World Public Forum "Dialogue of Civilizations"

Comments by the World Public Forum «Dialogue of Civilizations» co-chairman and co-founder Jagdish Kapur on the speech of the US President Barack Obama, delivered in Cairo University on June 4, 2009.

The Cairo University address of President Barack Obama’s was bold, imaginative, and timely. It qualitatively reflected the goodwill and support of the American people which voted him to power. His target was three different constituencies — the Islamic World, Israel and the American people.

In less than one hour, he diluted the violent adversary perception of the United States’ plan for a civilizational war against Islam. He stressed harmony of civilizations, nations and religions through dialogue and expressed the need for a new approach to multi-cultural nationalism, while in search for a supra-international order. This was imperative if the Unites States did not wish to be totally alienated from the emerging new world of the twenty-first century.

He expressed concern over the increasing proliferation of nuclear weapons, but missed out on the point that solution vests with United States, which has the largest stock of nuclear weapons, and the only power that ever used them. Small countries are terrorized by the United States superpower policies and want to build a protective shield against Iraqi-sation of their countries. Therefore before asking other nations to denuclearize, they should start this process themselves, which the other nations would gladly follow.

Further more, nuclear weapons are not the only weapons of mass destruction. Thus their control will be meaningless, if we continue to increase the lethality and the reach, of biological, space, economic and other weapons. Biological weapons are easy to transmit and have a much larger reach and cause great suffering and devastation. Space weapon will further erode the cosmic connection, that is the earth as a part of the larger universe. Every country has been effected by the recent use of the weapon of mass bankruptcy.

There is a wide perception that American foreign policy serves Israel interest more than that of United States. This is particularly so, with regard to Middle East policy. American Unilateral intervention as in Iran, Iraq and earlier in Vietnam has shaken its credibility. Why should Israel have a stock of nuclear weapons while Iran cannot even have nuclear power.

Mr. Obama’s address was a refreshing change from the threat perception of arrogantly delivered American Policy by the earlier administrations. The breakdown of the ethical and moral order on a broad spectrum within the economic system and the recent breakdown of the icons of America’s finance and industry have laid bare the chasm within the power and economic structure of the United States. Will Obama be able to bridge it in the larger American and human interest. He has the potential but will he be able to control the events.

Jagdish Chandra Kapur
Co-Chairman and Co-Founder, WPF