ELBARADEI DISCUSSES CONCEPT OF HUMAN SECURITY AT ANNUAL SADAT LECTURE FOR PEACE

On October 24, Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei gave the annual Anwar Sadat Lecture for Peace at the University of Maryland at College Park. In his lecture, he explained a “paradox” of security in contemporary times, quoting a Financial Times writer by saying that “‘the world has rarely been more peaceful or felt so insecure.’” These “conventional concepts of security - rooted in the protection of national borders and old concepts of sovereignty - are no longer adequate,” ElBaradei argued.  He suggested moving away from understanding security as a national issue and instead focusing on “human security,” a guarantee of physical safety and health, economic well being, and social dignity for all people that ElBaradei called a “concept of security that is people-centric and without borders.”

ElBaradei outlined the need for solving the root causes of conflicts that threaten human security and a peaceful world order, beginning with addressing the “forces of insecurity [which] remain persistent and pervasive.” Poverty, which he was “delighted” to see addressed by the 2006 presentation of the Nobel Peace Prize to Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank for their microfinance work, is a major factor. Poor governance, which “is not infrequently linked to poverty,” also threatens human security due to “egregious human rights abuses” by these governments.

A third factor is a “sense of injustice that results from the imbalance between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ - the sharp contrasts in wealth and power that we see between the North and the South.” Many find that “the sanctity of human life is not equally valued,” a perception driven by a feeling that “society grieves the loss of life in the developed world far more than it grieves the greater loss of life in places like Darfur or Iraq - or, for that matter, in Congo…”

The fourth factor ElBaradei mentioned is “the artificial polarization along religious and ethnic lines.” These divisions cause people to see injustice as “due to religious or ethnic prejudice” rather than their true causes “warring people and nations, fighting over power and resources.”

ElBaradei used the Middle East as a major case where these root causes can be viewed, but reminded the audience that these problems are not limited to the region. ElBaradei stressed that problems in any region of the world are important to all human beings, saying that “if a new extremist group emerges in the Middle East, it makes me worry. If a new civil war breaks out in an African state, I will be disturbed.”

ElBaradei claims that the persistent conflicts in the Middle East, where “every type of violence has been tried,” prove that the traditional military concepts of solving problems are no longer relevant. Instead, governance by international institutions and dialogue between conflicting parties are the solutions to these issues. Intervention in crises must occur rapidly, for a shortcoming of the Security Council and regional institutions has been an inability to stop “gross violations of human rights,” such as the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. International institutions and the international community must address longstanding conflicts, some of which have been allowed “to fester for decades.” There must be respect for international law, which has frequently “been challenged or undermined in recent years.”

ElBaradei continued by arguing that there must be a shift in how the international community views dialogue. He stated that, “…Dialogue must be seen as the only alternative – dialogue conducted on the basis of mutual respect. It is time to move away from thinking of dialogue as a reward for good behavior - and to recognize it as an essential tool for effecting such behavior.” Without dialogue, conflicting parties become embroiled in a “Catch-22” in which negative stereotypes lead to less interaction, and a lack of interaction results in the perpetuation of negative stereotypes. At heart, he believes, “we all know that we share the same core values: the desire to have a chance to live with our families in peace, freedom, and dignity.”

At the end of the lecture, ElBaradei received an honorary doctorate in public service from the University of Maryland, where he was also presented with the winning artwork from the Sadat Chair for World Peace’s 2006 contest.

+ READ THE TRANSCRIPT OF DR. ELBARADEI'S LECTURE
+ DARFUR RESOURCE CENTER
 

Updated November 6, 2006