"We are no longer afraid": the world at the threshold of a new dawn

An interview with Federico Mayor Zaragoza

by Carmen Font

In an interview, renowned Spanish peace and democracy activist, Professor Federico Major Zaragoza, discusses the shifts in power now underway that are empowering the people of the developing world. (March 2012)

Professor Federico Mayor Zaragoza (born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1934) is a respected figure in Spain and abroad for his tireless work for peace and development. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Professor Mayor, a biochemist by profession, held several senior ministerial posts in the Spanish transition governments and later as Member of the European Parliament. He gained widespread international recognition during his mandate as director-general of UNESCO from 1987 to 1999, a period in which he gave new momentum to the organisation's mission and worked towards creating the Culture of Peace Program. In 1999, he decided not to run for a third term with UNESCO and, on returning to Spain, created Fundación Cultura de Paz, (The Foundation for the Culture of Peace) of which he is chairman. Federico Mayor shares his thoughts and actions about the latest important developments in the past year. Carmen Font interviewed him for Share International.

Federico Mayor Zaragoza

Share International: We have seen in recent months unheard-of expressions of people power in the Arab World. Do you see these expressions as leading us towards more robust local and global democracy, or are there still many pitfalls along the way?

Federico Mayor: There are many pitfalls along the way. But at the same time this is a path that won't stop and it is on solid ground. In 1994 I wrote the book Crime of Silence because I realised back at that time that silence could no longer prevail. When we cannot raise our voice because we are not allowed to or because we are unable to raise it, then we have the silence of the silenced. But it reaches a point in which that silence is that of the 'silent ones', of the people who can talk but refuse to do so. We have borne witness to what happens in the world, but we have not intervened. From now on, due to the new communication technologies, this silence does not make any sense. What's more, it is a duty to speak and express oneself. And we are no longer afraid. Look how the movement of the Puerta del Sol [also known as the Indignados] has moved onto cyberspace and occupies a place without borders. It has moved on to Wall Street, and to the "We are the 99 per cent" – the Occupy movement.

In the 1980s we made the big mistake of allowing everything we had struggled for in the past – democratic rights, social rights, solidarity – to be cast aside so that the laws governing market forces could guide the world. Then, experts armed with MBA titles [master's degree in business administration] transformed us into imitative and repetitive people who could only be responsive to marketing and outsourcing. They replaced two very important aspects for the human species: they replaced ethical values with market values, that is, prices. And, as the Spanish poet Antonio Machado said, "Only the foolish confuse value with price."

They also replaced the United Nations, a democratic institution on a global scale that, despite all its defects, allows all peoples and nations in the world, united by a common destiny, to be united to "avoid the horror of war" for the generations to come. The United Nations had gone through several developments until, in 2003, George Bush gathered a G-20 group of 20 developing nations and decreed a 'heroic' rescue of financial institutions, whereby those nations which were already rather impoverished due to a de-localisation and privatisation of their productivity, lost even more wealth. As a result, that power was given to banks which gradually incurred huge debts. The collapsing banks were rescued, and now, as a consequence of this 'management', we have the following situation in the international scene: the banks are getting richer, and the nations are getting poorer and poorer.

SI: But now market forces, although they still rule the economy, are increasingly and openly questioned by civil society and by more and more politicians. What specific alternatives are now available to replace market forces with an economy based on sharing? We are witnessing impressive developments in Latin American countries.

FM: Market forces are a Western invention. As I know from direct and personal political experience for many years now, the United States were used to interfering in Latin American democracies in order to fight 'communism'. But they forgot one communist country, China. Now China is the factory of the world, but we don't pay much attention to their labour regulations. We don't see those who suffer cruel working conditions, we only see the low prices and we are led by greed. The world as a whole is full of inconsistencies. The Western world is adrift for having changed its democratic and ethical principles to favour the market, and for having replaced the UN with plutocratic groups.

However, Latin America is going through a time of positive change now because it has abandoned those instruments of domination (the IMF and the World Bank) and is looking for a redefined new future. The emancipation of Latin America represented by CELAC (the Community of States in Latin America and the Caribbean) is very important, because these countries are still friends with their Iberian fathers and their elder brother, the USA, but they no longer depend on them.

Africa is waking up, and then we have Asia in which, apart from the big question mark that China poses, we have India, which is going through wondrous development, as well as south-eastern Asia. We Europeans are too used to looking at ourselves. We were an important moral force and now we are adrift because we accepted the unwise rules of Thatcher and Reagan that made us change our principles to suit those of the stock market.

I have proposed to the international community, to this Europe which is adrift, that precisely because it has abandoned its moral and political principles, Europe should issue a universal statement in favour of democracy. And say that, despite this Europe which is sinking, this very same Europe also vindicates now social justice and solidarity. Such a step would inspire us and other peoples morally at a time when it is most needed. Europe cannot continue with its closed doors and minds. We still have NATO within our borders and that means that European security is still dependent on an American general, and our military expenditure is too large. In this sense, I must add that the American President Obama has been courageous in confronting the Pentagon with military budget cuts.

SI: In this regard, you have recently proposed the proper implementation of the Tobin Tax.

FM: We have had several meetings about a proper implementation of the Tobin Tax, which is still a very valid instrument for guaranteeing a sound economy. In 2005 the then French President Jacques Chirac, the former Chilean President Ricardo Lagos and former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (who, at Porto Alegre, promoted the establishment of financial alternatives), together with former UN General Secretary Kofi Annan and former Spanish President José Luís Rodríguez Zapatero, advocated alternatives so that rich countries could fulfil their duties towards developing countries and avoid exploitation. Their main concern was that financial institutions did not exploit those countries, but that financial institutions were, ideally, a vehicle to attract more clients. We are always complaining that we are short of customers. We want to sell more items to 20 per cent of the global village, that is, the rich countries, instead of broadening the number of customers, in a sustainable manner, of course. The Tobin Tax was meant to help in this regard. But now it is used for paying the debt in a vicious circle. Most renowned economists agree that there is no growth without incentives. Even though I am not an economist, in my experience and from the vantage point I have observed and participated in world affairs, I can tell that we won't create jobs or wealth if we only apply indiscriminate cuts.

"… education is the solution. There is no genuine democracy without participation, if leaders and parliamentarians do not truly represent the voice of the people. To mobilise, to take a stand, to get involved it is necessary to have time for reflection. It is essential to listen to the world. To observe it, which is much more than merely looking at it. To have a planetary vision, a conscience of the whole of humanity, which will enable us to react without having to wait for tsunamis to jolt our emotions and prompt us to take action.

Those in power, who have always kept their distance from citizens who, with increased confidence are taking the stage, never realised the power of a virtual revolution. The capacity for participation at a distance (via mobile phones, SMS, internet…) will change present consultation and election procedures. In synthesis, democracy."

(From The Crime of Silence, p.18)

SI: For many people, these cuts are synonymous with fear. They stand for the fear, the cowardice and the lack of vision of contemporary politicians and institutions. You have written and spoken extensively about fear, the way in which it prevents us from being active citizens in the world. Do you see, once and for all, an end to fear in this global crisis that has sparked off people power?

FM: Fear is intrinsic to human existence. There have always been men throughout history who have ruled with an absolute power that claimed the lives of other men. This absolute power fed on fear and created subjects, not citizens, and therefore societies have developed an inherent fear. But now people are realising that life might be a miracle, is certainly a mystery, and that life has to be experienced with intensity. We have to make the most of life and give it a rich texture. We must aspire to a lack of fear, because for the first time in history, thanks in part to the new technologies of communication, we are able to get rid of fear. Now, women and men can express themselves freely and globally.

This is related to an important remark you made previously. The people's voice gives us the opportunity to explore genuine democratic ways on a local and global scale, because till now democracy has been reduced to voting and being counted in elections. From now on, citizens' participation will mean a gradual intensification of its expression. The technologies of communication allow citizens to participate in an open environment which knows no physical borders; this will impose itself and we will see more consolidated democracies as well as the possibility to correct those tendencies which run contrary to human dignity. We won't only improve the quality of the fragile democracies that we have nowadays, but we will make specific proposals for a different future. I think people power is an unstoppable movement, but it will cease being a protest movement to become a movement with proposals.

SI. Could you venture some predictions for the year 2012?

FM: I think 2012 will be a good year, and it might be that President Obama is re-elected. Even though he has been hemmed in so that his concept of solidarity towards poor people in the US did not prevail, Obama could re-establish the multilateral system in the world. And this is essential, because we cannot continue deciding things such as killing Gadaffi instead of protecting the civil population in Libya; we cannot perpetuate the current chaos in Syria, or engage in Iran to do what we did in Iraq. Acting multilaterally would mark a new beginning in the management of world affairs. And as far as Western economies are concerned, I think that eventually Europe will realise that austerity and cuts are not the way to create jobs and growth. We will return to a relocalisation of production, since we have handed over this responsibility to third parties who do not respect human rights, and, this, as I was saying before, is an act of irresponsibility and greed. The Mayas got it right when they noted that this would be a 'Baktun' year, that is, a year of a new beginning or a "new dawn" – as they say.

Recently, we had the Davos summit, and I am not at all interested in Davos because the pundits who represent it are simply prolonging the death throes of the capitalist system as we have known it.

Can the World be Fixed?

Yes, if:

1. Democracy is consolidated and political leaders take the reins instead of bowing to pressure from financial institutions, and replace our present speculation-based economy with a knowledge-based economy.
2. Investment in weapons and military spending is reduced and more money is devoted to global sustainable development, significantly increasing the number of people who benefit from progress.
3. Tax havens are decisively closed down and alternative financing measures are put into place, such as fees for electronic transactions.
4. Once and for all, the plutocratic G7, G8, G20 ... factions imposed by the 'globalisers' are dissolved and the United Nations is reinforced and endowed with the means for fulfilling its worldwide security missions, enforcing international law, including the World Trade Organisation and ensuring that the World Bank and International Monetary Fund carry out the goals for which they were founded, with rapid deployment of UN Blue Helmets, rather than remaining as passive witnesses to genocide and massive human rights violations, and if the actions of Red Helmets are co-ordinated, being specially prepared to reduce the impact of natural or man-made disasters....
5. It is decided overnight that drugs are worthless and are made universally available at reasonable prices, as is the case with alcohol and tobacco. This legalisation would be accompanied, as warranted, by a campaign in the communications media, educational institutions, etc, to discourage drug use and clinical treatment to cure addiction.
6. Citizens the world over, aware of the power of distance participation, cease to be resigned receivers and turn to action.

(From The Crime of Silence, p.21)

At a certain point, Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev brought about the collapse, without any bloodshed, of a Communist system which had been based on equality but had forgotten about freedom and justice. But we must not forget that without equality and justice, the freedom provided by the capitalist system does not serve its purpose, and this is allowing for the collapse of the capitalist system. This collapse is what we are seeing now. We can no longer privilege a few in order to continue with a system that is finished.

We have to invent another system, invent another United Nations. Roosevelt was right: we, peoples, have to rule, absolute power must not - the absolute power of the G7 or the G20. You will see: the United Nations will be re-established with a Security Council that is based not only on territorial rights and the resolution of conflicts, but it will also have a very significant environmental section, a socio-economic Security Council, and it will be closer to real problems. This will allow us all to feel represented in a fair and dignified way by the United Nations. You will see that. The General Assembly won't have only states, but it will consist of 50 per cent states and 50 per cent of representatives of civil society.

I think we have to be hopeful because the human species has been given the divine capacity to create. The United Nations will not continue if nations are not united. Therefore, we cannot allow that its own creators abandon it, like the US, which is complaining that Palestine has been readmitted as a state with full rights. In fact, these attitudes are outworn; this arrogance does not produce the same effect as in the past. We can perceive a positive change in human feelings, and thanks to the new technologies of communication and information we will open up important spaces of power and representation throughout the world. We are, indeed, at the threshold of a new dawn.

For more information: www.fund-culturadepaz.org
Federico Mayor Zaragoza's book The Crime of Silence is available free online at the website above.

Filed in: externally authored, in the news, spiritual politics

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