Last night there were lectures at the AEC about Pushkin and Somalia.
The lecture on Pushkin was more an overview of the times he lived in. It covered the intellectual climate of the time and what the political situation was. The lecturer admitted he is not a literature critic and is not familiar with everything Pushkin wrote.
Pushkin was not a great thinker nor did he create any grand philosophical ideas. However, his use of language was exceptional and he brought original ideas into poetry. Pushkin is also known to have written naughty texts which were popular among gentlemen. But these are not popular these days as Pushkin has a special place among the giants of literature and naughty texts do not fit into this image.
Pushkin got into trouble because of his womanizing and he was not popular with the powers that be. He was not allowed to travel outside Russia. However, Pushkin was not against a strong central government and he was skeptical of liberal ideas which were popular in Western Europe. He certainly was no dissident.
After the above lecture there was the third lecture on Somalia. This time the lecturer covered the period after 1960.
Like many parts of Africa, Somalia was the scene of Cold War action. It was the usual story of both superpowers supplying an unlimited amount of weapons to the area.
Then in the early 1990s the proverbial manure really hit the fan with the well-known consequences. Of the neighboring countries Ethiopia has been the keenest to get involved in the internal affairs of Somalia. The lecturer was optimistic that the current political developments might yield positive results. In his opinion at least some advancement in the political sphere is better than nothing at all.
Because of the civil war there is no functioning central government in Somalia. This has been a great opportunity for the private sector. Apparently it is easy to get a telephone line in a house and there is good internet coverage in the country. There are TV-channels and newspapers. If one has the financial means one can choose an airline from the fifteen available and do some traveling.
Among the audience there was one eager civil servant from the Finnish Immigration Service who wanted to impress others with his knowledge of Somalia. He had these long monologues which were focused on the topic but he wasn’t the main speaker. Why couldn’t he just wait until the lecture ends and then have a conversation with the lecturer? But no, he had to have his moment in the spotlight.
keskiviikko 22. syyskuuta 2010
lauantai 18. syyskuuta 2010
Teresa of Ávila and Somalia
Last Tuesday the AEC had two interesting lectures. The first was about Teresa of Ávila and the second was a continuation of the Somalia topic.
Teresa had quite an interesting life with all her visions of Jesus. Some argue that she encouraged people to enjoy sensual pleasures. This obviously caused some friction with the church. However she was a faithful follower of the church. She was allowed to reform the Carmelite Order and she was given permission to establish the Discalced Carmelites. She was also a prolific writer and published many books.
Then there was the second lecture about Somalia. This time the lecture covered the period from early years until Somali independence. Recently some cave paintings have been discovered in Somalia that date back to 9000-8000BCE. The caves are called Laas Geel. The Egyptians brought back from the area of present day Somalia various raw materials. Around the year 1000 the first mosques were built along the coast. The Chinese explorer Zheng He visited Somalia in the 1400s. Then in the year 1900 Mohammed Abdullah Hassan started a war against the British rule. Independence was gained in 1960 and then nine years later came the military coup.
The lecturer also mentioned the Xeer legal system that was used in Somalia before the Europeans came in the 19th century.
So all in all both lectures were very informative.
Teresa had quite an interesting life with all her visions of Jesus. Some argue that she encouraged people to enjoy sensual pleasures. This obviously caused some friction with the church. However she was a faithful follower of the church. She was allowed to reform the Carmelite Order and she was given permission to establish the Discalced Carmelites. She was also a prolific writer and published many books.
Then there was the second lecture about Somalia. This time the lecture covered the period from early years until Somali independence. Recently some cave paintings have been discovered in Somalia that date back to 9000-8000BCE. The caves are called Laas Geel. The Egyptians brought back from the area of present day Somalia various raw materials. Around the year 1000 the first mosques were built along the coast. The Chinese explorer Zheng He visited Somalia in the 1400s. Then in the year 1900 Mohammed Abdullah Hassan started a war against the British rule. Independence was gained in 1960 and then nine years later came the military coup.
The lecturer also mentioned the Xeer legal system that was used in Somalia before the Europeans came in the 19th century.
So all in all both lectures were very informative.
perjantai 10. syyskuuta 2010
Khaijam and Somalia
Public lectures have once again started at the Adult Education Centre of the City of Helsinki. As always there is a wide selection of lectures to satisfy curious minds.
The first lecture where yours truly went discussed Omar Khaijam, a Persian poet, mathematician and astronomer. The lecture was given by Juha Olavinen who apparently has lectured at the AEC many times. He knew what he was talking about and this ensured that it was easy to listen to him.
The lecture gave a good overview of the life and achievements of Omar Khaijam (1048-1131). During his long life Khaijam achieved many things in different fields. He is best remembered as a poet. His poems were brought to public knowledge in the West by Edward Fitzgerald. In 1850 Fitzgerald published a collection of Khaijam’s works. Though some of the poems are erotic love poems, which explain their popularity, there are also philosophical poems. Khaijam’s relaxed views on wine drinking and views on religion have made him unpopular among those who take the teachings of Quran seriously.
In the field of science Khaijam also achieved a lot. One of his achievements was the invention of ‘x’ in mathematics to describe an unknown factor. Khaijam spent a lot time working in mathematics and he had an important role in the development of the field. Another achievement was the creation of an almanac based on his careful astronomical observations. Apparently it is very accurate and can be used even today.
The other lecture’s topic was Somalia. This was the first lecture in a series of lectures about Somalia. The AEC made a good choice in their selection of the speaker. It would have been terrible had they chose some 22 year old second year university student who had backpacked for three months in Africa and now considers him/herself an expert on Africa. In fact AEC had asked Finland-Somalia society to give the lectures and the first lecture was given by the chairman Yusuf M. Mubarak.
The first lecture was a general overview of Somalia’s history and society. It covered the time before Somalia’s independence and the events after 1960 when Somalia became independent. A recurring theme was the fact that most of its history Somalia has suffered from internal squabbles between different segments of the society. Interesting detail regarding society in general is the fact that the old poetry tradition has suffered as the young have scattered around the world and the old cannot pass on the ancient tradition.
For a more detailed account of Somali history the chairman recommended a book called ‘The scramble in the Horn of Africa’ by Mohamed Osman Omar.
The first lecture where yours truly went discussed Omar Khaijam, a Persian poet, mathematician and astronomer. The lecture was given by Juha Olavinen who apparently has lectured at the AEC many times. He knew what he was talking about and this ensured that it was easy to listen to him.
The lecture gave a good overview of the life and achievements of Omar Khaijam (1048-1131). During his long life Khaijam achieved many things in different fields. He is best remembered as a poet. His poems were brought to public knowledge in the West by Edward Fitzgerald. In 1850 Fitzgerald published a collection of Khaijam’s works. Though some of the poems are erotic love poems, which explain their popularity, there are also philosophical poems. Khaijam’s relaxed views on wine drinking and views on religion have made him unpopular among those who take the teachings of Quran seriously.
In the field of science Khaijam also achieved a lot. One of his achievements was the invention of ‘x’ in mathematics to describe an unknown factor. Khaijam spent a lot time working in mathematics and he had an important role in the development of the field. Another achievement was the creation of an almanac based on his careful astronomical observations. Apparently it is very accurate and can be used even today.
The other lecture’s topic was Somalia. This was the first lecture in a series of lectures about Somalia. The AEC made a good choice in their selection of the speaker. It would have been terrible had they chose some 22 year old second year university student who had backpacked for three months in Africa and now considers him/herself an expert on Africa. In fact AEC had asked Finland-Somalia society to give the lectures and the first lecture was given by the chairman Yusuf M. Mubarak.
The first lecture was a general overview of Somalia’s history and society. It covered the time before Somalia’s independence and the events after 1960 when Somalia became independent. A recurring theme was the fact that most of its history Somalia has suffered from internal squabbles between different segments of the society. Interesting detail regarding society in general is the fact that the old poetry tradition has suffered as the young have scattered around the world and the old cannot pass on the ancient tradition.
For a more detailed account of Somali history the chairman recommended a book called ‘The scramble in the Horn of Africa’ by Mohamed Osman Omar.
keskiviikko 8. syyskuuta 2010
U.S. and Europe
The IHT (6 Sep 2010) had an interesting article by Thomas L. Friedman about how America does not have the financial means to support an all encompassing foreign policy. The United States will have to scale back its presence in the world. Obviously some people will welcome this development. However, this will have serious implications for Europe, for example. Friedman quotes Michael Mandelbaum who argues that when the United States no longer is a large presence on the world stage problems will escalate and disorder becomes more prevalent. Hopefully the EU will have an effective foreign policy in place when serious problems arise in the future. This is an important goal should the U.S. be in a situation where it is unable to give assistance to Europe.
The next day the IHT (7 Sep 2010) published another interesting article which relates to the one mentioned above. The article is by Roger Cohen and it discusses how the US is neglecting Europe at the moment. Because the United States is preoccupied dealing with Al Qaeda and the economic problems (to name but a few issues) Europe has not received much attention from the country. However, as Cohen correctly points out, in the long run this might not be good policy. It would be prudent policy if the US gave Europe more attention because in several areas Europe can be a useful ally.
The next day the IHT (7 Sep 2010) published another interesting article which relates to the one mentioned above. The article is by Roger Cohen and it discusses how the US is neglecting Europe at the moment. Because the United States is preoccupied dealing with Al Qaeda and the economic problems (to name but a few issues) Europe has not received much attention from the country. However, as Cohen correctly points out, in the long run this might not be good policy. It would be prudent policy if the US gave Europe more attention because in several areas Europe can be a useful ally.
torstai 2. syyskuuta 2010
Arms Trade Treaty
If one is to believe the media the weapons that need the most attention are nuclear weapons and also biological and chemical weapons. The media focuses on the above mentioned weapons as if nuclear explosions and attacks with biological weapons were daily occurrences. Long, hard and majestically upwards pointing missiles are, for obvious reasons, appealing to the media. However, the true weapon of mass destruction is the AK-47 assault rifle rather than a nuclear missile.
As has been pointed out, the number of conventional weapons is increasing. But this fact does not get as much attention as the weapons of mass destruction mentioned above even though many of these conventional weapons are ending up in the wrong hands.
Several NGOs have done valuable work to highlight the problems prevalent in the arms trade. Many of these organisations have formed into the ATT Steering Committee which is overseeing the strategic planning of the Arms Trade Treaty initiative. A number of Nobel Peace Laureates are also supportive of the ATT initiative.
NGOs are concerned of the current state of arms trade because when weapons fall into the hands of those who should not have them in the first place – such as “terrorists, insurgents and human rights abusers” – bad things are bound to follow. Weapons in wrong hands a) undermine stability, b) harm development, and c) facilitate violations of human rights. These are the main reasons why NGOs have been trying to get states to agree on an Arms Trade Treaty.
Eye opening events were the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and the revelations of Western states and companies selling weapons to Iraq. These prompted the permanent members of the UN Security Council “to exercise restraint in exports of conventional arms transfers. Suppliers were required to ensure that exports met only the ‘legitimate self-defence’ needs of the recipient and did not contribute to conflict or regional instability or introduce ‘destabilizing military capabilities’ in a region. However, there is no international agreement on what constitutes “legitimate self-defence” or “destabilizing military capabilities”. So this leaves a lot of room for creative minds to export arms where ever they want regardless of the consequences.
Still, while putting stronger controls on the arms trade, the treaty “will make it more straightforward, transparent and objective to trade arms.” The Treaty would not be a disarmament treaty nor would it “affect any state’s sovereign right to self-defence.”
Regional organisations such as the European Union and OSCE, and export control regimes such as the Wassenaar Arrangement, attempt to control arms exports so that weapons would not be used in any illegal activities.
These efforts by various organisations sound very promising but there are problems: “members of the Wassenaar Arrangement have demonstrated contrasting attitudes toward exports of arms and military equipment to a range of destinations.” Also in the European Union there are different views: “…[even though] states have agreed that their export license decision making should be guided by eight criteria relating to issues such as conflict prevention, human rights, and economic development, there appear to have been differences of opinion among members regarding exports to Georgia.” These examples demonstrate how difficult it is to find common criteria that every state would adhere to regarding the arms trade.
To be effective the treaty “must include all types of conventional military equipment, components, small arms and light weapons, explosives, and ammunition that are currently used for serious violations and abuses.” Reaching an agreement that would actually fulfil this goal will be challenging. As with most treaties the ATT also generates differing opinions between governments. In this case there are two groups. According to the first group the July 2010 PrepCom should not deal with difficult issues as these might alienate major arms exporters. The second group of governments argues that the goal should be a treaty that makes a difference, “a treaty that actually saves lives.” However, as we can see from the example of the regional arms trade treaties, it will be a difficult road to reach a strong treaty that will actually make a difference.
Humans have a knack for devising different ways to mutilate and kill one another. Every day people are killed with different weapons. Partly this is made possible by easy access to weapons and ammunition. Many NGOs and some governments are working hard to make it difficult for weapons to end up in the hands of people who will use them to cause harm to fellow humans. However, the goal of the ATT is not to make it harder for states to defend themselves or make it difficult for weapons manufacturers to make their products. If, in the end, governments manage to come up with a strong treaty it would at least make it harder for terrorists and human rights abusers to get their hands on weapons.
Sources
Arms Trade Treaty
L'Atlas du Monde diplomatique (Finnish translation)
Control Arms Campaign
Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Arms Trade Treaty
Holtom, Paul, 'The International Arms Trade: Difficult to Define, Measure and Control' in Arms Control Today, Vol. 40, No. 6, July/August 2010.
Mack, Daniel, 'The Arms Trade Treaty PrepCom: Prepared and Committed?' in Arms Control Today, Vol. 40, No. 6, July/August 2010.
As has been pointed out, the number of conventional weapons is increasing. But this fact does not get as much attention as the weapons of mass destruction mentioned above even though many of these conventional weapons are ending up in the wrong hands.
Several NGOs have done valuable work to highlight the problems prevalent in the arms trade. Many of these organisations have formed into the ATT Steering Committee which is overseeing the strategic planning of the Arms Trade Treaty initiative. A number of Nobel Peace Laureates are also supportive of the ATT initiative.
NGOs are concerned of the current state of arms trade because when weapons fall into the hands of those who should not have them in the first place – such as “terrorists, insurgents and human rights abusers” – bad things are bound to follow. Weapons in wrong hands a) undermine stability, b) harm development, and c) facilitate violations of human rights. These are the main reasons why NGOs have been trying to get states to agree on an Arms Trade Treaty.
Eye opening events were the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and the revelations of Western states and companies selling weapons to Iraq. These prompted the permanent members of the UN Security Council “to exercise restraint in exports of conventional arms transfers. Suppliers were required to ensure that exports met only the ‘legitimate self-defence’ needs of the recipient and did not contribute to conflict or regional instability or introduce ‘destabilizing military capabilities’ in a region. However, there is no international agreement on what constitutes “legitimate self-defence” or “destabilizing military capabilities”. So this leaves a lot of room for creative minds to export arms where ever they want regardless of the consequences.
Still, while putting stronger controls on the arms trade, the treaty “will make it more straightforward, transparent and objective to trade arms.” The Treaty would not be a disarmament treaty nor would it “affect any state’s sovereign right to self-defence.”
Regional organisations such as the European Union and OSCE, and export control regimes such as the Wassenaar Arrangement, attempt to control arms exports so that weapons would not be used in any illegal activities.
These efforts by various organisations sound very promising but there are problems: “members of the Wassenaar Arrangement have demonstrated contrasting attitudes toward exports of arms and military equipment to a range of destinations.” Also in the European Union there are different views: “…[even though] states have agreed that their export license decision making should be guided by eight criteria relating to issues such as conflict prevention, human rights, and economic development, there appear to have been differences of opinion among members regarding exports to Georgia.” These examples demonstrate how difficult it is to find common criteria that every state would adhere to regarding the arms trade.
To be effective the treaty “must include all types of conventional military equipment, components, small arms and light weapons, explosives, and ammunition that are currently used for serious violations and abuses.” Reaching an agreement that would actually fulfil this goal will be challenging. As with most treaties the ATT also generates differing opinions between governments. In this case there are two groups. According to the first group the July 2010 PrepCom should not deal with difficult issues as these might alienate major arms exporters. The second group of governments argues that the goal should be a treaty that makes a difference, “a treaty that actually saves lives.” However, as we can see from the example of the regional arms trade treaties, it will be a difficult road to reach a strong treaty that will actually make a difference.
Humans have a knack for devising different ways to mutilate and kill one another. Every day people are killed with different weapons. Partly this is made possible by easy access to weapons and ammunition. Many NGOs and some governments are working hard to make it difficult for weapons to end up in the hands of people who will use them to cause harm to fellow humans. However, the goal of the ATT is not to make it harder for states to defend themselves or make it difficult for weapons manufacturers to make their products. If, in the end, governments manage to come up with a strong treaty it would at least make it harder for terrorists and human rights abusers to get their hands on weapons.
Sources
Arms Trade Treaty
L'Atlas du Monde diplomatique (Finnish translation)
Control Arms Campaign
Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Arms Trade Treaty
Holtom, Paul, 'The International Arms Trade: Difficult to Define, Measure and Control' in Arms Control Today, Vol. 40, No. 6, July/August 2010.
Mack, Daniel, 'The Arms Trade Treaty PrepCom: Prepared and Committed?' in Arms Control Today, Vol. 40, No. 6, July/August 2010.
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