s 1,2

political

Maintaining World Order

January 7, 1995

Q: When the internal policies or governmental rule of a nation are oppressing its citizens, what is the best way for the international community to apply pressure for change? In particular, are economic sanctions a good approach?

When there is a ruling party in a particular area which becomes highly oppressive to its people, it is the responsibility of the international community to intervene. Now, if there is a world confederation established, that particular country would be a part and parcel of that confederation, and the observation that, let us say, Country A is mistreating its people and has become totalitarian and abusive, these allegations may be brought before the central committee which is composed of the confederation of local regions. Then this body may decide: "Country A must change its policy to be more in line with our stated ideals of our world federation." If Country A refuses, then force may be applied by the federation taking a collective voice against Country A.

Now, if Country A still does not listen to this verbal warning, then stricter actions must be taken. Some kind of sanction must be there. If still Country A does not listen, then intervention must escalate, and international force must be brought to bear upon the situation until Country A will change its policy. And if they still do not change, then they must be ousted from government and the opposing elements within their local province or country must be allowed to gain control.

If the ideas of the oppressed political force in that area are more in line with the ideas of the world federation, and Country A's existing government has violated those standards in its treatments of its own people or in its international activities, then there must be a three or four point system where first it is brought before the federation, specific demands are established from the world order, and, if those demands are not met, sanctions will be taken. If sanctions are still ineffective and anti-humanitarian activities continue, then military intervention may be taken and the existing oppressive regime taken from power and the local peoples who opposed them given full right to rule.

When the situation is stabilized, then the international peace keeping force will be removed from the region so that all countries will know they must abide by the international standards that have been collectively set. If they would change those standards, they must bring the change before the collective body and propose the change in the standards, and then that change will become the standard. But they cannot simply violate the standards that have been set without repercussions, otherwise there will not be international order whatsoever. In this way, a certain standard of humanitarian treatment may become the norm within the entire world order.

If, for example, a particular country - Country A - begins to mistreat political opponents, taking people from their homes in the night, putting them in jail and torturing them, and this becomes known to the international community, it may be brought before the governing body as a breach of international standards. And then the ruling may be made that this Country A must change its pattern. If they refuse, sanction is taken. If they still refuse, then military force is used, and they are forced to comply or else to be removed altogether from power and a new set of individuals placed in power by the international forces.

So, this is the way that a certain standard will be kept within the international community. There must be some regulating force and some capacity to keep those who are offenders in line. If a standard is not set, and there is not enforcement of that standard, then there becomes no criteria for the establishment of a united human society.

It need not be oppressive. As I have said, it will be a confederation. That means that control is maintained within each individual member's local society. They will have local autonomy. But they are also part and parcel of the larger body. Though the control is local, they may answer to the larger body as to their compliance with the general standards which must be based upon humanitarian values. That is why there must be a common ideology, one which is based on spiritual values and human values, so that it promotes the physical, psychic and spiritual welfare of all human beings, giving them maximum opportunity to pursue their personal development and to pursue the collective development of the human race.

If, in a particular region, one racial group begins to oppress another, beating them down, not allowing them to have rights, killing them, then this matter will be brought to the central committee, as it will violate the humanitarian standards of that community. Then an edict may be made by the collective body of all of the respective participating members against the particular region saying that this must be changed. Like this, there will be centralization of political control with local autonomy.

Economic sanctions are not necessarily the best approach, because the common people are often harmed by economic sanctions, and those who are in power are the most capable to hold out from these economic sanctions, because they have so much affluence. But they may be appropriate in certain circumstances.