What does lasting peace require?

“There are now almost daily reports of aerial military assaults by Khartoum (which alone among the combatants in Darfur has air assets) on civilian targets, especially in the Jebel Marra region. Every such flight is a violation of Resolution 1591, and yet the Security Council does nothing ….

China must not be allowed to manhandle evidence and intimidate the Security Council and its representatives on Darfur. The Council should vote immediately to publish the findings of its own Panel of Experts on Darfur, and if China vetoes the move, then it is the obligation of other members of the Council to make the document public—and much more importantly, to act forcefully. “

– Eric Reeves, Arming Khartoum: China’s complicity in the Darfur genocide (link)

Hi everyone,

Finding Peace: When security comes at too high a price. Workshop by Barbara English on Saturday, Oct 30 2010.

We are huge fans of Eric Reeves.  He and many others have been staunch advocates for the Sudanese who’ve suffered terribly for many years now.  Time and time again there have been numerous prescriptions for Sudan.  Omar Bashir needs to be held accountable.  China needs to stop supporting the genocidal government of Sudan.  The United States must do more to aid those who suffer. We know what needs to happen to get to peace.  Yet, rarely do we hear how to go about doing this.  The path seems cloudy and riddled with doubt and skepticism.  Pure intellectual prescriptions are not enough.  At the heart of every successful human endeavor lies a relationship that is based on mutual respect and trust.  Do we have that at the international level?  Does China really trust the United States?  Have our actions and behavior allowed for such trust to develop?

It’s times like these we need to grieve.  Grieving brings us back into the reality of this moment.  The challenges we face are immense, yet our leaders seem extremely ill equipped to deal with them.  We rarely address the root causes of problems.  It’s been 7+ years since the Bashir government launched their genocidal campaign against the people of Darfur.  Yes, they signed a peace deal with the South in 2005.  For a while there was less violence and chaos.  But did this sow the seeds for lasting peace?  Has the Bashir government genuinely changed their ways?  Will they allow the Southern Sudanese to secede?  Is the south capable of standing on its own?

To better answer these questions, we are in the midst of planning a discussion with our Sudanese friends from San Diego.  We’ll be holding it at St. Mark Presbyterian in Newport Beach on Saturday, Nov 13th.  Save the date!  More details coming shortly.

One of our goals in Living Ubuntu has been to explore and address the root causes of conflict and war engulfing our world today.  We need to start by acknowledging that there are significant wounds on both sides of any issue.  Superficial remedies, prescriptions, peace deals on paper do nothing to address these deeply buried wounds and will not help bring about lasting peace and reconciliation.  We hope you will join us next Saturday, October 30th in San Diego for — Finding Peace: When security comes at too high a price. Early discounted registration ($40) for this workshop ends this Saturday. Please make our lives easier and register online.  All details are on the website.

Warmly,

Barbara & Anshul
Living Ubuntu
livingubuntu.org | blog

“The willingness to stop and be present leads to seeing and relating to circumstances and events with more clarity and directness.  Out of this directness seems to emerge deeper understanding or insight into the life unfolding within and before us.  Such insight allows us the possibility of choosing responses most called for by the situation rather than those reactively driven by fear, habit, or long-standing training.”

– Saki Santorelli