Alliance of Civilizations - Remarks made by H. E. Mr. Danilo Türk, President of the Republic of Slovenia

Madrid, Spain, 15.1.2008  |  speech

We meet today in Madrid to deliberate on the future direction and action of the Alliance of Civilizations. It feels especially appropriate to meet in Madrid, the Capital of Spain. The history of Spain teaches us how, centuries ago, the Iberian Peninsula flourished through the interaction of Muslim, Christian and Jewish cultural and religious traditions. But the history of Spain teaches us as well how that coexistence came to an end by the expulsion of Jews and, a century later, of Moriscos. It is sometimes suggested that distant history bears little relevance to the World of today. But let us consider the fact that the historical period which is described as the »Dark Ages« offers a lesson of peaceful coexistence of different faiths and cultural traditions, something that is badly badly needed in the globalized world of today. History is a great teacher, indeed. The example of peaceful coexistence among faiths and cultural traditions in Medieval Spain is particularly precious.

It is not surprising that Spain, joined soon after by Turkey, initiated one of the most needed international debates, the debate on the Alliance of Civilizations. The debate started about three years ago and has already yielded significant results expressed in the Report on the Alliance of Civilizations in 2006 and in other documents. Today we need to reflect on the priorities which will ensure that the Alliance of Civilizations realizes its full potential.

Some facts are obvious. Ever since the establishment of the United Nations it has been clear that our global world needs a broad agreement on the basic, universal values. Such shared values are the necessary condition for an effective global cooperation. Values such as peace and collective security, solidarity and social development and promotion of fundamental human rights and human dignity are enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They represent the conceptual platform upon which the initiatives such as the Alliance of Civilizations must be based. Over sixty years ago, those great documents articulated a vision both fundamental and optimistic. In reality, the world of 1940s was far away from the values espoused by the global vision of the UN Charter. There is no doubt that the world of today is a better place for most of its inhabitants than it was at that time. And it was precisely the optimism and wisdom of the leaders of that era that made the subsequent improvement possible.

That experience carries with it an important lesson for our meeting today. Let us be optimistic and ambitious. Let us think on how to build platforms for the generations to come. Our era requires nothing less. The process of globalization has integrated the world in new ways, but the fruits of globalization have been unevenly divided. As a result, many grievances occur.

Poverty is spreading, accompanied by a sense of humiliation of many. Many are deprived of justice. Many are robbed of their sense of dignity. Social dislocation, economic marginalization, cultural disorientation and political dispossession create a feeling of helplessness, despair and anger, and can all too easily become the breeding ground of intolerance, hatred and violence. This is the environment in which extremist ideologues, fundamentalist preachers and cynical, reckless politicians can make a disproportionally big impact. But this is also an environment in which well informed and daring initiatives, such as the Alliance of Civilizations, can make a difference.

The optimism, as well as the high level of ambition of the Alliance of Civilizations requires from us to ground our initiatives on a ceaseless and uncompromising, rigorous and disciplined analysis and on an honest and effective diagnosis of the state of our world and its most threatening problems. The same criteria should apply to the search for remedies. And, above all, let us not fear from asking the most fundamental and difficult questions.

Let me therefore raise two among such questions - each of them from a different category. At the conceptual level we need a rigorous discussion on what we mean by the word »civilizations«. Shortcuts will not do. Conceptual clarity is the first prerequisite for any successful inquiry and action. Moreover, we must not ignore the fact that the discussion of our era has already been affected by the theory of the clash of civilizations, which interprets the international armed conflict in a manner resembling the much used and abused notion of »historical inevitability«. Cultural and religious factors are seen as necessarily leading to tensions and violent conflict. While factually incorrect, this perception still has a powerful influence on the public discourse and, alas, as it seems, on decision making as well.

The theory of the clash of civilizations is both profoundly flawed and politically dangerous. But it can be effectively countered only by an alternative paradigm, which the very name of the initiative of the Alliance of Civilizations suggests. However, for that alternative paradigm to be effective, it needs a solid intellectual underpinning and, above all, a clear concept of civilization. We need to engage the best intellectual minds from every corner of the world and stimulate a global discussion, which will give the answer to the perennial question: what is a civilization? How many civilizations coexist in the contemporary world? What makes their interaction productive and oriented towards a better future? The discussion should also help to identify, with a compelling intellectual strength, the real issues of our era as well as discern the causes of conflict from their political manifestations. It should also analyze ways in which the lofty values of religion and tradition are misused and abused for the much more mundane purposes of national interest, political ambition and sheer economic greed.

We need to grasp the vision of the Alliance of Civilizations in a sufficiently broad and inclusive manner. It should not be reduced – willingly or unwillingly - to the relationship between the Christianity and Islam, notwithstanding the importance of that relationship.
It should encompass all the civilizations of our planet, from East Asia to Latin America, from Europe to Africa. Only an inclusive alliance of civilizations can be an effective alliance.

The second concern is more immediate and more political. It is widely accepted that the problem of Palestine fuels much if not most of the conflict in the Middle East and the tensions between the Islamic World and the West. The Alliance of Civilizations needs to offer meaningful initiatives to assist in the search of a solution. This was recognized in the Alliance's report of November 2006 and elaborated in a separate paper attached to that report.

We need to be persistent and imaginative in our future proposals. At a time when the Palestinian and the Israeli side appear to be engaged in a serious, albeit uneasy dialogue, additional efforts by international actors may not seem timely. Nevertheless, the Israeli-Palestinian process needs to be followed closely and additional assistance must be available when the need arises. The countries involved in the Alliance of Civilizations as well as the European Union are well placed to provide, when the time comes, meaningful assistance.

Practical activities, including diplomatic initiatives, can be a natural part of the Alliance of Civilizations. Today, as we consider further steps and additional commitments, we should strive to develop the Alliance of Civilizations into a movement capable of fostering real change – in the minds of people and in the political and economic conditions. Let us make a real effort to make the vision of the Alliance a success.

Thank you very much.