UNICEF, EMOPS:))

After my sentiments following the United Nations Graduate Study Program (UNGSP) and my fight to maintain my idealism, I never expected my next blog would have the title "UNICEF, EMOPS." Alhamdudillah, I've been guided and given this great opportunity that is slowly restoring my faith and confidence in the UN system.

So what is EMOPS exactly? It's the UNICEF acronym for the Office of Emergency Programmes where I now intern in Geneva! The UNICEF speaker who addressed my UNGSP class was kind enough to send my resume to her co-workers and for that I am very thankful! In retrospect, I am much more grateful to the administration of the UNGSP! Perhaps the lesson to be learned here is this: a treasure may lie in front of us, but often we need to take a step back to really understand and appreciate its true beauty.

I am so excited that my Path to Peace has brought me back to Geneva for another 3 months! GS and I were actually interviewed by the UN Communications department as "future UN prospects" for the OHCHR website, so perhaps there was something to that:)) And I am so happy as my UN dreams live on again and my idealism has returned!!! And maybe, just maybe I can one day make the world a better place:))

So a bit about UNICEF's mission for those wanting to learn more. It is guided by the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) with a special mandate to protect children and women across the world. On an operational basis, it uses a sectoral cluster approach to provide health, education, protection, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and nutrition services to children and women.

At the heart of the organization is an overall theme of the importance of partnership in combatting the issues of human insecurity facing today's women and children. UNICEF works with other UN agencies, such as UNHCR, UNDP, and UNIFEM, to coordinate emergency response within a conflict. It's unique comparative advantage lies in its wide range of partners , from civil society, media, the corporate sector, governments to knowledge partners and academic institutions. Further, UNICEF does not rely on the general UN pool for funding but is sponsored by donations from you: individuals and sponsors. This has had a positive impact within the organization in reducing some of the administrative and bureaucratic problems associated with other UN organizations.

So what specifically is my job? I work primarily as a research assistant for the 2010 Humanitarian Action Report (HAR). It is a flagship document used for fundraising and advocacy for 28 countries in emergencies across the world. It's been a great experience so far and I'm very, very thankful for the amazing team I work with. I've had to liase with country offices and I've done a great deal of research on the major issues anticipated to affect children in 2010: the financial crisis, climate change and sexual violence.

But more than anything, it's been a true learning experience for me! It has introduced me to a new world of humanitarian policy and enhanced my burgeoning interest in gender and conflict! UNICEF has also been an eye opener to the UN world which I'm starting to enjoy, appreciate and love! I will write shortly about my trip home to Trinidad and Tobago to facilitate the conflict and peacebuilding track of the Youth Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

I'm happy to have my two paths in front of me and in time and after lots of prayer, will decide which is the right path or if perhaps there is a path that links the UN and conflict to my sweet, sweet Trinbago! Cheers to all my readers!

United Nations Graduate Study Programme

Recently, I had the pleasure of participating in the United Nations Graduate Study Programme (UNGSP 2009) organized around the theme "The United Nations: Working to Reduce the Impact of the Economic Crisis on Human Rights, Development and the Environment." The programme consisted of "an intensive three-week series of lectures and panel discussions focusing on United Nations activities and working groups to formulate conclusions and proposals." I met some truly amazing young people, had a wonderful time exploring Geneva and have no doubt made some friends for life. Yet, unexpectedly, the UNGSP challenged who I am (my morals, values and ideals) to the very core.

Most group programs I have been on (Washington Semester, Caux Scholars, Commonwealth Youth Leaders) have been quite different to the UNGSP. The former three programs all left me re-energized in spirit and determined to make a positive difference in this world. The UNGSP, on the other hand, left me fighting for my idealism. Held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, the program fulfilled its objective of giving participants an insider's look into the inner workings of the UN. It did such a good job that I became lost in a world of politics that seemed so difficult to maneuver and that left me questioning the very values of truth, justice and equality, the UN was created to uphold. How can any institution spread morals and values that it fails to implement itself?

Retrospectively, I do still want to work for the UN, perhaps more than before, but my rationale has now changed. The work of the UN is not only about peacekeeping, human rights and conflict resolution, but rather it entails creating positive change on both individual and organizational levels. Trust, honesty, justice and equality must be upheld within any organization before these values can be perpetuated across the world.

Yet, perhaps I still have not learned the lesson and remain too idealistic. The UN after all is made up of country states which all have their own national agendas. Can global politics be more than a zero-sum game? Can national interest and global human interest coexist or work to reinforce each other? Many foreign policy analysts would say no. Yet I continue to dream, of a "real idealism" a world in which ideal values can be realistically implemented. UN staff members need to start by taking a deep introspective look within themselves. Are we being honest? Are we just? Or have we already accepted the rules of the game and do we seek our own advancement on these rules, without questioning whether these rules are right or not?

I am not sure how I can effectively work or compete in an environment filled with people who view global politics as self-interest instead of service. But perhaps my year spent at the LSE has prepared me for this. I knew this self-interested behavior existed in the corporate world, in governmental organizations and non-governmental organizations and in law firms, yet I never expected it would exist so blatantly and on so many different levels at an international organization, such as the UN, and all its subsidiary organizations. Perhaps, my expectations have shaped my reaction. I have now come to realize that human behavior is not something we can control or even anticipate and yet, it is the base unit upon which organizations are built.

On a more positive note, the UNGSP gave me an opportunity to meet with the President of the Human Rights Council and attend two meetings of the Human Rights Committee. These two bodies attempt to create enforcement mechanisms for international human rights law and perhaps represent a new start for the UN. These two experiences were greatly cherished in the midst of it all.

So where does this program leave me? Do I continue on my path to peace and try to encourage others to uphold their own morals and values despite the grave costs faced, or will I also fall victim to a system fraught by moral and ethical dilemmas that is the only hope for millions of people around the world? In Islam, one of the Hadiths urges us to always turn to the poor as a judge of our own lives. Hopefully, the day will never come when I feel removed from those I've always wanted to help. As I move on in life, my path to peace seems to be constantly filled with more and more challenges and obstacles. I was very grateful to return to London, where slowly my idealism has returned and where I still dream of a brighter day.

DISCLAIMER: these views are mine alone and are not representative of other participants of the program.

A new day...

I wanted to share with you the video and transcript of Obama's recent speech at Cairo University. If you haven't already seen it, I would encourage you to take the time to do so. The transcript can be found on the following website:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/06/02/us/politics/200900604_OBAMA_CAIRO.html

It was a truly inspiring speech and exactly what the world needs at this moment: a challenge to live up not to someone else's standards but to our own morals, values and religious beliefs. He recognized something so critical that many world leaders before him have ignored:

"It's easier to start wars than to end them. It's easier to blame others than to look inward. It's easier to see what is different about someone than to find the things we share. But we should choose the right path, not just the easy path. There is one rule that lies at the heart of every religion, that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us."

I know that many of you prescribe to different faiths and come from countries across the globe with different cultures, traditions and histories. I have been blessed to know many of you and to experience the richness of your diversity, your warmth and your compassion. While some work with refugees and displaced people, others are home-makers, students, bankers, lawyers, teachers, or doctors. Each of us has the power within us to create change.

As I listened to Obama a new hope arose in my heart... for a better tomorrow, a better mankind and a better world. My friends wrote to me, some happy, yet many remained pessimistic about whether he would translate his words into action. But a wise man once taught me that it's not the end that matters, it's the process. Peace is not an end goal. It's not something that we can achieve, but it's something that we have to live everyday. It's within us and it's among us. So let us not wait for Obama to make the words of his speech a reality, let us ask what we can do. Can we "turn the searchlight inward" as Gandhi once asked? And if so, how?

Barack Obama remains one man. He did say that "no single speech could eradicate mistrust." Yet, he exemplifies the fact that one man or woman, you and me can change the world by our actions, our thoughts and words. We must start with ourselves first, we must continue to build trust in our own families, our communities, our nation and our world. I urge you to rise to Obama's challenge. How can you make his vision a reality?

Conflict, The Queen and Mancur Olson...

I'm not sure if I ever thought I would have the chance to meet and chat with the Queen on the role of youth in conflict, but that's exactly what happened. My path to peace has taken me to quite amazing places all over the globe and more importantly to meet some wonderful people. As Commonwealth Youth Leaders, the Queen hosted us for a special function at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Commonwealth. Among the attendants were various high commissioners from all over the world, including the representative of the high commissioner from my sweet, sweet Trinidad and Tobago.

I wondered about the role of Her Majesty in alleviating conflict in the world. What say did she have and how had she utilized her influence to prevent conflict? We discussed the great emphasis placed on youth leaders in the Commonwealth as agents for mitigating conflict. Over drinks, she told a few of the other youth leaders and myself that the world was now our responsibility. Would I ever be equipped to face that challenge and would my generation work successfully to create a better world to hand over to our children? This remains my primary concern in life. From my perspective, what is lacking is not the resources to prevent and quell ongoing conflicts, but rather the motivation.

I've been pondering this lack of motivation for a very long time. The class I have most dreaded taking at the LSE, Comparative Politics of Redistribution in Advanced Democracies, taught by JH, is oddly the one that has probably given me the most insight into why conflict still happens. Mancur Olson, a Norwegian- American political economist, famous for his books on The Logic of Collective Action and The Rise and Decline of Nations, has been recognized for his ground breaking theories on the effect of collective bargaining on redistribution within society.

Olson argues that small groups are very effective as they have the incentive to mobilize easily and effectively lobby to change government policies. On the other hand, Olson argues that large groups are ineffective, as members have little incentive to act. If an individual in a large group, such as a trade union, bears the costs to advance a motion, and that motion is passed, he receives only a very minor benefit that far outweighs his costs. Therefore, even though large groups, such as unemployed people might have a collective interest to work together, they do not as they lack the individual incentive to do so.

Olson draws the parallel to politics. His foundational assumption is that individuals act as rational agents. Does an individual have an incentive to even participate in the political process? His answer is a clear no. An individual only has an incentive if he knows that his single vote can make a difference, and the probability of an individual vote changing the outcome of an election is close to zero.

Let us, for the moment, extrapolate his argument to conflict. Does an average individual have an incentive to prevent conflict? Perhaps one currently living in a conflict area does for his own personal security. Yet, what about those who do not come from conflict areas? What stake does the average global citizen have in the Sudanese conflict? As a rational actor, probably very little. He or she more than likely has no investments in Sudan, is not connected to Sudan in anyway, and therefore has no incentive to work to reduce conflict there. My Politics of International Law professor, KA, would argue that individuals may have a moral obligation to stop the conflict in Sudan, but she would also question whether or not a moral obligation can be the foundation of a a legitimate legal argument? Is morality a binding legal argument that can be codified into national law?

How can I challenge this concept of the lack of an individual incentive to prevent conflict and what is wrong with Olson's theory? For one, trade unions across advanced democracies have been effective because they have been able to influence national law. So Olson's theory can be disproved by empirical data. But how does this, if at all, relate to conflict? How can I (or other peacemakers) give the average individual a stake in preventing conflict, that supersedes moral obligation?

International Law and the Hague

Perhaps the highlight of my Master's program at the LSE, so far, has been the recent visit of my Politics of International Law class to the Hague organized by my professor, KA. International Law is without a doubt one of the most controversial topics in today's world, especially because of the recent arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for the first standing head of State, the President of Sudan, Hassan Al Bashir.

Our itinerary for the trip included visits to the International Criminal Court, the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia, the International Court of Justice, the Special Court for Sierra Leone and the U.S. Embassy in the Hague. At each of these places we had the opportunity to meet and talk to lawyers in the Office of the Prosecutor, defense attorneys and Judges. It was an amazing experience, that has definitely influenced my decision to do my Master's dissertation on a combination of conflict, law and economics, which I hope to write about in more detail later on.

At all the institutions above, the "peace vs. justice" debate framed our visits. I took this law class as a follow up to all my amazing conflict classes at Lehigh, with Professor CK. I wanted to question whether law could perhaps act as a peaceful solution to conflict. However, after hearing prosecutor, after prosecutor, make the distinction between the legal issue and the political issue and state categorically that the legal outcome may have very little impact on whether peace would ever be achieved on the ground, I realized that perhaps I had been a bit too optimistic in my expectations. I believed that justice was a necessary prerequisite for peace. Yet, the prosecutors I met with saw only a minimal connection between peace and justice, and were interested in the legal issues, rather than the implication of justice for millions of people on the ground. They saw the distinction between justice and politics as not only positive, but absolutely necessary.

My LSE classmates and I debated and asked questions about the rationale for the ICC warrant of Al Bashir. Was the ICC right in issuing the warrant even after many NGO's and humanitarian aid organizations had been expelled because of Al Bashir's outrage? How many innocent Sudanese people would have to die before he was brought to justice? My outrage (shared by my colleagues) at the ICC was understandable. Yet, perhaps, maybe in some way the judges were right in their decision. A clear message has been sent to Al Bashir that what he has done is wrong. Perhaps this will act as a deterrent in a continuing genocide. Maybe, my some miracle of God, Al Bashir will be brought to trial in the Hague even though the ICC has no enforcement mechanisms to do so on its own accord. In international relations, where non-intervention is the fashion, I wonder who we can rely on to do so- the US, the African Union or the EU? And what about Uganda, the LRA and Joseph Kony? Kony is still at large and refuses to come to the negotiation table because of the outstanding ICC warrant for his arrest, as he continues to brutalize the Acholi people of Northern Uganda. The peace vs. justice debate continues.

I can continue to critique international law from the realist perspective, but to be completely honest, my visit to the Hague and the opportunity to sit in on an ICTY trial was an amazing experience. As my best friend, AB, always says the only constant in life is change. So maybe Al Bashir won't be arrested and brought to the Hague now, but who knows maybe it will happen in the next few years. Perhaps the US won't ratify the ICC treaty now, but perhaps the growing culture and discourse surrounding international law and moral legitimacy might put pressure on it to do so. Maybe one day both retributive and restorative justice will be combined and maybe international law will be a force to reckon with.

My path to peace has led me to ask the question "what next?" There is a great deal of pressure to remain in academia. I still haven't made a decision either way, but at least I know that I am fascinated by the intricate relationship between conflict in international relations and international law. Perhaps tomorrow will bring a better day for both.

President Obama's Remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast PT1

Above is Barack Obama's amazing and inspiring speech at the National Prayer Breakfast. I wanted to post it just in case anyone missed it. For too long religion has been used as a divisive tool that perpetuates hatred... perhaps now we can begin to use religion to love each other, forgive each other and unite man for the greater good!

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
___________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release February 5, 2009
Remarks of President Barack Obama National Prayer Breakfast
As Prepared for Delivery

Good morning. I want to thank the Co-Chairs of this breakfast, Representatives Heath Shuler and Vernon Ehlers. I’d also like to thank Tony Blair for coming today, as well as our Vice President, Joe Biden, members of my Cabinet, members of Congress, clergy, friends, and dignitaries from across the world.

Michelle and I are honored to join you in prayer this morning. I know this breakfast has a long history in Washington, and faith has always been a guiding force in our family’s life, so we feel very much at home and look forward to keeping this tradition alive during our time here.

It’s a tradition that I’m told actually began many years ago in the city of Seattle. It was the height of the Great Depression, and most people found themselves out of work. Many fell into poverty. Some lost everything.

The leaders of the community did all that they could for
those who were suffering in their midst. And then they decided to do something more: they prayed. It didn’t matter what party or religious affiliation to which they belonged. They simply gathered one morning as brothers and sisters to share a meal and talk with God.

These breakfasts soon sprouted up throughout Seattle, and quickly spread to cities and towns across America, eventually making their way to Washington. A short time after President Eisenhower asked a group of Senators if he could join their prayer breakfast, it became a national
event. And today, as I see presidents and dignitaries here from every corner of the globe, it strikes me that this is one of the rare occasions that still brings much of the world together in a moment of peace and goodwill.

I raise this history because far too often, we have seen faith wielded as a tool to divide us from one another – as an excuse for prejudice and intolerance. Wars have been waged. Innocents have been slaughtered. For centuries, entire religions have been persecuted, all in the name of
perceived righteousness.

There is no doubt that the very nature of faith means that some of our beliefs will never be the same. We read from different texts. We follow different edicts. We subscribe to different accounts of how we came to be here and where we’re going next – and some subscribe to no faith at all.

But no matter what we choose to believe, let us remember that there is no religion whose central tenet is hate. There is no God who condones taking the life of an innocent human being. This much we know.

We know too that whatever our differences, there is one law that binds all great religions together. Jesus told us to “love thy neighbor as thyself.” The Torah commands, “That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow.” In Islam, there is a hadith that reads “None of you truly
believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.” And the same is true for Buddhists and Hindus; for followers of Confucius and for humanists. It is, of course, the Golden Rule – the call to love one another; to understand one another; to treat with dignity and respect
those with whom we share a brief moment on this Earth.

It is an ancient rule; a simple rule; but also one of the most challenging. For it asks each of us to take some measure of responsibility for the well-being of people we may not know or worship with or agree with on every issue. Sometimes, it asks us to reconcile with bitter enemies or
resolve ancient hatreds. And that requires a living, breathing, active faith. It requires us not only to believe, but to do – to give something of ourselves for the benefit of others and the betterment of our world.

In this way, the particular faith that motivates each of us can promote a greater good for all of us. Instead of driving us apart, our varied beliefs can bring us together to feed the hungry and comfort the afflicted; to make peace where there is strife and rebuild what has broken; to lift
up those who have fallen on hard times. This is not only our call as people of faith, but our duty as citizens of America, and it will be the purpose of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships that I’m announcing later today.

The goal of this office will not be to favor one religious group over another – or even religious groups over secular groups. It will simply be to work on behalf of those organizations that want to work on behalf of our communities, and to do so without blurring the line that our founders wisely drew between church and state. This work is important, because whether it’s a secular group advising families facing foreclosure or faith-based groups providing job-training to those who need work, few are closer to what’s happening on our streets and in our neighborhoods than these organizations. People trust them. Communities rely on them. And we will help them.

We will also reach out to leaders and scholars around the world to foster a more productive and peaceful dialogue on faith. I don’t expect divisions to disappear overnight, nor do I believe that long-held views and conflicts will suddenly vanish. But I do believe that if we can talk to one another openly and honestly, then perhaps old rifts will start to mend and new partnerships will begin to emerge. In a world that grows smaller by the day, perhaps we can begin to crowd out the destructive forces of zealotry and make room for the healing power of understanding.

This is my hope. This is my prayer.

I believe this good is possible because my faith teaches me that all is possible, but I also believe because of what I have seen and what I have lived.

I was not raised in a particularly religious household. I had a father who was born a Muslim but became an atheist, grandparents who were non-practicing Methodists and Baptists, and a mother who was skeptical of organized religion, even as she was the kindest, most spiritual person I’ve ever known. She was the one who taught me as a child to love, and to understand, and to do unto others as I would want done.

I didn’t become a Christian until many years later, when I moved to the South Side of Chicago after college. It happened not because of indoctrination or a sudden revelation, but because I spent month after month working with church folks who simply wanted to help neighbors who
were down on their luck – no matter what they looked like, or where they came from, or who they prayed to. It was on those streets, in those neighborhoods, that I first heard God’s spirit beckon me. It was there that I felt called to a higher purpose – His purpose.

In different ways and different forms, it is that spirit and sense of purpose that drew friends and neighbors to that first prayer breakfast in Seattle all those years ago, during another trying time for our nation. It is what led friends and neighbors from so many faiths and nations here today. We come to break bread and give thanks and seek guidance, but also to rededicate ourselves to the mission of love and service that lies at the heart of all humanity. As St. Augustine once said, “Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.”

So let us pray together on this February morning, but let us also work together in all the days and months ahead. For it is only through common struggle and common effort, as brothers and sisters, that we fulfill our highest purpose as beloved children of God. I ask you to join me in that effort, and I also ask that you pray for me, for my family, and for the continued perfection of our union. Thank you.

http://i.usatoday.net/news/TheOval/Obama-prayer-breakfast-2-5-2009.pdf

Discover Islam Week Trailer 2009 - LSE Isoc

The long awaited.... popular Discover Islam week at LSE:) I've started contemplating my role in religion. I love my religion... it means the world to me... but is there a role I need to play as a young Muslim woman within the ummah (Islamic community)? If so, what is that role? I'll continue to ponder this.

"25 Random Things"

Basically, this is currently a Facebook fab. I figured I would also share it with my blog audience to lighten the mood on "The Path to Peace."

"Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you."

I'm doing this because today is my day off... I have no classes and I plan to enjoy it!

1. I cried in front of the TV when Nelson Mandela was released from prison. I must have been around 7 years old and since then he's been my hero... though I still haven't met him.

2. I've always been interested in international politics...the last 5 mins of CNN covered by Trinidadian news was always my favorite.

3. When I was little I wanted to be a calypsonian (someone who sings Trini music which contains lots of political satire), a Prime Minister, a historian, an anthropologist, a lawyer, a linguist, a flight attendant and an economist. I've finally decided on the UN but that can also change...

4. I love swimming. It is one of my biggest passions in life... followed closely by politics. I'm also a certified PADI scuba diver!

5. I love traveling... I live for new experiences, to try new foods, learn new languages and meet new people. In many ways I'm still wanderlust:)

6. I love being from "the islands" more specifically sweet, sweet T&T...not many people can say they grew up with the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea in their backyard. I can...

7. I haven't changed much since I was 9 years old... I've actually spent the last 16 years trying to fulfill the dreams of the 9 year old Asiya! It was definitely my favorite age... and favorite birthday!

8. My faith, my family, and my friends mean the world to me:)

9. I don't believe in ethnicity. I think it's a conspiracy theory gone wrong.

10. I can't decide on my favorite song. I really like Richard Marx... but it's a tough call.

11. I'm not good at music or art. I've tried the piano and the steel pan (Trinidad's national instrument) but they both take so much time and effort... I always wish I were better.

12. My favorite food is salt fish and provisions: Trini creole food:) If you don't know what it is google it! yum yum!

13. My favorite pet dog was named Pooky Lou Mohammed. He died last year but I still love and miss him...

14. I love talking and laughing... I actually do alot of both.

15. I've been trained in classical Indian dance, katak, when I was younger. Since then I've learned the waltz, fox trot, tango, salsa, rumba, cha cha and merengue. I love dancing and hope to learn Sega soon:)

16. I absolutely love new dresses!:)

17. I wish life could be more simple. If I had it my way I would live in a simple cottage on the beach for the rest of my life.... drinking coconut water... and eating fish everyday!

18. Nothing is more beautiful than the ocean... not even snow! The serene blue, green water... the birds, the mountains. I love ocean swimming! If I died while swimming I would have died a very happy person!

19. I love reality TV... can't take my eyes of of it... especially The Bachelor and America's Next Top Model!

20. I go through different phases in my life: both culturally and culinary. I've wanted to be Latin American, Chinese, Arab, African... it changes quite often. I also enjoy cooking for a few months or baking... and then I forget about it completely..ha ha:)

21. I am living, loving and learning. Each day brings with it the hope of a new dawn.

22. I always lose umbrellas... that's why I never take them with me...

23. I love teddy bears! In fact, I have a global family of teddy bears that travels with me everywhere I go. The latest addition is from Cyprus:)

24. I hate packing... and moving... there are few things I dread more in life.

25. My mom is my personal role model. If I could be half the person she is, I would have been a success in this journey called life!

Esperanza (Hope)?

A long time ago... three weeks ago... I had hope for the Mideast. On Saturday night with the declaration of the cease fire I felt that hope come alive! An emotional upsurge of the possibilities of peace, hope and change rushed through me... yet, I can't help but wonder if I'm only a naive idealist when it comes to conflict. I study conflict. I'm doing a Master's in Politics, with a focus on Conflict... but what does that mean? I see videos from Israeli friends... what the media is perpetuating in Israel... and I think to myself... this is not just elite manipulation... Israelis believe this... they believe that their very existence is threatened to the core. For the first time, I saw videos of suicide bombings in Tel Aviv and pictures taken by an Israeli friend from Sderot.

On the Palestinian side... I've seen enough... enough devastation, hurt and pain to last me a lifetime. Why did I want to study conflict in the first place? It feels so far from home... from Trinidad and Tobago... from peace... from my love, the ocean, where everything seems so simple... and God seems omnipresent. How will I ever continue promoting peace in a world like this? But yet I have to... I have to find the strength and move on... keep smiling no matter what. This conflict has devastated me to the very core... it has challenged me and it's also made me think. I've experienced a great deal of personal change during this whole thing... from losing hope, to working hard to regain it... to listening to people around me from all different backgrounds. I've now became friends with most of the people at LSE's Israeli society and I'm already friends with all those in PalSoc.... the Palestinian society. I'm still reaching out... seeking answers... asking the questions why... and more importantly how can we change this.

Who is right and who is wrong? Or is that question even worth answering anymore? Is it black and white... I wish it were... but it doesn't seem to be anymore. And why is so much time being spent on saying "Israel, you are wrong" or "Hamas, you are wrong." Is being right or wrong going to change anything? Is the possibility of peace alive? How do you change something that is so conditioned into the mindset of a people that it becomes a part of their identity? How do you rebuild trust after devastation? I feel that I lack the necessary tools... yet I've studied peace and conflict for such a long time and undergone various trainings in conflict resolution. I'm at a loss for words...for one of the first times in my life...

Maybe tomorrow will be different... the long awaited day. Obama finally becomes the President of the U.S. Maybe, just maybe, change will no longer be just a word and hope will be alive....

Contemplation on peace...

Since Dec 27th, the fateful day when Israel's air raids against Gaza started... my life has changed. I've lost hope that peace could ever be achieved and I've slowly worked to find inner peace again and regain that hope. For if our idealism is lost completely, what else is left? I also find myself in the situation of having very, very close friends on both sides of the conflict. I continuously hear two sides to this narrative and this is important in my search for objectivity, truth, justice and equality. The most important tool in negotiating between two parties is building trust and remaining the objective third party. If you lose that, then you lose sight of hope. In these past weeks, I've lost hope and slowly regained it.

I want to focus on yesterday's experience. The LSE PalSoc (Palestinian society) put forward a petition to the student union, aimed at condemning the Israeli attacks on Gaza. The resolution was passed by over 200 votes to close to 150, but Howard Davies, Director General of the LSE has refused to meet either of the requests: issue a statement condemning the Israeli massacre in Gaza, and to divest from the arms company BAe Systems.

At the UGM (General meeting), preceding this meeting, students heard stories from both the Palestinian society, the Israeli society and a student who called upon others not to vote. Something said by AR from the Israeli society, and confirmed to me by DD, an Israeli colleague, who attended the UGM with me... surprised me greatly. Israeli students on campus had been on the receiving end of racist remarks since the beginning of the semester on Monday. Some of them were afraid of attending classes and had started using English instead of Hebrew names. Do two wrongs make a right? And why is any student on my campus afraid to attend classes at one of the top universities in the world? I can no longer look on at the attacks on Gaza than I can look on and see fellow colleagues harassed. Thanks to CK and DF, I refuse to see this happen on my campus. I spent a lot of time listening and talking yesterday- of course I've been friends with all those in the Palestinian society for a while through the Islamic Society.... but I talked yesterday to many Jewish and Israeli students who are pro-dialogue and pro-reconciliation at LSE. We talked about different ways to initiate this dialogue. God willing, it will happen and it will create transformation on a personal level and then within the student community.

Simultaneously to this I called MA to check on her and found out that the Al Quds hospital had been bombed by Israel- 500 people. Her family home was ten meters away. She was devastated... but Alhamdudillah I was able to be there for her and talk things through... to continue to talk about hope, when it seems like everything had been lost.

In the same day, yes the day continues... I met NN... a former Israeli LSE student, who had come from Tel Aviv for a few days to interview students. Before coming she had interviewed people in Israel and upon her return she would travel to the West Bank to interview Palestinians. She was creating a documentary to show to mainstream Israeli society different perspectives from across the world. What a great idea! We had a deep heart to heart conversations and we plan to meet again at the end of this month.

With the growing violence in the rest of the world surrounding this conflict, I realize why I've spent so much time studying and learning about both sides in detail. This conflict, unlike many others, has the potential to divide the rest of the world. Many many people belong to one of the three monotheistic religions: Islam, Judaism and Christianity and so they can potentially get drawn into this conflict.

I had to write... writing lets me think... it's like breathing... letting it all go. NN asked me, Asiya how do you build trust? That question remains with me... I'm still thinking about it and I'll continue to contemplate on it for a long time to come. What I do know is that it's better to throw one starfish back into the ocean than not to try at all.

Non-violent solutions to the Israeli- Palestinian conflict: Economic boycott?

Below... food for thought... how effective is an economic boycott of Israel's products? And if it were to be effective... would we boycott all Israel's products or simply the Western organizations that finance the IDF? Is economic choice and responsibility an individual option to ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

In the midst of this all, I urge you the reader... to remain as objective as possible. Read the news... understand what is going on... but be careful and take the time to understand both perspectives- Palestinian and Israeli.... for if these perspectives weren't drastically different and one group's interpretation of the other didn't differ so much, there would be no war. Both sides are right and both sides are wrong.

In my path to peace, objectivity has been one of the most difficult things to achieve and to maintain. It has and continues to remain a struggle.

Enough. It's time for a boycott

The best way to end the bloody occupation is to target Israel with the kind of movement that ended apartheid in South Africa

• 
• • Naomi Klein
  • The Guardian, Saturday 10 January 2009
  • Article history

It's time. Long past time. The best strategy to end the increasingly bloody occupation is for Israel to become the target of the kind of global movement that put an end to apartheid in South Africa. In July 2005 a huge coalition of Palestinian groups laid out plans to do just that. They called on "people of conscience all over the world to impose broad boycotts and implement divestment initiatives against Israel similar to those applied to South Africa in the apartheid era". The campaign Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions was born.

Every day that Israel pounds Gaza brings more converts to the BDS cause - even among Israeli Jews. In the midst of the assault roughly 500 Israelis, dozens of them well-known artists and scholars, sent a letter to foreign ambassadors in Israel. It calls for "the adoption of immediate restrictive measures and sanctions" and draws a clear parallel with the anti-apartheid struggle. "The boycott on South Africa was effective, but Israel is handled with kid gloves ... This international backing must stop."

Yet even in the face of these clear calls, many of us still can't go there. The reasons are complex, emotional and understandable. But they simply aren't good enough. Economic sanctions are the most effective tool in the non-violent arsenal: surrendering them verges on active complicity. Here are the top four objections to the BDS strategy, followed by counter-arguments.

Punitive measures will alienate rather than persuade Israelis.

The world has tried what used to be called "constructive engagement". It has failed utterly. Since 2006 Israel has been steadily escalating its criminality: expanding settlements, launching an outrageous war against Lebanon, and imposing collective punishment on Gaza through the brutal blockade. Despite this escalation, Israel has not faced punitive measures - quite the opposite. The weapons and $3bn in annual aid the US sends Israel are only the beginning. Throughout this key period, Israel has enjoyed a dramatic improvement in its diplomatic, cultural and trade relations with a variety of other allies. For instance, in 2007 Israel became the first country outside Latin America to sign a free-trade deal with the Mercosur bloc. In the first nine months of 2008, Israeli exports to Canada went up 45%. A new deal with the EU is set to double Israel's exports of processed food. And in December European ministers "upgraded" the EU-Israel association agreement, a reward long sought by Jerusalem.

It is in this context that Israeli leaders started their latest war: confident they would face no meaningful costs. It is remarkable that over seven days of wartime trading, the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange's flagship index actually went up 10.7%. When carrots don't work, sticks are needed.

Israel is not South Africa.

Of course it isn't. The relevance of the South African model is that it proves BDS tactics can be effective when weaker measures (protests, petitions, backroom lobbying) fail. And there are deeply distressing echoes of apartheid in the occupied territories: the colour-coded IDs and travel permits, the bulldozed homes and forced displacement, the settler-only roads. Ronnie Kasrils, a prominent South African politician, said the architecture of segregation he saw in the West Bank and Gaza was "infinitely worse than apartheid". That was in 2007, before Israel began its full-scale war against the open-air prison that is Gaza.

Why single out Israel when the US, Britain and other western countries do the same things in Iraq and Afghanistan?

Boycott is not a dogma; it is a tactic. The reason the strategy should be tried is practical: in a country so small and trade-dependent, it could actually work.

Boycotts sever communication; we need more dialogue, not less.

This one I'll answer with a personal story. For eight years, my books have been published in Israel by a commercial house called Babel. But when I published The Shock Doctrine, I wanted to respect the boycott. On the advice of BDS activists, including the wonderful writer John Berger, I contacted a small publisher called Andalus. Andalus is an activist press, deeply involved in the anti-occupation movement and the only Israeli publisher devoted exclusively to translating Arabic writing into Hebrew. We drafted a contract that guarantees that all proceeds go to Andalus's work, and none to me. I am boycotting the Israeli economy but not Israelis.

Our modest publishing plan required dozens of phone calls, emails and instant messages, stretching between Tel Aviv, Ramallah, Paris, Toronto and Gaza City. My point is this: as soon as you start a boycott strategy, dialogue grows dramatically. The argument that boycotts will cut us off from one another is particularly specious given the array of cheap information technologies at our fingertips. We are drowning in ways to rant at each other across national boundaries. No boycott can stop us.

Just about now, many a proud Zionist is gearing up for major point-scoring: don't I know that many of these very hi-tech toys come from Israeli research parks, world leaders in infotech? True enough, but not all of them. Several days into Israel's Gaza assault, Richard Ramsey, managing director of a British telecom specialising in voice-over-internet services, sent an email to the Israeli tech firm MobileMax: "As a result of the Israeli government action in the last few days we will no longer be in a position to consider doing business with yourself or any other Israeli company."

Ramsey says his decision wasn't political; he just didn't want to lose customers. "We can't afford to lose any of our clients," he explains, "so it was purely commercially defensive."

It was this kind of cold business calculation that led many companies to pull out of South Africa two decades ago. And it's precisely the kind of calculation that is our most realistic hope of bringing justice, so long denied, to Palestine.

Comments are presently closed on this article. It will be open to comment from approximately 09:00.

A version of this column was published in the Nation (thenation.com)

naomiklein.org

Doctor Decries Israeli Attacks

Come on people...what kind of world are we living in? How can we sit back as human beings and live with ourselves knowing that this is happening in another part of the world? What were these children's crimes? To be born Palestinian...they never had a choice in that decision.

We, in the West, we the educated ones and the young ones, we have the power to make a difference. Please, please let us come together and do something to help Gaza. This is no longer a question of whether you support Israel or not. This is a question about humanity... and human rights. A child should have the right to life, to be educated, to celebrate holidays and go to school, like you and I had. Please let us do something to change this! My heart weeps for these Palestinian casualties...

Civil disobedience in the Palestinian- Israeli conflict?

During the past week there have been constant protests here in London against Israel's actions against the Palestinians... first at the Israeli embassy in Kensington and then today the national protest from Embankment to Westminster, ending at Trafalgar. I was happy that I was able to go to protests both on New Year's Eve and today. The political spirit and awareness of the British people is something that has quite frankly amazed me. Thousands from all different walks of life crowded the streets today to march in solidarity with the Palestinians. I view this as a success for the notion of peace... yet at the very time that we walked to Trafalgar... Israel had started its ground offensive in Gaza...

I'm sitting here talking with my ex-roomie, MT, who currently works for the Embassy of Cyprus in Israel. Something she said shocked me to my very core. As Commonwealth Youth leaders, we discussed the lack of the youth voice in the conflict. Why was there no young person standing up for the children whose homes have been torn apart, who have no access to food, medical supplies or clean water and whose very human rights are being violated? MT started telling me then that the soldiers in the IDF (Israeli Defense Force)... were our age or younger... 18, 19, 20. The youth were fighting the war. They are the ones responsible for flying the planes, firing the missiles and killing innocent Palestinian citizens. I am outraged as I sit here in shock and disbelief.

Isn't this our world to change? I had faith in young people that we would not be brainwashed by the structure, we would not be divided by our different religions or ethnicities... that we would create peace. Instead we are creating war. Where have our concepts of third culture and global citizenship gone? Or am I just an anomaly among youth... whereas most have already fallen victim to structural violence that reflect national, ethnic, and political hatreds of a generation gone past?

I dream of the youth taking a united stance. I dream of the day when Israeli youth would decide not to fight a war against Palestine. I dream of a day when Americans would decide not to pay taxes as long as their hard earned money was used to fund Israeli weaponry and tanks. Is Thoreau's "civil disobedience" still alive or does the power of an individual to make a difference no longer exist?

Above is the video from a young Israeli woman, Omer Goldman, daughter of the former Mossad chief (Israeli Intelligence) who was imprisoned twice for deciding not to join the army after high school. Can civil disobedience be our only viable option, since the international community has failed to act?

I sit here terrified for the Palestinians in Gaza... yet I am more terrified for the future of Israel, young Israelis and young Jews over the world. This continued incursion will only breathe more radicalism and exacerbate tensions in the Muslim world. War can never be the means to achieving peace... is civil disobedience our only viable option?

Please feel free to leave your comments directly under this article... as I would love to hear your feedback.