Global Issues Institute

Did you know that the U.S. government has done something odd with your tax dollars? The ones you get so furious and indignant about when they’re used to feed anybody who’s hungry? It has given over 280 billion of those dollars to the government of Israel (not counting classified hush-hush super-secret amounts).

Israel is not a poor country. It is certainly not the poorest in the world. Why is it the top recipient of “aid.”

It isn’t. Its military is. Most of those billions of dollars are for weapons, and most of those weapons have to be bought from U.S. weapons dealers — you know, the ones crammed into close quarters risking the spread of a deadly disease because their jobs have been deemed “essential.”

The majority of dictatorships on planet earth — by the U.S. government’s designation of which countries are dictatorships — are sold U.S. weapons. And most of their militaries are trained by the U.S. military.

If I had to pick a dictatorship to object to the U.S. government’s position on, it would be one of these many, and probably it would be Saudi Arabia. But, then, I’m not a Progressive Senator. If I were, then I would object to anything less than complete hostility toward a country that the U.S. has not armed or trained in war, but rather sits on the edge of going to war against — a country that the U.S. president not long ago threatened to drop nuclear bombs on.

Imagine if the United States made peace with North Korea. There are perhaps three ways to do it.

Charles Mercieca, Ph.D., President
International Association of Educators for World Peace
NGO, Dedicated to United Nations Goals of Peace Education,
Environmental Protection, Human Rights & Disarmament
Professor Emeritus, Alabama A&M University

In virtually every community we find several organizations of one kind or another. Some are political while others are religious; some may be academic while others merely recreational. Some may be profit-making while others may be non-profit, which are usually composed of volunteers. In this presentation we are concentrating on the latter one. In particular we will concentrate on their very source of success in the local community, the nation and the world at large.

Zero Politics at Work

Charles Mercieca, Ph.D., President
International Association of Educators for World Peace
Dedicated to United Nations Goals of Peace Education,
Environmental Protection, Human Rights & Disarmament
Professor Emeritus, Alabama A&M University

Achilles’ heel is described as a seemingly small but actually crucial and mortal weakness in the hind part of the foot on which the whole body-weight stands. This weakness generally continues to increase as one gets older. When the USA became an independent nation in 1776, it drew up its constitution, which was based on the dire needs of those days. By the process of time, many events took place, which the nation’s forefathers apparently did not foresee.

Frozen US Constitution

Charles Mercieca, Ph.D.
President, International Association of Educators for World Peace
Dedicated to United Nations Goals of Peace Education,
Environmental Protection, Human Rights & Disarmament
Professor Emeritus, Alabama A&M University

Sooner or later, the world is bound to experience a lasting peace. Needless to say, we must continue to practice patience and perseverance in our positive and constructive efforts to this end. In doing so, we should always keep in mind that violence begets violence and more violence begets more violence.

History of Military Violence

The reality and consequences of such violence may be brought clearly into perspective if we were to give a glance over the last 6,000 years of recorded history. Each time the military was involved we always witnessed the destruction of entire cities, the infliction of crucial pain on many people along with the brutal massacre of innocent people amounting to millions.

Charles Mercieca, Ph.D. President, International Association of Educators for World Peace Dedicated to United Nations Goals of Peace Education, Environmental Protection, Human Rights & Disarmament Professor Emeritus, Alabama A&M University

The United States has been described by former US President John F. Kennedy as a “conglomeration of nations.” Needless to say, it may also be viewed as a “conglomeration of religions.” In fact, there is hardly a nation and religion which could not be found in this country. Quite a few millions still speak their native language of origin at their homes.

Nation of Great Diversity

Some of the leading languages most Americans speak to each other are Spanish, Chinese, German, Italian, Korean, Arabic, Russian, French and a variety of Indian languages, in addition to English which is the predominant language of the government and schools in general. Although the dominant religion seems to be Christianity, some of the leading ones may be viewed as Islam, Judaism, Hindu and Buddhist, besides a few others. Christianity is generally divided into Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox.

Charles Mercieca, Ph.D., President International Association of Educators for World Peace Dedicated to United Nations Goals of Peace Education, Environmental Protection, Human Rights & Disarmament Professor Emeritus, Alabama A&M University

The American people have learned from experience that the person they choose as their President does not tend to perform in accordance with the promises he made and hopes he gave prior his election. Unfortunately, this episode has now been going on repeatedly for quite a long time. The time is now ripe for all Americans to predict the performance of every presidential candidate that may be elected with fair accuracy. This could be done before elections take place. This way there should be no regrets afterwards.

American Political Structure

President, International Association of Educators for World Peace Dedicated to United Nations Goals of Peace Education, Environmental Protection, Human Rights & Disarmament Professor Emeritus, Alabama A&M University

China represents one of the oldest civilizations in the entire history of our earthly society. Its dynasties managed to leave legacies that have enriched the culture of China in many unique ways. By nature, the Chinese are very kind people and they try to be helpful with those around and with those they come across. They also tend to live in peace and to let others live in peace as well. The only ambition the Chinese people seem to have is to see the members of their relatives and friends equipped with all the vital needs of life.

Comprehension of China

President, International Association of Educators for World Peace
Dedicated to United Nations Goals of Peace Education,
Environmental Protection, Human Rights & Disarmament
Professor Emeritus, Alabama A&M University

Over the past few millennia, China provided the world with a culturally rich civilization. Its people always tended to be laborious and creative. On the whole, the Chinese minded their own business and they demonstrated to be heavily family oriented. In spite of this, China has been perhaps the most invaded and exploited nation on earth. As a result, people there have suffered immensely.

Understanding Chinese History

By nature, the Chinese are trustworthy, generous, kind and altruistic. Unfortunately, quite a few nations took the advantage of such good people’s qualities to invade the country and, quite often, to exploit its natural resources and people brutally. Initially, we find China ruled by a series of dynasties which became the nation’s characteristic for a long time. Over the last couple of centuries or so, the Japanese invaded China a number of times to the great detriment of the Chinese people themselves.

  Charles Mercieca, Ph.D.
President, International Association of Educators for World Peace
Dedicated to United Nations Goals of Peace Education,
Environmental Protection, Human Rights & Disarmament
Professor Emeritus
Alabama A&M University

There has probably been no other nation in history that has used with such frequency the word “insurgents” as often as the United States. What does this word mean? Dictionaries tend to describe the word “insurgent” as one who rises in opposition to lawful civil or political authority, one who is rebellious. The New Webster Dictionary of the English Language tells us that an insurgent differs from a rebel in holding less pronounced position of antagonism, and may or may not develop into a rebel.

Analysis of Distorted Concept