As I watch the services for former President Carter I ask the question ‘What will history say about our present world leaders?”
This year marks eighty years since the foundation of the United Nations. In 1945 the world was asking questions about the power invested in one man, Hitler, which had catapulted the world into War and led to mass genocide of the Jewish people and other minorities. With hope for the future nations came together and agreed to work together for fourfold aims:
- To keep peace throughout the world
- To develop friendly relations among nations
- To help nations work together to improve the lives of poor people, to conquer hunger, disease and illiteracy, and to encourage respect for each other’s rights and freedoms;
- To be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations to achieve these goals.
- To keep peace throughout the world
Today our world seems to be again dominated by powerful individuals who see war and oppression of minorities as a rightful way to exercise power resulting in war between nations, civil war and mass demonstrations and mass movement of refugees in their own countries and beyond.
As we watch our television screens we are bombarded by images of war and destruction when the conflict involves nations seen as world powers and the constant anomaly of being guided NOT by WORKING TOGETHER FOR PEACE but rather OBEYING RULES OF WAR – rules that can justify mass killing and total destruction of homes and lives! The many situations of civil war and oppression of minority groups within country borders may claim our attention for a couple of days but they remain largely unreported internationally.
It was with concern that I watched the Melbourne exhibition of Land Forces last September and saw the anti-war demonstrators who gathered outside the exhibition villainised by the media.
“Land Forces 2024 provided an interface between Australian, regional and international industry on every level, from Australian Defence Force customers to prime contractors, small to medium enterprises (SMEs) and start-up companies. With strong commitment from the Australian Army and substantial Asian, European and US industry presence, the event generated significant investment, export and employment opportunities for exhibitors and participants.
With record breaking stats across the board, the event saw:
995 participating exhibitor companies/organisations from 31 nations
25,675 visitor attendance from 46 nations
240 defence, industry, government, and academic delegations, from 41 nations,
this included 16 International Chiefs of Army or their counterparts and 11 representatives; and
More than 70 conferences, symposia and presentations.”1
It seems there is more working together for WAR rather than for PEACE. The World can no longer say they were unaware of what was happening as in Nazi Germany as instant Media has the power to bring events to global awareness.
To whom do we give the power to rule the world?
There seem to be so many contradictions and an individual leader, in the name of authority invested in him/her can override or ignore the voice of the majority of nations. The International Court can declare actions as illegal but has no authority to take action.
1 Victorian Government Report on Land Forces 2024
Mary McInerney has been an Australian RNDM for more than sixty years with experience of mission in education in Australia, member of General Council for twelve years and mission in Kenya. Now living in Melbourne, she is involved in archival work for the Province and has enjoyed opportunities to share her RNDM experience and knowledge of our Constitutions through various on-line programmes.
I also have been troubled by how the rules based world order, and the values of international cooperation which have been imperfectly but regularly entrenched in practice for the last eighty years, are being summarily disregarded. The most egregious examples being south of our very well defended Canadian border.