::...City Montessori School, Lucknow, India..:: 6th International Conference of Chief Justices::...

International Terrorism can be Curbed Only by International Law and Not by War

LAW AND LAWLESSNESS

Today humanity is standing at the crossroads. One path leads to unity, peace and prosperity and the other leads to disunity, chaos and uncertainty. After the end of the so-called 'Cold War', the United States tried to act as an international policeman and maintain law and order, but its actions lacked legitimacy and have often been criticised sometimes even by the traditional US allies. However, since the 11th of September 2001, international terrorism has emerged as the biggest threat to civilized living and the modern nation-states. In India, cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and attacks by suicide squads on Indian Parliament building and on several places of worship have taken a heavy toll of innocent lives during the last fifteen years.

International Terrorism is the result of international lawlessness, a grim scenario where people opt for violent destructive acts to draw attention to their grievances, real or imaginary, for which they feel the system does not offer any remedy.

Some people mistakenly believe that there are some international laws but in reality there is no enforceable international law that is universally applicable to all the countries and peoples of the world. A law that has no legal sanctity is not legally enforceable and that law which does not carry a penalty for its violation cannot be called a law at all. In that sense, today there is indeed no international law in the world, in the absence of which there is total lawlessness as reflected in the increasing instances of international terrorism. Today, international terrorism demands enforceable international laws because international terrorism can be curbed only through enforceable international laws and not by war, whether it is between two or more countries or even a World War.

The United Nations, like its unmourned predecessor League of Nations, has also failed to fulfil the objectives for which it was formed. In over five and a half decades of its existence, the UN has seen more people die in numerous wars all over the world than had died in both the World Wars combined. The UN also saw the nuclear countries build up massive stockpiles of nuclear weapons, reported to be over 36,000 warheads now. Moreover, 80 countries have also stockpiled chemical and biological weapons. The UN has been a silent spectator to all this and more. In its over half a century of existence, it has merely watched as three - fourths of the earth's tropical forest cover disappeared. Even though the UN has many achievements to its credit, in the ultimate analysis, one has to admit that it has fallen far short of the expectations of its founding fathers. One is reminded of what Jan Tinbergen, the 1969 Nobel laureate in Economics, said, "World's problems can no longer be solved by national governments. What is needed is a World Government. This can best be achieved by strengthening the United Nations system."

With the rapid developments in science, technology and communications, the world today has become a global village where people from all the countries have to perforce live in close cooperation for mutual progress, development and survival. In this changed scenario, the old mindset has become redundant and a new mindset is needed for the new millennium. The crying need of the new age is unity of humankind and peace in the world. There is thus an urgent need for a legally constituted law making body that is, a World Parliament, for enacting an enforceable International Law that is applicable to all the countries and peoples of the world at the same time. Only a legally constituted World Parliament can ensure unity of humankind and preserve world peace by banning the teaching of hatred in schools and in emphasising world unity, world peace and co-existence of humankind.

In order to successfully meet the deadly threat of international terrorism, unprecedented levels of international cooperation and global efforts are needed. This is one international problem that can in no way be solved by any national government alone, even if it be the world’s only super power. Also, it has to be realized that the vehicle of war cannot take humanity very far. If ever there is to be effective international cooperation, such as was hoped for by the League of Nations and the United Nations, then there has to be a very widespread effort at inculcating globalism in children all over the world and shaping their mindset towards globalism. Only then will a true generation of world citizens arise. But for this to happen, schools will have to cultivate tolerance and co-existence in children who must be taught to love the Creator and develop love for His creation. Like wars, terrorism too begins in the minds of men and it is in the minds of men where the defences of peace have to be constructed. This can best be done in schools when children are young and impressionable.

True education releases capacities, develops analytical abilities, confidence in oneself, will-power and goal setting competencies, and instils the vision that enables one to become a self-motivated agent of social change, serving the best interests of the community. At a certain moment in history, education must also act as a powerful instrument for profound social transformation. Such a moment has now arrived.

New revolutionary changes in the technology of transport and communications have reduced the world to a global village. People living on the opposite sides of the globe have become virtual neighbours, thanks to the internet and supersonic jets. In such a close-knit world, the emergence or formation of a world government is only a matter of time. The mute question is whether the unification of humankind will happen after unimaginable horrors precipitated by humanity's stubborn clinging to old patterns of behaviour, or is to be embraced now by an act of consultative will. However, there can be little doubt that only a World Parliament can ensure world peace, implement global steps to conserve the environment and outlaw and eliminate all weapons of mass destruction, thus safeguarding the future of world's children, born and yet-to-be-born.