The second step is to focus the heart on compassion. Visualization is one approach, such as visualizing ever wider circles of persons or places held within the field of compassion. Focusing on the Sacred Heart of Jesus is used in certain Catholic traditions.
The third step is to direct the energy field so that it is of service to others. When we are centered and heart-focused, with an encouraging psychological attitude, we create a vibration that is supportive for those around us and can be a positive influence in the wider world.
William Bloom has written a clear and helpful presentation for personal fulfillment and service to humanity.
Notes:
1) William Bloom, Personal Identity, National Identity and International Relations (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993) 2) William Bloom, First Steps: An Introduction to Spiritual Practice (Forres, Scotland: Findhorn Press, 1993) 3) Barbara Ann Brennan, Hands of Light: Guide to Healing Through the Human Energy Field (New York: Bantam, 1990)
Prof. René Wadlow is President of the Association of World Citizens.
There is a tale of a Rabbi who enters into a discussion with his students about the night. He asks them, “When can one know that the night has ended and the day has begun?”. One student suggests, “When you can tell the difference between a sheep and a dog.” Another student suggests, “When you can see the difference between an olive tree and a fig tree”. “No”, replies the Rabbi, “It is the moment when you can look at a face never seen before and recognize the stranger as a brother or sister. Until that moment, no matter how bright the day, it is still night.”
In much of the world, it is still night. In 2026, the greatest challenge facing the world society is to release the enormous financial, technical, and human resources still used for military and narrow nationalist goals for ecologically-sound development. These resources will be provided only as more persons develop a profound sense of responsibility for the fate of the planet and for the well-being of the entire human family. We seek to develop a sustainable and just world. If we work together, 2026 can be a strong light for the world.
Prof. René Wadlow is President of the Association of World Citizens.
Association of World Citizens 