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KOFI ANNAN'S VIEWPOINT > > Ours is a world in which no individual, and no country, exists in > > isolation. All of us live simultaneously in our own communities and > > in the world at large. Peoples and cultures are increasingly hybrid. > > The same icons, whether on a movie screen or a computer screen, are > > recognizable from Berlin to Bangalore. We are all consumers in the > > same global economy. We are all influenced by the same tides of > > political, social, and technological change. Pollution, organized > > crime, and the proliferation of deadly weapons likewise show little > > regard for the niceties of borders; they are problems without > > passports and, as such, our common enemy. We are connected, wired, > > interdependent. > > > > Such connections are nothing new. Human beings have interacted across > > planet Earth for centuries. But today's globalization is different. > > It is happening more rapidly. It is driven by new engines, such as > > the Internet. And it is governed by different rules, or in too many > > cases, by no rules at all. Globalization is bringing more choices and > > new opportunities for prosperity. It is making us more familiar with > > global diversity. However, millions of people around the world > > experience globalization not as an agent of progress but as a > > disruptive force, almost hurricanelike in its ability to destroy > > lives, jobs, and traditions. Many have an urge to resist the process > > and take refuge in the illusory comforts of nationalism, > > fundamentalism, or other isms. > > > > Faced with the potential good of globalization as well as its risks, > > faced with the persistence of deadly conflicts in which civilians are > > primary targets, and faced with the pervasiveness of poverty and > > injustice, we must identify areas where collective action is > > needed-and then take that action to safeguard the common, global > > interest. Local communities have fire departments, municipal > > services, and town councils. Nations have legislatures and judicial > > bodies. But in today's globalized world, the institutions and > > mechanisms available for global action, not to mention a general > > sense of a shared global fate, are hardly more than embryonic. It is > > high time we gave more concrete meaning to the idea of the > > international community. > > > > What makes a community? What binds it together? For some it is faith. > > For others it is the defense of an idea, such as democracy. Some > > communities are homogeneous, others multicultural. Some are as small > > as schools and villages, others as large as continents. Today, of > > course, more and more communities are virtual, as people, even in the > > remotest locations on earth, discover and promote their shared values > > through the latest communications and information technologies. > > > > But what binds us into an international community? In the broadest > > sense, there is a shared vision of a better world for all people as > > set out, for example, in the founding charter of the United Nations. > > There is a sense of common vulnerability in the face of global > > warming and the threat posed by the spread of weapons of mass > > destruction. There is the framework of international law, treaties, > > and human rights conventions. There is equally a sense of shared > > opportunity, which is why we build common markets and joint > > institutions such as the United Nations. Together, we are stronger. > > > > Some people say the international community is only a fiction. Others > > believe it is too elastic a concept to have any real meaning. Still > > others claim it is a mere vehicle of convenience, to be trotted out > > only in emergencies or when a scapegoat for inaction is needed. Some > > maintain there are no internationally recognized norms, goals, or > > fears on which to base such a community. Op-ed pages and news reports > > refer routinely to the "so-called international community," as if the > > term does not yet have the solidity of actual fact. I believe these > > skeptics are wrong. The international community does exist. It has an > > address. It has achievements to its credit. And more and more, it is > > developing a conscience. > > > > When governments, urged by civil society, work together to realize > > the long-held dream of an International Criminal Court for the > > prosecution of genocide and the most heinous crimes against humanity, > > that is the international community at work for the rule of law. When > > an outpouring of international aid flows to victims of earthquakes > > and other disasters, that is the international community following > > its humanitarian impulse. When rich countries pledge to open more of > > their markets to poor-country goods and decide to reverse the > > decade-long decline in official development assistance, that is the > > international community throwing its weight behind the cause of > > development. When countries contribute troops to police cease-fire > > lines or to provide security in states that have collapsed or > > succumbed to civil war, that is the international community at work > > for collective security. > > > > Examples abound of the international community at work, from > > Afghanistan and East Timor to Africa and Central America. At the same > > time, there are important caveats. Too often the international > > community fails to do what is needed. It failed to prevent genocide > > in Rwanda. For too long it reacted with weakness and hesitation to > > the horror of ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia. The > > international community has not done enough to help Africa at a time > > when Africa needs it most and stands to benefit most. And in a world > > of unprecedented wealth, the international community allows nearly > > half of all humanity to subsist on $2 or less a day. > > > > For much of the 20th century, the international system was based on > > division and hard calculations of realpolitik. In the new century, > > the international community can and must do better. I do not suggest > > that an era of complete harmony is within reach. Interests and ideas > > will always clash. But the world can improve on the last century's > > dismal record. The international community is a work in progress. > > Many strands of cooperation have asserted themselves over the years. > > We must now stitch them into a strong fabric of community-of > > international community for an international era. > > Kofi A. Annan is secretary-general of the United Nations and recipient of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize |