February 19, in countries influenced by Chinese culture, is a day devoted to honoring Kuan Yin, a feminine symbol, the Goddess of Compassion, “She who hears the cries of the world and restores harmony.” In Chinese culture, on February 19, offerings of incense are made to Kuan Yin, along with tea for wisdom and fruit for prosperity.
Today, at a time when humanity is increasingly working together to meet ecological challenges and to overcome ideological-led strife, the spirit of Kuan Yin presents us with an important call for a cultural renaissance based on the concept of harmony with visions of a better future. First, we must look carefully at the present. As the Taoist philosopher Huai Nan Tsu wrote, “The sage responds to everything with an unbiased mind, with a mind free from suppositions. He approaches all events and investigates the laws which govern them.”
At Ông Temple, Can Tho, Vietnam (C) Jean-Pierre Dalbéra
For Kuan Yin, her spirit leads to harmony which includes tolerance and forgiveness of past pains and conflicts. Kuan Yin embodies the virtues of karuna (compassion) and metta (loving kindness). In this way she strengthens the broad currents moving toward gentleness, kindness and inner peace. Kuan Yin, aware of the suffering caused by hateful speech, encourages loving speech and deep listening in order to bring joy and happiness to others and relieve them of their suffering.
Thus, on this February 19, we rededicate ourselves to the spirit of Kuan Yin. We strive to listen to the cries of the world and find ways to develop harmony.
Prof. René Wadlow is President of the Association of World Citizens.
With the end of the long dictatorship of Bachar al-Assad and the naming of Ahmed al-Sharaa, leader of the militia Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), as President, there is a need for the Syrians to consider the structures of the state. Like its neighbor Lebanon, Syria is home to a number of religious and ethnic groups, sometimes mixed, especially in the major cities. In other places, one group is dominant and usually controls both the economic and political life of the area. Thus, there have been suggestions that Syria should be re-structured as a federal or confederal state.
On March 17, 2016, the “federal democratic system of Rojava” (a Kurdish term for northern Syria) was proclaimed officially. Some 150 representatives of Kurdish, Arab, and Assyrian (largely Christian) groups met in the city of Rmeilan in northeast Syria and voted in favor of the union of three ‘cantons’ largely populated by Kurds − the cantons of Afrin, Kobani, and Jezireh.
The government as well as a major opposition group stated their refusal of a federalist system which they saw as a first step to the breakup of Syria.
While the Kurdish issues in Turkey have attracted international attention, and the largely autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq is a major player in Iraqi politics, the Kurds in Syria have been less discussed.
The Kurds of Syria had not been as visible a factor as other ethnic or sectarian groups. As Michael Gunter, a specialist on the Kurdish world, writes,
On July 19, 2012, the previously almost unheard Syrian Kurds suddenly emerged as a potential game changer in the Syrian civil war and what its aftermath might hold for the future in the Middle East when in an attempt to consolidate their increasingly desperate position, government troops were abruptly pulled out of the major Kurdish areas. The Kurds in Syria had suddenly become autonomous, a situation that also gravely affected neighboring Turkey and the virtually independent Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq. Indeed, the precipitous rise of the Kurds in Syria bid to become a tipping point that might help change the artificial borders of the Middle East established after the First World War following the notorious Sykes-Picot Agreement. (1)
In a hope of keeping the Kurds out of the growing armed conflict, shortly after the March 15, 2011 start of the Syrian armed conflict, in April 2011, Bashar al-Assad had granted Syrian citizenship to some 220,000 Kurds that had been long waiting to be considered as citizens or who had been stripped of their citizenship in a 1962 census.
However, armed conflict spread, and the Islamic State started to control territory near Kurdish majority areas. Some observers saw the Kurds as “objective allies” of Bashar as they had many of the same enemies.
Working with the regime had largely saved the Kurdish areas from government bombardment and allowed Kurdish leadership to build alternative forms of government. Gunter discusses in some detail the influence among some Kurdish leaders in Turkey and Syria of the writings of Murray Bookchin (1921-2006) and his views of ecologically-sound autonomous governance – “democratic autonomy”.
In the first years of the French mandate of Syria after the First World War, the French had created a form of ‘federal’ administration.
It is very unlikely that the Kurdish propositions will be on the agenda for new governmental structures in Syria now in 2025. The current Syrian leadership is heavily influenced by the government of Turkey, strongly opposed to anything Kurdish. The future development of the Syrian state is an issue to watch closely.
Prof. René Wadlow is President of the Association of World Citizens.
Notes
(1) Michael M. Gunter, Out of Nowhere: The Kurds of Syria in Peace and War (London: Hurst and Co, 2014, p.1)
Since 2017 there has been a Chinese government policy called “Sinicization” in keeping with Xi Jinping’s Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
Sinicization requires all religious organizations to modify their doctrines and activities so that they match what is considered Han Chinese culture. Authorities have removed crosses from Christian churches and demolished minarets from Islamic mosques. Clergy from all religions are required to attend indoctrination courses on a regular basis. Chinese governments, both Nationalist and Communist, officially recognized five religions: Daoism, Buddhism, Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism.
Some religious groups are considered subversive and are outlawed and their members persecuted such as Falun Gong. During the “Cultural Revolution” (1966 to 1976, ending with the death of Chairman Mao Zedong), religion as such was considered to be one of the “four olds” to be destroyed. Churches and temples were closed. In Tibet, there was widespread destruction of temples. Monks were forced into civilian life. Today, the current policy is to keep religious organizations but to make sure that they do not slip out if control.
Karine Martin is a Western member of the Daoist monastic clergy (Taoism is now more often written as Daoism). In 2023, she was able to travel widely in China visiting more than 100 Daoist temples, especially those of the Thunder Drum lineage to which she belongs. As she writes,
“Everywhere I went, I found temples in a state of decline and disarray. There were no devotees, much fewer clergy, and minimal activities. Buildings were in disrepair, and there was very little renovation and construction. The overall atmosphere was one of desolation and despair… Temple websites – so strongly developed just a decade ago – now only speak about Xi Jinping Thought and ways of complying with government guidelines… Since all clergy were forced to rejoin secular society during the Cultural Revolution, many got married and had children yet later returned to their monasteries. The marriages often continued, if at long distance, allowing priests to fulfill their spiritual calling while yet having families. Now this is no longer possible, and monks either have to leave the monastery or produce a document that they have obtained a divorce and are properly celebrate.”
Karine Martin has written a very complete picture of monastic Daoism, a development of her Ph.D. thesis based on field observations. However, there is a cultural Daoism which colors Chinese life, its folk religious practices with village shrines – all difficult to control. Daoism places much emphasis on dreams during which the dreamer encounters immortals and advanced masters. Dreams are by their nature difficult to control from outside. The interpretation of the dream is also individual. Dreams can also lead to forms of deep personal meditation in order to understand the significance of the dreams.
Daoism also stresses good health and long life. Deep breathing, massages, herbal remedies and yoga-style movements such as Taijjiquan and Qigong can be carried out without belonging to a Daoist organization.
Daoism also places an emphasis on the appreciation of nature, especially mountains, rivers, forests and well-structured gardens. An ecological concern is growing in China without a specific link to organized Daoism.
While the government may try to control organized Daoist organizations, its cultural manifestations are ever slipping out of control and may one day be manifested in political terms.
Prof. René Wadlow is President of the Association of World Citizens.
Mirjana Spoljaric, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), warned on February 6, 2025 that there is a serious erosion of respect for international humanitarian law. The ICRC is, through agreements signed with most governments, the chief agency for the respect of the Geneva Conventions, the heart of international humanitarian law.
The armed conflict in Ukraine now spreading to a part of Russia and the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, especially in the Gaza Strip, have led to the destruction of medical and educational facilities. Civilians have been directly targeted, prisoners of war abused, and hostages taken – all violations of international humanitarian law.
To this sad record of recent abuses must now be added the situation in Goma and the eastern area of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Humanitarian law should be respected by nongovernmental militias such as the M23 in Goma, but they have never signed an agreement to respect the Geneva Conventions. There have been discussions within the ICRC and other humanitarian aid agencies as to the role of nongovernmental militias with respect to international humanitarian law. These are vital discussions as the role of nongovernmental militias has become more frequent in armed conflicts.
The Association of World Citizens (AWC) played a key role in having a coalition of armed groups fighting in Burma to sign the Geneva Conventions. The signature was deposited with the Swiss Government which is the depository power for the Conventions. The signature was considered as only “symbolic” as not involving a government. However, the signature by the militias led to an exchange of prisoners showing that it was taken seriously by the Burmese government.
The AWC has strongly supported the strengthening of international humanitarian law. International humanitarian law is a central core of the broader body of world law. The strengthening of respect for humanitarian law develops a base for the application of international law and such institutions as the World Court.
As Mirjana Spoljaric, a Swiss diplomat before she became President of the ICRC, has stressed, the world society is at a crucial moment. There is a need to reaffirm respect for humanitarian law. Unfortunately, such reaffirmation is not a high priority for most Ministries of Foreign Affairs. Thus, as the AWC has urged, most recently through its appeals of March 2022, October 2023 and October 2024, there is a real possibility for NGOs to take the lead.
Prof. René Wadlow is President of the Association of World Citizens.
On January 26, 2025, we published an article “Goma: Cry of the Imburi” on the possible attack on Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The forces of the M23 (short for Movement of March 23) militia and some three to four thousand regular military of Rwanda were advancing toward Goma. Two days later, on January 28, Goma fell to M23. There were one million inhabitants in Goma and another million living in nearby camps as refugees. They had fled from violence in the neighboring area.
There are a multitude of armed militias, each with their own interests which they advance violently. One grouping of militias, known as the Wazalendo, a term for “patriots” in Swahili, is opposed to M23 but is not part of the regular Democratic Republic military. There has been a great amount of sexual and gender-based violence.
Demonstrators linked to President Félix Tshisekedi’s party in power have demonstrated in the capital Kinshasa, some 2,000 miles away, in front of the embassies of France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.A. for having done nothing to prevent Goma from being attacked. The European governments have replied, as did the French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, that they deplore the violence and are in solidarity with the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The United Nations (UN) Security Council met in an emergency session and called for a ceasefire, but no follow-up measures were made public. The UN already has peacekeepers in the area (Monusco) with the aim of stabilizing the mineral-rich region. However, there is no peace to keep. The UN troops are called by the local population “the tourists”. They come only to watch what is going on. In reality, the UN forces are national military and police “lent” to the UN by member governments. The military and police come nearly all from developing countries trained in the British way: Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Nigeria and Ghana. They have no desire to be killed in armed conflicts which do not concern their country.
DRC President Félix Tshisekedi
There have been African-led efforts at mediation. In 2022, the African Union asked Angola’s President to mediate which led to a short-lived ceasefire in July 2024, but the ceasefire collapsed shortly after. At this stage, the dangerous disintegration of the Democratic Republic of Congo – democratic in name only – is likely to continue as there is not only armed violence but also a constitutional crisis as President Tshisekedi is trying to change the constitution so that he can stay longer in power. The restoration of legitimate authority and effective stabilization may still be in an unknown future.
Prof. René Wadlow is President of the Association of World Citizens.
The Imburi are spirits that are said to inhabit the forests of Gabon, in Equatorial Africa, and who cry out for those who can hear them at times of impending violence and danger. The Imburi are now crying out loudly on the increasing dangers and forced migration in Goma, capital of the North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo – democratic in name only.
The July 31, 2024 ceasefire agreement – never fully effective – has now been broken. Troops of the Tutsi-led militia known as M23 along with regular military of Rwanda are advancing toward Goma, the capital of North Kivu. The Association of World Citizens has members in Goma who keep us informed of the critical situation there – getting worse each day.
(C) UN News
People in the neighboring province of South Kivu are frightened and have started to flee. There are a large number of displaced persons in both North and South Kivu, and some have fled across the frontier into Burundi. Many people are living in displaced persons camps in difficult situations despite the efforts of the United Nations (UN), the International Committee of the Red Cross, and humanitarian aid organizations.
This eastern area of the Congo has been the scene of fighting at least since 1998 – in part as a result of the genocide in neighboring Rwanda in 1994. In mid-1994, more than one million Rwandan Hutu refugees poured into the Kivus, fleeing the advance of the Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front, which now comprises the government of Rwanda. Many of these Hutu were still armed, among them the “génocidaires” who, a couple of months before, had participated in the killing of some 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu in Rwanda.
Today, there is still large-scale occurrence of serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law by all parties with massive displacement of populations, plundering of villages, systematic rape of women, summary executions and the use of child soldiers. There is a report from the UN Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of Congo of December 27, 2024 which outlines clearly the disintegrating situation.
Thus, there is a need to create an enabling political environment which would help develop the rule of law and a vital civil society – a vast task that the Imburi are not sure will be carried quickly enough.
Prof. René Wadlow is President of the Association of World Citizens.
The January 20, 2025 inauguration of President Donald Trump has brought into sharp focus the turbulent and complex world society in which we live. As peacebuilders and citizens of the world, we face the same challenges as President Trump but with a different style and with far fewer resources at our command. We make plans but then are called to work for conflict resolution in unanticipated ways.
There are four policy challenges which face both President Trump and World Citizens: armed conflicts, currently ongoing and potential, persistent poverty in many areas, the erosion of international law and faith in multinational institutions, particularly the United Nations (UN), and the consequences of climate change.
The ongoing and potential armed conflicts are neither new nor unexpected. The Israeli-Palestinian tensions exist at least since 1936 and increased after the creation of the State of Israel. There may be some possibilities for negotiations in good faith. We must keep an eye open for possible actions.
Tensions with Iran are not new. The Soviet forces in part of Iran was the first conflict with which the UN had to deal in its early days. However, the rule by the Ayatollahs has made matters more complex.
The Russian-Ukrainian war grinds on with a large number of persons killed, wounded, and uprooted. Again, we must look to see if a ceasefire and negotiations are possible.
In Asia, the armed conflict in Myanmar between the military in power and the ethnic militias dates from the creation of the Burmese State at the end of the Second World War. A potential armed conflict between Mainland China and Taiwan dates from 1949 and the Nationalist government’s retreat to Taiwan. The potential armed conflict between the two Korean States dates from 1950 and the start of the Korean War.
The armed conflicts in Africa are no longer in the headlines, but they date from the early 1960s and the breakup of the European Empires: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, the States of the Sahel.
Thus, we all have a poor record of armed conflict prevention and mediation. Armed conflicts should remain at the top of both the governmental and nongovernmental agenda for action.
(C) U.S. Embassy France on Instagram
Persistent Poverty: Despite the UN Decades for Development, the Sustainable Development Goals, and Article 22 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states that everyone is entitled to the economic, social, and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and free development of his personality, persistent poverty exists in many parts of the world. One consequence of persistent poverty is migration from poorer to richer areas, both within countries and from poorer to richer States. Migration is a hotly debated issue in many countries, as right-wing nationalist groups make anti-migration their battle cry. Migration is likely to become an even more heated topic of debate as President Trump tries to carry out his proposal for a mass deportation of immigrants from the USA.
Linked to persistent poverty are trade issues and the protectionist trends in many countries. President Trump has proposed higher tariffs for good coming into the USA. This policy may set off tariff wars. Obviously to counter persistent poverty, world development policies must be improved – easier said than done!
The Erosion of International Law and Faith in Multinational Institutions: Armed conflicts and persistent poverty are closely related to the third issue: the receding United States (U.S.) involvement with the UN, the World Bank, the IMF, the World Court and other multinational organizations. Some of the foreign policy authorities appointed by President Trump are overtly critical of the UN and the International Criminal Court. There has already been an Executive Order to halt U.S. funding of the World Health Organization. However, there is no unifying vision of what a new world society would involve. The battle cry of “Make America Great Again”, if repeated by each State for itself, “Make Panama Great Again”, could be a loud concert but not conducive to positive decision making.
The Consequences of Climate Change: The fourth major group of issues concerns the consequences of climate change and the ways to lessen its impact. During the campaign for the presidency, Trump threatened to pull the USA out of the Paris Climate Agreement, and he has now signed an Executive Order doing so. The issue of climate change has been brought to the world agenda by scientists on the one hand, and by Nongovernmental Organizations and popular, often youth-led efforts, on the other hand. It is likely that these vital efforts related to climate change will continue despite climate policy resistance by some in the Trump administration.
President Trump said during his inaugural ceremony that “The Golden Age of America begins now… We stand on the verge of the four greatest years in American history.” We will have to watch closely and judge in four years. What is sure for peacebuilders and citizens of the world is that we stand on the verge of four more years of serious challenges. Thus, there is a need for cooperative and courageous action.
Prof. René Wadlow is President of the Association of World Citizens.
Edward Said, the late Palestinian-American scholar (and my Princeton University classmate), said, “Writing is the final resistance that we have against the inhuman practices and injustices that disfigure human history.”
Today, we see inhumanity, injustice, and armed violence in the wider Middle East: the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, the Golan Heights, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen with an impact in Iraq, Iran, and Turkey.
In many of these Middle East conflicts, there were no contacts to be cut. The process of creating contacts must start from point zero. Thus, peacebuilders must develop political legitimacy by trying to develop contacts with politically active groups and by bringing in new voices such as feminist constituencies. There is a need to engage conflicting parties – governments, armed groups and militias – so that there can be negotiations in good faith and an end to armed conflicts. The increasingly complex nature of conflicts requires diverse forms and levels of peacebuilding. This complexity makes the remaking of communications difficult. There needs to be flexibility, innovation, and cooperation.
A poster of Edward Said on the West Bank separation wall in Ramallah, Palestine (C) Justin McIntosh
Both formal and informal efforts are needed to create a web of alternative approaches with the ability to seize the initiative when there is an opportunity for action. Our focus here is on informal approaches which can be carried out by Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) such as the Association of World Citizens (AWC).
Social media is a recent form of contact beyond the older face-to-face approach. Social media has become an important mobilizing force. It can drive debates and political change, but it can also be used to divide societies, incite violence and xenophobia. For peacebuilders, social media allows direct access to the general public. Thus, for peacebuilders, they need to learn to use social media creatively.
For NGOs such as the AWC, the first step is an analysis of the nature and the parties in the conflict. Information can be gathered from people already active on the issue such as academics and members of other NGOs. For the wider Middle East conflicts, there are citizens from these countries living in Europe and the U.S.A. as well as persons who visit Middle East countries regularly. It is important to get a wide range of views. For organizations such as the AWC, with consultative status at the United Nations (UN), it is possible to discuss with UN Secretariat members and with diplomats.
Resolving armed conflicts and lowering persistent tensions involves a change in the attitudes that are at the core of the conflict. We work to create possibilities for dialogue and confidence-building so as to increase mutual trust. Remaking contacts is a way of facilitating better communications between leaders holding antagonistic views, thus promoting cross-cultural communications. As we begin 2025 with tensions in the Middle East at a high level, creative action is needed. Join in this vital process.
Prof. René Wadlow is President of the Association of World Citizens.
“Always we have to remember that the wide, free sense of equality and kinship which lies at the root of Internationalism is the real goal. Always, we have to press on toward that great and final liberation – the realization of our common humanity, the recognition of the same great soul slumbering under all forms in the hearts of all races – the one guarantee and assurance of the advent of world peace.”
Edward Carpenter, The Healing of Nations, 1914.
As we approach the end of 2024 and make plans for 2025, it is useful to see the challenges which confront us in our conscious commitment to world citizenship. We are all able to envision a better future in which there is global cooperation. Such positive goals require leadership and the active participation of world citizens from around the globe. We need to make a personal commitment to be Earth stewards, protecting the planet for future generations. We need to break down barriers between people in order to reduce suspicions and tensions. Enormous creativity and effort are required to develop a safe and sustainable world society.
While we plan these positive steps, we must not underestimate the strength of the narrow nationalist currents planning to build new walls or enlarge existing walls. One could list the examples in many parts of the world. Narrow nationalists are in power in a number of countries or are waiting on the edges of power.
Thus, as Edward Carpenter wrote as the First World War broke out, we must press on to the realization of our common humanity.
Earth is our common home, Let’s protect it together (C) Bernard J. Henry/AWC
Prof. René Wadlow is President of the Association of World Citizens.
The flight of the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad on December 7, 2024 from Damascus to Moscow has opened a radically new period for Syrian politics. There are many different armed militias, ethnic and religious factions working to gain influence in the post-Assad situation. There are also outside powers – Iran, Russia, Turkey, and the USA which have been playing a role for some time and are not likely to fade from the scene overnight.
Women played only a minor direct role in the al-Assad administration and only minor roles in the groups opposing the Assad government, especially once the opposition became militarized mid-2011. Now, we must strive so that women can play a positive and active role in developing the new structures for a new Syria. Excluding women from peacebuilding neglects a rich source of skills, insights and energy. It is important to recognize that women are not a homogeneous group: education, class, ethnic group identity condition how individuals are affected by conflict.
We have seen with the Taliban administration in Afghanistan what can happen when women are not actively structured to play a role before there is a change in government. While not as vocal as the Afghan Taliban, there are most likely men in Syria in Jihadist factions who wish to keep women secluded and powerless.
Thus, women activists need to promote a vision that goes beyond the negotiation table. Negotiations to structure the new government are likely to begin in the next few days. There had been earlier negotiations among Syrian factions held at the United Nations in Geneva in 2014 with few or no women involved. Women face major challenges to engage in formal peace negotiations. Exclusion is often the norm. Therefore, women need to organize quickly now to spearhead Syrian civil society and reconciliation activities.
In the period after mid-2011 when opposition to the al-Assad government became an armed uprising, many Syrians left Syria for neighboring countries such as Lebanon and Turkey but also more widely to other countries in Western Europe. Some of these refugees were whole families with men present. In many cases, it was women with their children. Women had to learn skills in order to earn a living. They also started to get organized in mutual help organizations. These skills can be used today as the refugees return to Syria.
With the departure of al-Assad, the prisons have been opened. Men, often activists and intellectuals, have been liberated. They will want to play a role in helping develop new structures. However, they are related to different opposition factions and may have different view of what should be a future Syria.
We, on the outside and who are not Syrians, can try to support Syrian women involved in peacebuilding initiatives that are inclusive of both women and men. There is a need for relevant and timely support. We must see what avenues are open and how local conditions evolve.
Prof. René Wadlow is the Association of World Citizens.
Association of World Citizens 