By Anthony Barnett
There is now an agreed UN Security Resolution calling for a ceasefire in Lebanon.
And over quarter of a million people from nearly 150 countries have signed the ceasefirecampaign and registered their email addresses with the organisers.
What now? Shane Kennedy, commenting from Canada on my blog entry, makes a well-argued case for not signing. I am sure it sums up a feeling many people have.
In effect Shane says a ceasefire it is not good enough, even if it worked now it won’t stop war starting again. Much more is needed. Yet even if it means well, this attitude says, “Hey, stop kidding – we’re helpless”.
Of course a ceasefire is not enough. Of course we need popular pressure from around the world to address the basic causes of the conflicts in the Middle East. Of course we need a peace process with all parties and countries involved.
But there is a kind of paralysing, neither/nor mentality which argues against doing anything. For example, Shane writes, “More people are currently displaced and have been for years in Darfur, than will ever be displaced by this current war. Where are your calls for a million signatures on this?”
Should we not have a ceasefire in Lebanon because there isn’t one in the Sudan?
Another answer is to say, “Look Shane, this is not MY call. It is one that has been made by others which I support. Get your act together and create a reliable website that calls for peace in Darfur, I’ll back that too”.
This would be unfair. It is hard to organise an online petition with the potential for international credibility.
For me, indeed, this is a key reason for supporting the ceasefirecampaign initiative. We need a global civil society capable of acting in concert and debating fundamental questions. If enough people call for a ceasefire in the Lebanon then perhaps that same network can address what do next to prevent further outbreaks. We won’t all agree, but we can create a public network that is influential in a new way, a constructive world public opinion, able to deliberate, that isn’t manipulated by fear and sensationalism.
So, as the fighting continues in Lebanon and the UN resolution shows every sign of being ignored on the ground, I hope the ceasefire campaign does now move on to call for a lasting solution and also proves itself able to gain influence and address other tragedies like Darfur. Meanwhile, I think the more people who continue to sign it, the better.
