Eisha Mason, who spoke on an outstanding panel in early December at the Agape Spiritual Center in Los Angeles, knocked me out with her eloquence and intelligence about what makes sense for the U.S. to do in these challenging times. What she was talking about I found all written up in this document from the Center for the Advancement of Nonviolence, an outstanding L.A. based organization where she is the Executive Director. This is a must read that will help everyone focus on vital actions for this country to take.
-Suzanne-

December 17, 2001

Seven Keys to a Safer Nation
Center for the Advancement of Nonviolence

1. Strengthen International Institutions and Commit to International Cooperation

Take appropriate international police action rather than war in response to 9-11.

Pay United Nations dues and cooperate with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague.

Live by international human rights agreements such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, Convention Against Torture, The Geneva Conventions etc.

Sign, ratify and abide by International Treaties.

2. Stop International Money-Laundering

Changing U.S. bank secrecy laws to pierce the global money-laundering system is as essential to stopping terrorism as military force and diplomatic moves. This structure is allowed to exist by agreement of the world's banks and financial powers that benefit from it.

Support immediate passage of legislation sponsored by Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), which addresses tax havens, and get behind efforts by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to crack down on enclaves of bank and corporate secrecy.

3. Enforce Restrictions on Arms Trade

The U.S. is the world's number one arms exporter in arms deals to both the developed and developing world. ($18.6 billion in the year 2000). The U.S. has supplied arms or military technology to 39 of the 42 active conflicts worldwide (more than 92%). U. S. gun industry sold at least twenty-five of the dangerous 50 caliber sniper rifles to the Al Qaeda organization.

Promote efforts to create a "Code of Conduct" governing countries eligible to receive U.S. weapons based on criteria such as human rights & democracy. (Center for Defense Information & the Violence Policy Center)

4. Cease Covert Operations & Close Military Training Schools

Cease covert operations that undermine the sovereignty of nations, including the overthrow of democratically elected governments (i.e., Chile, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Iran, etc.).

Close the US Army School of the Americas (SOA), now called Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHISC). Among the SOA's nearly 60,000 graduates are notorious dictators Manuel Noriega and Omar Torrijos of Panama, Leopoldo Galtieri and Roberto Viola of Argentina, Juan Velasco Alvarado of Peru, and Hugo Banzer Suarez of Bolivia.

5. Eliminate Weapons of Mass Destruction

The current explosive power of America's nuclear warheads is 100,000 times greater than the single Hiroshima bomb.

Deny funding for any program, project or activity that is inconsistent with the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. Support the Space Preservation Act of 2001 (HR2977 - banning space based weapons), introduced by Congressman Dennis Kucinch.

Increase, rather than cut, funding programs to safeguard nuclear materials in the former USSR.

Scale down U.S. arsenal to reduce the nuclear danger and begin a phase-out of the 103 nuclear power plants currently operating in the U.S.

6. Address Root Causes of Violence-Poverty, Inequity & Hopelessness

Reform the policies and practices of the World Bank, the World Trade Organization, and the International Monetary Fund. Incorporate core international worker rights into the international trading system, adopt existing legal mechanism for implementing accountability, forgive loans in proportion to the institution responsibility for their failure and place corporate behavior on the agenda.

The U.S. currently contributes less foreign aid per capita than any other developed nation. Use U.S. power, resources and technology to design and implement a development plan in Latin America, Asia & Africa that will achieve sustainability and improve quality of life.

End the economic embargo on Iraq. Targeting civilians with the intention of pressuring their governments does not make us safe. According to the United Nations, the decade-long food and drug embargo on Iraq directly contributed to the death of 500,000 children while having no impact on Saddam Hussein.

7. Decrease our dependency on oil.

Improve the fuel efficiency of cars, trucks and SUVs. According to NRDC, by raising the average gas mileage of all new cars to 40 mpg, our country would save more than 50 billion barrels of oil over the next 50 years. By the year 2020, this would mean a savings of more than 3 million barrels every day – which is more than the amount of oil we now import from the Persian Gulf.

Make development of renewable energy alternatives a national priority.

Expand public transportation systems.

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International Treaties not ratified by the United States

Landmine Treaty: Every country in the Western Hemisphere except the United States and Cuba have signed it. The United States continues to research and develop weapon systems that would be banned under the Ottawa Landmines Treaty.

Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty: bans all nuclear explosions, for military or civilian purposes. The Treaty cannot take effect until all 44 countries that possess nuclear weapons sign or ratify the treaty. The U.S. is among the 13 who did not ratify it.

Illicit Trade in Small Arms & Light Weapons Treaty: The US now accounts for nearly 50% of the $53.4 billion annual market, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS)

Convention on the Rights of the Child: Only two countries have not ratified: the United States, which has signaled its intention to ratify by formally signing the Convention, and Somalia.

The International Criminal Court Treaty (ICC): 120 countries voted to adopt the treaty. Only 7 voted against it (including China, Israel, Iraq, and the United States) and 21 abstained. Before the Court can be set up, 60 countries need to ratify the treaty. Currently the Rome Statute of the ICC has 139 Signatories and 47 Ratification.

The Kyoto Accord: Is designed to limit the gas emissions blamed by scientists for global warming. Bush says cutting emissions is not in the US interest...

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"Ignorance and misinformation, if allowed to prevail in foreign policy, can handicap this country's security. America's leadership must be guided by the lights of learning and reason or else those who confuse rhetoric with reality and the plausible with the possible will gain the popular ascendancy with their seemingly swift and simple solutions to every world problem..."
President J. F. Kennedy, 1963

Center for the Advancement of Nonviolence


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