The world will attain peace, but not through political maneuvers

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Human beings are the core element of this planet. All commercial, political, industrial, and artistic activities are carried out in this world because of us,  human beings. The reason why this world exists and why it was created are ‘human beings’. Countries must prosper, industries, arts, culture and peace must flourish in the world not for a nation, a state, or a corporation, but basically for all human beings.

Politics  is about exercising organized control over human communities. When we look at the practices however, politics has been perceived as a way to manipulate people towards some goals whereas ideally, it must be a way to ensure that each individual attains and enjoys the standards of life they deserve as a human being.

If politics can not accomplish this ideal aim, it is again because of the “human factor” involved in it. If a politician’s primary motive becomes some other concern rather than the well-being of his people, if some other agenda other than the ultimate good of the people are involved, then we can’t expect politics to fulfill its aim.

That is why ethical and moral values are vital in politics. People who have the power to shape this world are also human beings and like any other human being, both in their personal and political lives, they need the guidance of some ethical and moral values, which are essentially provided by the common core values of the three Abrahamic faiths.

The Abrahamic faiths have had a great role in shaping an outlook of life and people’s perceptions of culture and civilization. In this sense, a follower of a religion tends to see things through the perspective of religion. It has been observed that throughout history, faiths encouraged people to live in unity, peace and co-existence whereas religious fanaticism, ideological dissentions and political interests caused conflicts, hostility, violence and destruction.

A correct understanding and practice of religion, entirely purged from extremist and radical elements, is a sound way to build prosperous communities with members who can fully enjoy their civil liberties, democratic rights and everything a person needs to live as a human being. However for this to happen, there is something crucial: religion must never engage in any imposition over politics. Indeed, the warmth, affection and human aspect of religion must be a center of attraction for politicians that will engage their voluntary attention. Political leaders, policy makers and diplomats who put the human element at the core of their practices - with a perspective driven from the warmth of religion - will  make a difference in their approach to problems and conflicts.

For instance, in international relations and diplomacy, instead of presenting lists of issues needing resolution  dominated with technical and political aspects (i.e., visa questions) in a cold and distant matter, such diplomats would instinctively choose to come up with some positive proposals that will lay the ground for more comprehensive systems that will resolve all these issues together  once and for all. Surely such an interaction would again stem from the perspective that the Abrahamic faiths would inspire.

That is because in the Abrahamic faiths’ approach, there is a focus on what unites, and not on what causes division. There is co-existence, collaboration and opting for the common ground for the sake of the good of people, and not separation, self-righteousness, or narrow self-interests. Such people of power who are inspired by the unifying power of religion will  be far more prone to dialogue, empathy and reconciliation and would be more willing to agree on covering the gaps and divergences with an intention to establish peace.

In a policy dominated by the power of these virtues, lovelessness and egoism are replaced by love, affection and empathy, rendering the areas they have influence over livable places. The spread of such a perspective to all levels of governance, on the other hand, will change the face of diplomacy both on the national and international level.

It will not be the smartly devised political maneuvers based on strict interests that will change the world into a better one, but rather heart-warming visions dominated by aspirations for peace, equality and freedom for all people.

Separatist Sentiments in Scotland and the Stability of Europe

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Separatist sentiments have never been so pronounced in Europe since the 1930's. After the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia, the latest country to suffer from this wave became Great Britain, following in the path of Belgium, Spain and Italy. 

The fact that 55% of the Scots refused to separate from Britain seems to have put an end to the debate for now. However,  45% of Scots wanted to be an independent country - and this is not a small group that can be overlooked. Although the result was a relief for Britain, it also shows that independence requests will be raised once again in the not-very-far future. 

Independence wishes are usually related to economic reasons. Part of the Scottish population believe that they are entitled to a bigger share of the oil that Britain produces in the North. Furthermore, London collects high taxes from Scotland. According to those in favor of a 'yes' vote, the taxes should be lower and should be controlled by Edinburgh. 

Even though independence sentiment is based on economic reasons, it could cause more economic problems. For instance, Scotland taking over some of the national debt or switching to a new currency likely would have caused a fresh wave of economic problems. 
Many companies active in Scotland would go back to London, which would mean that many people in Scotland could lose their jobs. 

If Great Britain and Scotland become two different countries, it could take a long time to figure out a way to share the oil revenues, which would deprive Scotland of its current oil revenues for some time, let alone gaining Scotland the new revenue streams that it is expecting. The currency that Scotland is going to use and the process of international recognition were other problems that called for a solution. 

All this makes it clear that in case of independence, Scotland would have faced lots of problems, which would impact not only Scotland but also London and created instability. 
Great Britain should not pretend that there are no problems between the parties, nor should it overly comfortable over the referendum results. Scotland and Great Britain can easily solve their problems finding a middle ground. Needless to say, it is very significant that Scots decided to stay with Britain in this referendum. However, this doesn't change the fact that Britain should be more embracing towards the Scots, and more respectful towards their rights.  
At least a representation system where the parties can consult each other to work out their problems can be created, which will help alleviate the tax burden on Scotland and give it greater shares out of oil revenues to it. 

If these problems remain unsolved and the specter of separatism raises its head in Scotland in the not-too-distant future this could start a chain reaction in Europe, causing more secessions and more separation. Surely, such a movement will badly disrupt the stability of the continent and deepen   the recession already haunting it. 

The reasons why Scots should stay a part of the UK  are much more than those that would justify separation and they are far more important than choosing to live together for pure economic reasons. The way to work out problems between opposing sides goes through love, compassion, mercy, unconditional help, sensitivity, selflessness, friendship, understanding and common sense. 

The dark side of unemployment in the Arab world

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First, If you are unemployed, or experienced unemployment at one point in your life, tell us how has unemployment affected you? Share with us how does it feel to be unemployed?  Let us attempt humanize this problem of unemployment in the Arab world which has turned in to a number in reports and in the media. Second, propose what do you believe needs to be done immediately to tackle unemployment now.   

Whether the solution lies in changing policy, adopting technology or innovation, training, spreading awareness, influencing the private sector, fostering entrepreneurship in a better way, or any other solution that might come to mind; please do tweet it in 140 words on Twitter, share it on Facebook or simply comment on this article

So much has been written on the topic of unemployment in the Arab world that I am convinced that the average Arab in the street has become an expert on the topic.  

The problem of unemployment has sadly become a fact of life in Arab societies.  Ironically, it is also common for those who are suffering from unemployment in the Arab world go to great lengths to hide it from family and community.  

I believe this to be a key reason why the available statistics on unemployment are not very accurate.  This might be one of the reasons why policymakers have not yet fully comprehended the extent of the unemployment problem.

We have all seen how some of the affected hide their current status and choose to live a kind of ‘double-life’ claiming to be -for example- ‘Businessmen or businesswomen’, ‘self-employed’ Brokers, Freelancers or consultants. What is worrying in this case is when an unemployed person is forced to actually assume these roles not by choice or qualification, but out of desperation or lack of alternatives. Another way I have personally observed how unemployment affects individuals is when the unemployed chooses to disappear or minimise their engagement with relatives and community.  

They do so because they dread having to explain themselves when that embarrassing and awkward question is asked “So how is work? Or what are you doing nowadays”?  Unemployment is not only a problem in the Arab world, it is also a stigma.  

The price of it is too high and it’s the society that will eventually have to pick up the tab at the end of the road.  How high has the price of unemployment been in the Arab world you might ask? Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Syria and other Arab countries that have felt the winds of the so called ‘Arab Spring’ is a good place to start the answer with.  If you go deep into the eye of the storm that has become known as the ‘Arab Spring’ you will find that it was mainly fuelled by the prevailing status quo of unemployment among the youth and social inequality.

Throughout the years there have been countless solutions that have been proposed to address the problem of unemployment in the Arab world.  You might have noticed that these proposed solutions share two key common traits: First, most of the solutions are either from foreign entities or from policymakers. They claim to feel the weight of the problem, but is it really the same to being unemployed and having to carry the burden of unemployment every day? Are they too far from the problem? The second trait you might have observed is the impracticality of some of the solutions. Looking at some of these solutions, sometimes I am led to think that some experts are so out of touch with reality that they are borderline delusional.  

Let’s take for example the common proposition we keep hearing whenever unemployment is discussed in the Arab world which advocates the review, overhaul and change of the education system.  Such a feat could take decades in some of the Arab countries. Or how about the recently trending yet potentially perilous solution proposed by the advocates of “promote entrepreneurship instead of employment” movement.  

I am all for entrepreneurship, however the brutal truth of the matter is this; jobseekers are only concerned with solutions that address questions such as; will any of these solutions help them find a job that will provide them with a stable income, security, or a decent life for themselves and their families?  Will any of these solutions provide them with a formal identity (also known as status) in their community or country say, tomorrow, or next month? Or even sometime this year? The truth is, I have yet to meet a jobseeker who is interested in long term solutions derived from economic or social theory.  

Our dilemma today lies in a simple fact, and that is we have been addressing an old pressing problem that requires immediate intervention with long term “potential” solutions.  

This post is not about discussing the challenges that face unemployment AGAIN.  Neither am I interested in proposing ‘potential solutions’ that require years of research to implement.  What I am interested in is prompting all the stakeholders of this problem –the jobseekers, employers, policymakers and society- to take an immediate remedial action now.  How can we achieve this? First, by getting our voices heard about how it really feels to be unemployed to the concerned.  Hopefully, this might change the way the unemployed are viewed by policymakers, decision makers and society; as ‘real’ people with ‘real’ problems as opposed to being viewed simply as statistics or bureaucratic processes that need to be processed.
 
Second, I want this article to be a platform where readers voice out what they think should be the immediate and rational steps that need to be taken NOW in order that we begin stimulating the job market and creating jobs.  So here is my ‘call to action’;

First, If you are unemployed, experienced unemployment at one point in your life or know someone who is going through unemployment, tell us how has unemployment affected the unemployed? Tell us how does it feel to be unemployed?  Let us humanize this problem of unemployment in the Arab world.

Second, propose what do you believe needs to be done immediately to tackle unemployment now.   

Whether the solution lies in changing policy, adopting technology or innovation, training, spreading awareness, influencing the private sector, fostering entrepreneurship in a better way, or any other solution that might come to mind; please do tweet it in 140 words on Twitter on the following Hashtag #ArabUnemployed.   Share your thoughts on MBC Time’s Facebook page or simply comment on this article.  Whatever you do, remember, jobseekers are real people with immediate needs.  Long term solutions and theories might look attractive, but what everyone in the community is interested in pragmatic and immediate solutions to an urgent problem

Abortion – The fundamental right of a Woman

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Aborting is a topic of great debate around the world, due to its political, moral and ethical debate. I believe it is the fundamental right of any woman to decide as to whether or not she has children and to have control over her own body.  A number of countries deny a woman the right to abortion due to religious doctrine.  Politics and religious doctrine put these laws into place, some would say to control and dominate woman.  We are supposedly living in a world where woman have equal rights but this is sadly not the case in some countries where the right to abortion is denied. According to the World health organisation the Abortion rate worldwide has dropped due to increased use and understanding of modern contraceptives, however abortion rates are similar in countries where abortion is legal and illegal. Currently seven countries in Europe and the Americas ban abortion entirely! Recently Ireland was in the middle of such controversy when a 31 year old Indian lady Savita Halappanavar died from blood poisoning after being denied an abortion at 17 weeks citing Irelands Catholic social policies. Dr Katherine Astbury, was unable to authorise the termination as under Irish law there had to be a “real and substantial risk” to the patient before termination could be carried out.  She believed there was still "a small prospect the foetus would be viable" when Savita first began to show signs of ill health.  Savita was made to wait for three days until the foetus died, she then died four days later in intensive care from multi-organ failure from septic shock and E coli.  The inquest ruled that Savita died from “medical misadventure” "Medicine is all about improving patients' health and life. And look what they did. She was left there to die. It's horrendous, barbaric and inhuman the way Savita was treated in that hospital," said husband Praveen Halappanavar.

This case has highlighted a two decade long debate that has been active in Ireland regarding abortion law.  A 1992 supreme court ruled that termination was necessary and legal to save a woman’s life, however no actual law has ever been passed due to successive governments in Ireland fearing voter backlash, with many catholic members professing to lobby against it with backing from the Catholic Church.  It also leaves doctors in fear of prosecution for murder if they carry out terminations.

Prime Minister Rajoy has also come under pressure by the Catholic Church to repeal the Abortion laws currently in place in Spain.  One of Rajoy’s election pledges in 2011 was to repeal the abortion law making it illegal to abort a deformed foetus.  However there has been an outcry from socialist members of parliament. Deputy secretary-general Elena Valenciano was quoted as saying "And women, that is to say mothers, don't they have a word in this? Ministers, judges, bishops, scientists are going to decide what we should do with our motherhood. They know. We obey and shut up. Amen".  According to a poll published in El Pais in 2012, 81% of Spaniards agree with the right to terminate a foetus when it is malformed.  Could Rajoy’s hesitation be because he is actually listening to the voice of the people?

Once again Opus Dei has reared its head in Irish Government with Dr John Crown a Seaned member of the upper house, calling for all members of the two houses of parliament to declare their allegiance to any secret organisations stating "there are potential conflicts of interest if one believes that one is answering to a higher authority than the parliament of the republic".  He believes Opus Dei are a “major player” in preventing abortion laws being put into place.  I believe it is a sad state of affairs when politics and religion dictate whether women live or die. | Picture: Haiti Adoption Program

Sweden to give six hour workday a go

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Revolution in the labor market? Well.. why not? The municipal workers in Gothenburg (Sweden) will work six hours workday without lowering their wages as part of an experiment that seeks to increase work efficiency and save money. "I think it is time to seriously try this strategy in Sweden ," said Mats Pilhem to the newspaper 'The Local', Gothenburg's Deputy Mayor and member of the Left Party.

The workers were divided into two groups: one experimental work under a schedule of six hours, and the other will have the conventional seven-hour working day. All workers will receive the same payment .

"Let's compare the two groups", explains Pilhem . "We hope the shorter workday workers results in less dis-enrolled and better feeling physically and mentally."

The experimental schedule was tested in the car factory in Gothenburg and the results were promising, Pilhem added, who seek to increase productivity, and to create more jobs to lower the unemployment in the country.

The plan has been criticized as an attempt to gain popularity before the election , but Pilhem denied it saying : " We have long been working on it , we have not planned for just before the election".

Visca Catalunya Lliure

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Pro-independence demonstrators - David Ramos/Getty Images.

Pro-independence demonstrators - David Ramos/Getty Images.

The catalans have never been closer to the independence before, with flags, posters and graffiti with Visca Catalunya Lliure wherever you go. In fact the Catalan government have gone so far as to decide the referendum day. The 9 of november 2014 is the day when the catalans will vote for or against the referendum. According to the catalans, 54% of the population would vote for the independence today, a figure that Madrid see with great fear  and is doing everything on its power to call off this democratic event. Every year massive demonstrations take place on the 11th of September (Day of La Diada), organized by the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) with over 1.5 million participants in Barcelona, the same organization has again proven its ability to mobilize the citizenry with an impressive human chain that went from one end of Catalonia to the other, some 400 kilometers, and linked up with Valencia in the South and Northern Catalonia to the north. Although the demonstration was covered by many international media outlets last year, this year the Catalan Way was designed to call attention to and amplify the demands for independence throughout the world. And it did so in spades, even before the hundreds of thousands of participants began to join hands at 17:14 (5:14pm local time). Over the last few days, in fact, many news outlets have talked about the Catalan Way, and the coverage only got stronger throughout the morning. The spectacular success of the human chain placed the Catalan Way on many front pages by midday, as was the case of the Wall Street Journal and Aljazeera, and The Guardian asked its readers for photographs and videos of the impressive mobilization.

VilaWeb has a complete listing of articles that have appeared in the principal media all over the world. I have listed here only the English-language sources. You can find the complete list of world news sources in the original article, which includes new stories published in Remember that Google's Translator can be used to translate articles into whatever language suits you best.

Visca Catalunya Lliure, Never change a winning game

The members of the Asemblea Nacional Catalana (ANC) must have been thinking. On August 23, 1989, the Baltic states organized a 600 kilometer long human chain towards independence. Not long after, the sovereign states of Lithuania (1990), Latvia, and Estonia (both 1991) were a fact. Really only one day can be taken into consideration for such a ‘Via Catalana’: la Diada, the National Day of Catalonia on September 11, the day the Catalan troops were defeated by the army of Philip V of Spain, almost three hundred years ago. Since that day in 1714 Catalonia is not a state anymore but, according to nationalists, just a nation – and also that is denied by Madrid, backed by the Spanish Constitutional Court.

All people were born to be free

With love the Catalans expressed their voice to the world (In the picture a couple draped with Catalonian national flags kiss in Barcelona - AP Photo: Paco Resinelli). Given that all people live in society , the desire for individual freedom also becomes a right to collective freedom.

Hence the whole community recognized as such, as a group, as a people , as a nation, and of course, as a class, have the inalienable right to decide their future.

As expected this September 11th the people of Catalonia will again take the streets to demand something that is obvious and logical : the right to be free to decide as a people on all aspects of our future .

This September 11th we are faced with multiple calls to the streets to demand the right to decide

In this regard, we recall that the CGT anarchist union does not just want to be able to choose if it’s Catalan or Spanish leaders who increase massive layoffs and social cuts. We don’t just want the right to decide if it’s Brussels , Madrid or Barcelona who will govern us by decree.

The CGT does not want an independent Catalonia that continues like now , where there are 873,000 people unemployed , with 50% of young people unemployed and forced to emigrate to find work , with tens of thousands of malnourished children. We do not want a country where every day working conditions are cut even more, where Rights achieved through many years of struggle are removed by Decree, while the Public Administration continues transferring thousands of millions of euros to support the banks and pay debt interest .

Permanent Secretariat of the CGT Catalonia

We reject that dissent is being repressed, while police abuse is concealed, as well as abuse in prisons , and the impunity of the powerful is reinforced, extending and endlessly delaying Corruption Court cases such as Palau, Camarga, Noos, Ferrovial, Pretòria, Mercuri, etc. .

From CGT Catalonia we demand these Rights, as part of a process of personal and social emancipation, which, as well as guaranteeing us self-determination and self-management in all areas of life, should generate a culture and pattern of  behavior where all aspects of our lives are decided in common .

We demand the  right to self-determination and self-management , collective and individual and without conditions or threats , a real and unlimited right to decide . We want to be able to decide our future and constantly practice self- determination in our lives. We want the right to decide our own economic, political, social and personal models.

We must be allowed to decide in what language we speak and express ourselves, but also allowed to decide what we want as an economic model . One that allows us to decide to rescue people, not banks, the ability to the prioritise the right of access and use of empty property above housing speculation. Rights that allow us to go beyond just another State as we know them, beyond our routine of elections every four years , beyond the show of political professionals, either based in Brussels, Madrid and Barcelona, where most of them do practically nothing .

We want to decide on the right to decent housing for quality, universal Public Services.

We need to be able to decide on the model of production and employment relations, on the systems of production of wealth and its distribution. Deciding is also about rights to choose over our own bodies, on the type of food free of  GMOs, on our leisure, cultural policy and more social rights.

For all these reasons , many of us, female and male, will taken to the streets this September 11th. We will demonstrate in different ways and places, but sharing a common will.

The Right to self-determination that we demand, as part of the Catalan people, is not just the fact of deciding what relationship we have with the Spanish State. It’s more than that. We’re facing towards building a free future of solidarity and without capitalist exploitation or oppression of any state.

  • "We were born to be free , and we want to be" - Permanent Secretariat of the CGT Catalonia for September 11 , 2013.

Spanish way of answer

The protest in Catalonia was peaceful, but a small group of Spanish fascists in Madrid stormed their way into the office of the Catalan government's delegation building in the capital.

Television images showed about 10 men with Spanish fascist flags shouting, pushing people, knocking over furniture and hitting a journalist's TV camera. They yelled "Catalonia is Spain!" and quickly left, but reportedly opened a tear gas container, forcing the 100 or so people gathered there to evacuate.

Francisco Franco

The history does not help Spain against the peaceful people of Catalunya. During Francisco Franco's fascist dictatorship from 1939-1975, the Catalan language was banned in schools, publishing and from public use.

Despite sharing many cultural traits with the rest of Spain, many Catalans claim a deep cultural difference based on their language, which is spoken side-by-side with Spanish in the wealthy region.

Artur Mas

Catalonia's regional leader Artur Mas has promised to hold a referendum on independence in 2014 (9/11/2014), but the Madrid-based government has said that such a vote would be unconstitutional.

Artur Mas, as Luther King: "The XXI century will be the century in which Catalonia will recover its freedom".