Editorial:
The
UN,
Making
the
World
Safe
for
War
6/5/98
This week in New York, representatives of 130 nations -- along with 30 heads of state -- will come together at the United Nations to discuss the Drug War. It would be reasonable to expect that a gathering of this magnitude, after more than 80 years of steadily worsening war without any sign that victory is or ever will be at hand, would be one of negotiation and reconciliation, of rethinking old strategies and reexamining outdated ideas. It would be reasonable to expect that this esteemed group would be coming together to hold discussions about peace and how best to achieve it. It would be reasonable. But it would be wrong. Because when the representatives of the people of the world come together in New York this week to discuss the War, the only topic on their agenda will be escalation. The first ever United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Narcotics was originally proposed nearly three years ago by Mexico, one of the nations most adversely affected by the Drug War and by the black market that it has created. The purpose that the Mexicans had in mind was a critical examination of the effectiveness and impact of the war. But such reflection is not in the interests of those who are committed to its prosecution -- particularly the United States. In fact, in the planning stage leading up to the Special Session, it was determined that the ONLY items on the agenda will be discussion about how the powers that be plan to move ahead with the war and how to entice greater international cooperation in that effort. Even the request by several UN-affiliated NGO's to hold a short seminar in a side room detailing alternatives to the war has been denied. It should come as no surprise that dissent, in any form, has been eliminated from the program. Because in their hearts, the drug warriors know that their war, and the Prohibition it claims to enforce, cannot stand up to even the slightest scrutiny. And so, inside the UN at least, they will have none of it. But out in the real world, where the freedom of speech and the vigorous examination of the status quo is a natural right of human beings, dissent will ring out from every corner of the globe. From Amsterdam to Talinn, from Moscow to San Francisco, there will be demonstrations and vigils and forums and marches in protest of the atrocity that the gathering in New York is designed to further. And although these events will be attended not by heads of state but by the citizens of states, it is these gatherings which will ultimately prove to have held the greater power. Because the message they bring is that of truth, and justice, and peace. And because they are willing and able to test their beliefs and their evidence against any defense of the current system. And because they are willing and able to hold their truth up to scrutiny under the harsh disinfectant of sunlight. This week the representatives of 130 nations, along with thirty heads of state will come together in the name of the Drug War. Their plan is not to end the war but to silence its critics in the fervent hope that they can continue to fight in perpetuity. But the world is growing tired of their war. And even as they meet amidst their manufactured silence to plan their next campaign, out in the streets, in cities across the globe, good people who have had enough will be making themselves heard. Adam J. Smith
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