| WASHINGTON
- September 29 - Statements from more than 30 Nobel Peace laureates and leading scholars are gathered to voice their concerns on the war in Iraq. Presented not as a collective of anti-war nor anti-Bush statements, the 33 Nobel Peace laureates and scholars come together to express their views in the latest book: The Iraq War and Its Consequences: Thoughts of Nobel Peace Laureates and Eminent Scholars.
Among the Nobel Peace laureates are the Dalai Lama of Tibet, Frederik Willem de Klerk (former President of South Africa), Jose Ramos-Horta (former Foreign Minister of East Timor), Irene Khan (Sec-General, Amnesty International) and Mairead Corrigan Maguire, now a leader of the Catholic peace movement.
Scholars include Noam Chomsky (MIT Professor & prominent critic on US foreign policy), Joseph Stiglitz (Nobel laureate in Economics 2001), Sir John Daniel (UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education), John Dower (Pulitzer Prize winner) and Eric Stover (Director of Human Rights Center, UC Berkeley).
“At this point in time, it is imperative for some forthrightly honest and intellectually incisive analyses on the Iraq war. We need to understand the war from a different perspective, as compared to what we read and hear from the news media. There are no better people to hear the opinions from than the leading experts and thinkers – the Nobel Peace laureates and scholars,” says Professor Irwin Abrams, leading authority world-wide on the Nobel Peace Prize and Distinguished University Professor Emeritus at Antioch University, on his ambitious new book The Iraq War and Its Consequences: Thoughts of Nobel Peace Laureates and Eminent Scholars (World Scientific; November 2003), co-edited with Professor Wang Gungwu, Director of the East Asia Institute at the National University of Singapore.
“Due to the diverse backgrounds of the laureates and scholars, the topics dealt with in the book ranges from the economic costs and burden of the war, US foreign policy, human rights issue in Iraq, role of UN, rebuilding and reconstruction efforts in Iraq to looting of archaeological artifacts from Baghdad museum. It pretty much covers all areas you’ll need to know on the Iraq war.”
On whether the views all opposes the war, Prof. Abrams says “Those who have held political office, such as Ramos-Horta (now Foreign Minister of East Timor) and David Trimble of Northern Ireland, tend to support the U.S. policy. On the other hand, those active in the organized peace movement, such as Maguire, Jody Williams, International Ambassador of the Campaign to Ban Landmines, and Cora Weiss, President of the International Peace Bureau (Prize Winner, 1910), are critical of the U.S. war policy. Of course, Noam Chomsky is highly critical of the U.S. William Hartung also spoke, in a hard-hitting factual account, how the privatization of Iraq reconstruction means high profits for American corporations, such as Halliburton and Bechtel. However, some others have more moderate views. But, on the whole, the views are slanted towards a critical disapproval of the war, not surprisingly”
On the contents of the book, he says “Authors on nation-building in Iraq include Sir John Daniel of UNESCO with his writing on the education of Iraqis after the war, and Professor John E. Dower of M.I.T., a Pulitzer Prize Winner, comparing reconstruction in Iraq to that of Japan after World War II. The impact of the war on human rights is considered by Eric Stover, Director of Human Rights Center, University of California, Berkeley, Professor Rosemary Foot of Oxford University and Irene Khan (Secretary-General, Amnesty International, Prize Winner, 1977).”
“The impact of the war on international law is considered by Christian Dominice of Switzerland, Secretary-General of the Institute of International Law (Prize Winner, 1904), and by Professor Richard Falk of Princeton. Archeologists Lord Renfrew of Cambridge University and Professor Benjamin Foster of Yale tell of the unsuccessful efforts to urge Britain and the U.S. to protect the priceless artifacts held by Iraqi museums. Further essays deal with economic costs of the war, possible reform of the United Nations, lessons from the war and other subjects,” he says. “The volume represents an excellent introduction to the lessons of the war and the problems with which it has left us as seen from different perspectives”
“One special feature are the sermons delivered by Bishop Gunnar Stalsett of Oslo, former deputy chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, one on the eve of the war, the other at the memorial service in Oslo one week after the barbaric bomb attack on the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad, which killed the U.N, envoy, Sergio Vieira de Mello and so many of his staff,” added Professor Irwin Abrams.
“For every copy of the book sold, US$1 will be donated to the United Nations for its humanitarian relief efforts in Iraq. To help support the UN aid efforts in Iraq, you can purchase a copy of the book at the following website link or from your local bookstore.” urges Professor Irwin Abrams. “There is no other time than now when the Iraqis need the most assistance and help from outside donors. We should do every bit we can to help ease the lives of Iraqis -- especially in view of the urgent rebuilding and reconstruction efforts. They deserve a life as good as ours.”
"This book is an exemplary example of people thinking critically and speaking out on the Iraq war. A "Think Critical; Speak Out" campaign will be a good cause of this book. Several progressive organizations, such as MoveOn.org and Artists United Win Without War, are also campaigning for similar causes. Particularly for Artists United WWW, a joint campaign will be very credible as Nobel Peace laureates speak out; Eminent Scholars speak out; Hollywood Stars speak out -- the public will speak out. This book will be great for raising awareness to the public on the issues and developments surrounding the Iraq war."
The book The Iraq War and Its Consequences: Thoughts of Nobel Peace Laureates and Eminent Scholars is available in bookstores from November 2003. It is published by World Scientific Publishing Co., one of the largest international scientific publishers in science, technology and medicine, with 7 offices worldwide and publication of more than 400 books and 80 journals a year. World Scientific is the exclusive publisher of Nobel Lectures Series.
The Prominent Contributors are:
Nobel Peace Laureates
Tenzin Gyatso (The Fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet, 1989)
David Trimble (MP, Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, UK, 1998)
Jody Williams (International Ambassador of International Campaign to Ban Landmines, USA, 1997)
Sir Joseph Rotblat (Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, UK, 1995)
Jose Ramos-Horta (Foreign Minister of East Timor, 1996)
Frederik Willem de Klerk (Former President of South Africa, 1993)
Mairead Corrigan Maguire (Co-founder, Community of Peace People, Northern Ireland, UK, 1976)
Bernard Lown (Co-founder, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, 1985)
Peter Hansen (Commissioner-General, United Nations Relief and Works Agency, UN, 1945)
Irene Khan (Sec-General, Amnesty International, 1977)
Mary Ellen McNish (Executive Secretary, American Friends Service Committee, USA, 1947)
Brian Philips of Oxford Brookes University (Quaker Peace and Social Witness, UK, 1947)
Cora Weiss, President (Permanent International Peace Bureau, 1910)
Christian Dominice (Sec-General, Institute of International Law, 1904)
Eminent Scholar
Noam Chomsky (Prominent Political Critic, Professor of Linguistics, MIT)
Joseph Stiglitz (Nobel laureate in Economics 2001, Columbia University
Richard A Falk (Albert G Milbank Professor of International Law and Practice, Emeritus, Princeton University)
Sir John Daniel (UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education)
Gunnar Staalsett (Bishop of Oslo and Former Deputy Chairman of Norwegian Nobel Committee)
John W Dower (Pulitzer Prize winner & Elting E. Morison Professor of History, MIT)
Eric Stover (Director of Human Rights Center, UC Berkeley)
Frank N von Hippel (Professor of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University)
Lord Colin Renfrew of Kaimsthorn (Director of McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Cambridge University)
William Hartung (Director of Institute’s Arms Trade Resource Center, World Policy Institute)
Benjamin R Foster (Professor of Assyriology and Curator of the Yale Babylonian Collection, Yale University)
Svetlana Broz (Sarajevo Cardiologist, Author and Lecturer)
Faleh A Jabar (Iraq specialist and Research Fellow, Birkbeck College, London University)
Lisa Martin (Professor of Government, Harvard University)
Helena Cobban (Middle-East Specialist and Columnist for Christian Science Monitor)
Mahmood Mamdani (Director of Institute of African Studies, Columbia University)
Rosemary Foot (Professor of International Relations, Modern History, Oxford University)
Robin Lakoff (Professor of Linguistics, UC Berkeley)
Roland Paris (Political Science and International Affairs, University of Colorado at Boulder)
Contents: Economic Costs and Consequences of War; US Foreign Policy in Middle-East; Role of United Nations and Multilateral International Organizations; Human Rights Issues; Looting of Archaeological Artifacts from Iraq Museums; Education of Iraqis after War; Rebuilding of Iraq; Weapons of Mass Destruction; Impact of war on American Society; Lessons from the War.
###
|
