Regionalism; a third way to peace and development

Citation

Dunn, T. (1999), "Regionalism; a third way to peace and development", European Business Review, Vol. 99 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/ebr.1999.05499bab.004

Regionalism; a third way to peace and development

Regionalism ­ a third way to peace and development

Ted Dunn

Ted Dunn is author of Regional Peace and Development Programmes (1993) and Step by Step to World Order, Region by Region (1998)

Keywords Council of Europe, Regional development

For many years I have been campaigning for the idea of Regional Peace and Development Programmes as the best, and possibly the only, way of integrating all the many issues that make for a peaceful world. The importance of regionalism is that it offers the best opportunity for states, or ethnic communities, to co-operate and implement an integrated, holistic approach to peace, development and international law, for there can be no peace without social and economic justice.

Our failure to recognise the importance of the regional idea can be illustrated by the fact that billions of pounds have been spent on providing aid, and other kinds of help, to individual countries with little effect. True, much good has been done by helping refugees and other humanitarian aid, but this help has been offset by a proliferation of war within the regions and more money being spent on defence in the Third World and oil countries than ever before, in the false belief that armaments will ensure their security.

The alternative answer therefore must be to integrate the aims of peace, security and development because it is almost impossible to have one without the others. This important fact has been consistently ignored in the past when peace, security and development issues have been considered in separate compartments. The failure of development programmes has therefore led many people to seek world peace by creating a new world economic order, such as the Brandt Report, but all attempts have always been ignored, or proved too ambitious and unrealistic. But perhaps the real reason why global solutions are not the answer is because they are not practical politics ­ too many vital interests are involved.

The next alternative must be to support the Organisation for Security and Cooperation for Europe (OSCE). This is a splendid regional idea and one that could rescue Eastern Europe from disaster, if given the necessary funds within a well-conceived structure. Unfortunately the idea of regionalism has been lost in competition with NATO for financial help.

The Council of Europe is another regional idea that urgently needs our support, especially its emphasis on social and economic Human Rights. The OSCE and the Council of Europe should therefore be seen as complementary to each other. Not only would this set in motion a peace process for all of Europe but it would remove the spectre of economic disaster and revolution in Russia.

The model which inspires the regional idea for me is the Marshall Plan, without which it is doubtful whether Europe would have enjoyed peace and prosperity these past 50 years. Today, similar plans could be initiated under the umbrella of the UN Economic and Social Council and the UN Development Programme. Alternatively, or in addition, the idea could be initiated in co-operation with the Council of Europe and the Organization of Security and Co-operation for Europe.

The beauty of regional programmes is that they could be initiated immediately in one of the smaller regions of the world, such as the Great Lakes region of Africa. To ensure success, however, there should be a carrot-and-stick approach, attractive enough to encourage regions to apply for assistance, with each state knowing in advance the conditions attached and the kind of financial help available. The financial structure for regional peace and development programmes can then be created, and the regions invited to apply for help. (Something similar is already happening in Ireland where both governments are being invited to apply for cross-border help from the European Community, the USA and the UK. This financial incentive is not generally recognised but it must have played an important role in creating the conditions of peace.)

In Eastern Europe we have the potential for creating a Europe of overlapping regions, from the Atlantic to the Urals, but instead we are encouraging Eastern Europe to become members of an enlarged European Community, a policy that is neither practical nor desirable. Far better to encourage the idea of a Europe of overlapping regions under the umbrella of the Council of Europe and the UN Development Programme. This process would be much more realistic than trying to enlarge the European Community. This alternative policy could also be initiated and implemented immediately, in contrast to the present policy which, it is said, will take 20 years to complete, and even then will only include the fringe of Eastern Europe, leaving out Russia, with all the dangers that implies. The cost of revitalising Eastern Europe within the framework of the Council of Europe and the CSCE would also prove to be less costly to the European Community in the long term and prove more politically acceptable to both Eastern and Western Europe.

If this policy could be adapted to each of the Eastern European regions (the Balkans, Central Europe, the Baltic countries and several others), they would then each be able to adapt to change at their own pace, in accordance with their own particular conditions. Gradually as these regions learn to co-operate, internally and with each other, and accept the disciplines of peace as set out in a Code of Conduct, a new Europe would emerge, based on the principles of unity, diversity and subsidiarity. To be successful, however, the carrot of economic co-operation must be made realistic, both for the poor countries and for the enlightened self-interests of the rich countries. For instance, many large multinational firms are always looking for regions of peace and stability in which to invest. Co-operation and disarmament should therefore be seen as the twin dynamos of progress.

But little will happen unless the regions can be adequately financed. There are several possible sources, but the most important would come from a process of disarmament within the regions themselves, alongside the cancellation of Third World debts. As these debts cannot possibly be repaid, why not make a virtue out of necessity within well-conceived regional concepts? The proposal for a Peace Tax to enable individuals to choose where their taxes should go should be supported.

Other money could be found by supporting the proposals made by Mr Boutros Boutros Ghali, proposals such as: taxing environmentally-damaging fuels; taxing the movement of capital around the world by speculators; taxing advertising and taxing the sales of armaments. All these taxes would be environmentally beneficial to the rich world in the long term and would revolutionize the finances of the UN.

An alternative to using the UN to finance and inspire regionalism would be for the British Commonwealth to initiate unilaterally the idea in one or two of its small regions, perhaps for the West Indies or the Great Lakes region of Africa. The Commonwealth Secretariat already has considerable expertise in the field of co-operation and could initiate regional programmes immediately. Such an act would help to revitalise the Commonwealth and set an example to the rest of the world.

To ensure success, however, a Code of Conduct must be agreed before any money is given. The following principles are suggested:

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  observe the UN Declaration of Social, Economic and Political Human Rights.

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  take steps to ensure good governance within a long-term plan using the offices of the UN and voluntary organizations to assist this process.

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  observe the Agreements made by the Heads of Government at recent prime ministers' conferences, e.g. about women's rights, the environment, habitats, the laws of the seas, etc.

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  begin a process of disarmament alongside that of co-operation.

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  support the idea of Education for Life in all its manifestations. It is to education that we must look if we are ever to have true peace and development.

When the Code of Conduct is agreed, generous yearly grants, not loans, should be made over a five-year period; failure to fulfil the conditions could result in the cancellation of the regional aid programme.

These "conditions" would be based on widely-held moral and practical principles already accepted by the world community.

Good governance and the details of the Regional Plan should be formulated not by politicians, but by a body of experts appointed by the regions' governments, similar to the manner of leaving the Marshall Plan in the hands of Lord Franks and his committee, which was conceived and approved both by Western Europe and by the USA in a matter of months. Today, similar Plans could be agreed with the same speed. For the UN to command universal moral respect and confidence for the regional plan, in the regions being helped, there should be full representation of the Third World on all the relevant UN committees.

There is already more than adequate provision in the Charter of the UN for the idea of regionalism under Chapters VIII and IX. Both the past Secretary-General of the UN and the present Secretary-General have also pleaded for the principle. The Security Council is also giving more emphasis to promoting the Economic and Social Council ­ the UN's most important organization. Clearly the foundations for regional peace and development programmes have been laid, but the political will to provide the money for the regional programmes, based on enlightened self-interest, must first be created by recognising that peace and security come primarily from economic security. If this could happen, the basis of international law, founded on co-operation and the principle of unity and diversity, social and economic justice, would be established region by region, gradually to involve the whole world.

Finally, the idea of regionalism would make it possible to reform the Security Council with representatives from each of the five continents of the world, in a similar manner to the way the Olympic Games are organised. The General Assembly could also be re-formed, with its members coming from each of the smaller regions of the world. This is the only true democratic solution if we are to give fair representation to all the countries of the world.

To summarize: we do not want world government but world governance under law. Regionalism based on universal social and economic justice could provide the vision, for there can be no peace except under the laws of reason and justice.