The Global Issues Institute (GII) is a project of the International Association of Educators for World Peace and the Association of World Citizens. These are recognized NGOs with ties to the United Nations. The mission of the GII is to facilitate discussions on topics promoting universal human rights and world peace and prosperity.
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Global Issues Institute
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
In the sphere of morality there seems to be no neutrality. We are either moving on the right track or on the wrong track. We may either be performing well or we may be promoting evil. Of course, there are various spheres or degrees of both good and evil. Two individuals may be kind but one may reveal to be kinder. This applies also to evil since one may reveal to be vicious but another may demonstrate to be more vicious.
Concept of Good and Evil
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
In the sphere of morality there seems to be no neutrality. We are either moving on the right track or on the wrong track. We may either be performing well or we may be promoting evil. Of course, there are various spheres or degrees of both good and evil. Two individuals may be kind but one may reveal to be kinder. This applies also to evil since one may reveal to be vicious but another may demonstrate to be more vicious.
Concept of Good and Evil
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
At this stage of history, the world seems to be moving from bad to worse. This is due to a variety of sources. Above all, it is revealed in a conspicuous lack of global leadership both in the spiritual and political sphere. Those who want to provide global leadership must do so by demonstrating genuine love, respect and concern for all people across every continent without exception.
Evaluation of Political Leaders
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
At this stage of history, the world seems to be moving from bad to worse. This is due to a variety of sources. Above all, it is revealed in a conspicuous lack of global leadership both in the spiritual and political sphere. Those who want to provide global leadership must do so by demonstrating genuine love, respect and concern for all people across every continent without exception.
Evaluation of Political Leaders
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
Since the patriarchal society took over some six to eight thousand years ago, the culture of peace has been replaced with the culture of war. From excavations we find that in the matriarchal times the world was characterized by true love, dedicated care, and genuine respect. People hugged each other and offered assistance to each other. This is due to the fact that women, by their very nature tend to rule from the heart, which is the seat of love and compassion.
Initiation of the Culture of War
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
Since the patriarchal society took over some six to eight thousand years ago, the culture of peace has been replaced with the culture of war. From excavations we find that in the matriarchal times the world was characterized by true love, dedicated care, and genuine respect. People hugged each other and offered assistance to each other. This is due to the fact that women, by their very nature tend to rule from the heart, which is the seat of love and compassion.
Initiation of the Culture of War
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
As most of us may already know, men tend to rule from the mind, which abounds in doubts and suspicion. This explains why men in general find it rather difficult to trust others. At the same time, women tend to rule from the heart, which is characterized by love and compassion. This explains why there were no traces of war during the matriarchal times when women ruled the world. Since the arrival of the patriarchy, some eight thousand years ago or so, there have been numerous wars that inflicted so much suffering to this very day.
Provision of Good Leadership
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
As most of us may already know, men tend to rule from the mind, which abounds in doubts and suspicion. This explains why men in general find it rather difficult to trust others. At the same time, women tend to rule from the heart, which is characterized by love and compassion. This explains why there were no traces of war during the matriarchal times when women ruled the world. Since the arrival of the patriarchy, some eight thousand years ago or so, there have been numerous wars that inflicted so much suffering to this very day.
Provision of Good Leadership
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
It is obvious that the job of the United Nations Secretary-General has emerged to become the most important job in the world in terms of its tremendous potential to put pressure and to exert influence in bringing needed vital changes into proper perspective. If we were to analyze the history of the United Nations since it started in 1945, we would discover that the five permanent members of the UN Security Council served more as a detriment than an asset to this world-wide body of nations.
Veto Power Sign of Weakness
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
It is obvious that the job of the United Nations Secretary-General has emerged to become the most important job in the world in terms of its tremendous potential to put pressure and to exert influence in bringing needed vital changes into proper perspective. If we were to analyze the history of the United Nations since it started in 1945, we would discover that the five permanent members of the UN Security Council served more as a detriment than an asset to this world-wide body of nations.
Veto Power Sign of Weakness
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
In every era of history, we always had a group of countries which were drawn together by mutual common interests and benefits. Such groups were referred to later by various names, among the common ones we find that of alliance or coalition. For the past six thousand years of recorded history, we have witnessed a world dominated by a patriarchy that tended to be vindictive, merciless and brutal.
Characteristics of the Culture of War
This was mostly due to the fact that the patriarchs that assumed power were all born and raised in a culture of war, which is characterized by distrust, suspicion, and belligerence. Because of this, there are hardly cases of international significance where problems were tried to be solved through genuine healthy dialogues. The philosophy of the patriarchy has been always the same. It runs something like this:
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
In every era of history, we always had a group of countries which were drawn together by mutual common interests and benefits. Such groups were referred to later by various names, among the common ones we find that of alliance or coalition. For the past six thousand years of recorded history, we have witnessed a world dominated by a patriarchy that tended to be vindictive, merciless and brutal.
Characteristics of the Culture of War
This was mostly due to the fact that the patriarchs that assumed power were all born and raised in a culture of war, which is characterized by distrust, suspicion, and belligerence. Because of this, there are hardly cases of international significance where problems were tried to be solved through genuine healthy dialogues. The philosophy of the patriarchy has been always the same. It runs something like this:
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
For quite a good number of people, the problem of racism deals mostly with the pigmentation of the skin, with the variety of human features, which are visible to the eyes, and with a variety of ancestral characteristics that were passed on from one generation to the other. This problem originates mostly from the fact that we tend to categorize people into various groups based on their external characteristics. As a result, we tend to treat them differently for the better or the worse. Hence, prejudice plays a big role in the problem of racism.
Concept of Superiority and Inferiority
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
For quite a good number of people, the problem of racism deals mostly with the pigmentation of the skin, with the variety of human features, which are visible to the eyes, and with a variety of ancestral characteristics that were passed on from one generation to the other. This problem originates mostly from the fact that we tend to categorize people into various groups based on their external characteristics. As a result, we tend to treat them differently for the better or the worse. Hence, prejudice plays a big role in the problem of racism.
Concept of Superiority and Inferiority
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
When the communists took over China in the year 1949, the entire world became concerned. The legitimate government of China then took refuge in Taiwan hoping to retake control of this great nation in due time. In this island nation, the overthrown government of China kept the original name, Republic and China (ROC). For quite a few years the United Nations viewed Taiwan as the real China. In the meantime, the communists, in order to avoid confusion, called China by its present official name, People’s Republic of China (PRC).
China’s Initial Problems
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
When the communists took over China in the year 1949, the entire world became concerned. The legitimate government of China then took refuge in Taiwan hoping to retake control of this great nation in due time. In this island nation, the overthrown government of China kept the original name, Republic and China (ROC). For quite a few years the United Nations viewed Taiwan as the real China. In the meantime, the communists, in order to avoid confusion, called China by its present official name, People’s Republic of China (PRC).
China’s Initial Problems
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
In the latter part of 2006 I had the opportunity to visit India twice covering four of the nation’s twenty eight states. Unlike the states of America, the states of India are conspicuously unique. Every state is unique with its own specific language that is different from that of others states. In addition, such languages do not use the same type of script. They differ from each other same way as the Roman script, which is used in the USA, differs from the Greek, Arabic, Russian, and Korean scripts.
Enrichment in Education and Culture
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
In the latter part of 2006 I had the opportunity to visit India twice covering four of the nation’s twenty eight states. Unlike the states of America, the states of India are conspicuously unique. Every state is unique with its own specific language that is different from that of others states. In addition, such languages do not use the same type of script. They differ from each other same way as the Roman script, which is used in the USA, differs from the Greek, Arabic, Russian, and Korean scripts.
Enrichment in Education and Culture
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
During the Roman times we find a good saying: Aliud est theoria, aliud est practica – One thing is theory, another thing is practice. Almost every language abounds with sayings of this nature. In English, for example, we have the saying: Not all that glitters is gold. In spite of the diversity of expression, such sayings tend to convey the same meaning. From the early days of Christianity and beyond we find that the greatness of human beings is attributed not to the titles people carry and the wealth they may possess but to the kind of spiritual life they lead.
Brahma Kumaris Spirituality
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
During the Roman times we find a good saying: Aliud est theoria, aliud est practica – One thing is theory, another thing is practice. Almost every language abounds with sayings of this nature. In English, for example, we have the saying: Not all that glitters is gold. In spite of the diversity of expression, such sayings tend to convey the same meaning. From the early days of Christianity and beyond we find that the greatness of human beings is attributed not to the titles people carry and the wealth they may possess but to the kind of spiritual life they lead.
Brahma Kumaris Spirituality