As the old year ends and the new one begins, we take stock of the past and make resolutions and have hopes for the year to come. About the past, we often give emphasis to negative things and, and forget about the many positive things that also happen; that is probably in human nature, unless we teach ourselves otherwise. But as we grow older and the memories include events that happened decades ago, then perhaps we again want to remember the positive things, and we learn to be grateful for the small things, too, not only the big ones.
Today, I shall write about the big issues, and a particularly great man. But let us remember that important people are actually quite ordinary people, who do extraordinary things. The more we are encouraged to do what is right and good, and remind others of the same, including through democratic parties and organisations, the world becomes a better place for all. In the New Year, we have a chance to do more and better.
Last Sunday, the legendary human rights, moral, and religious leader Archbishop Desmond Tutu (90) passed on. He was one of the most important activists to help end apartheid in South-Africa, and he chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission when it was all over legally, or should we say, illegally; its purpose was to discuss, admit, ask for forgiveness, and commit oneself to do better in future. One important aspect is that perpetrators of wrong and evil are also victims. In many cases, we behave in certain ways out of convention, social pressure or for other reasons which we don’t think are wrong, or we are evasive and find excuses and justifications. Many of us would perhaps have behaved in wrong ways in the same circumstances and conditions as the racists in South Africa.
Desmond Tutu taught us to forgive, but not to forget; if we forget, we wouldn’t learn and also not have compassion with both victims and perpetrators. In the future, we will revisit his thinking, learn from it in everyday life, in the justice system, in connection with discrimination on the basis of creed and colour, gender and sexual preferences, status and class, background and education, and so on.
In 1984, Desmond Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize. Now at his passing, the newly elected Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, a former long-time foreign minister, said about Tutu that he remembered well the light in his eyes, reflecting his burning heart and love for humanity—and a laughter and smile that would touch and smitten everyone.
At the beginning of 2021, the world’s main superpower the US saw a new head of state being installed, President Joe Biden, taking over from President Donald Trump, well, the latter didn’t quite accept the defeat. With Biden, many things are on the way back to ‘business as usual’, and the land enters into the international fold again. That is good in many ways, but America will have to work hard to improve many domestic policies, too, and it must reduce its foreign wars and interventions, and also realise the inbuilt injustices of super-capitalism and multinationals.
Trump’s trade conflict with China goes on under Biden, and it includes economic leadership competition, and in some parts of the world, military aspects. It is likely it will go on in 2022 and beyond, but hopefully they have more talks and mutual understanding behind the scenes than what gets into the media. We should realise that China is an upcoming and impressive country, with its faults, as the USA has its faults, but today, no country can be at the loggerheads with either of them.
I have always thought that European countries will have a moderation in international politics and conflicts, and certainly as regards democratic and inclusive development, although immigration is an unresolved issue. The military alliance of NATO, with the USA and 29 European countries, plus other Western partners, does not play the expected and mandated role any more. Russia should, now 30 years after the fall of the Soviet Union, have been a partner with Europe in democratic development, but it seems NATO plays an obstructive role in that field. The tense situation between Russia and Ukraine is in some ways also provoked by NATO; we must realise that in the ruling paradigm, Russia does not want Ukraine to be a NATO member, considering its location on Russia’s borders, next door to Crimea, Russia’s main military base in the south. Besides, Ukraine was a hub for modern technological and military development during the Soviet time. In future, Russia and Ukraine need good relations and cooperation, as independent neighbours. In 2022, NATO must begin to change policies, as the USA seems to have begun. In addition, Russia must be invited in from the cold, which would be in everyone’s interest, indeed in the long run, also to help Russia on a more democratic path, with better human and other rights. Belarus is another European country that needs positive Western engagement.
