Global citizenship can help to combat terrorism

An Opinion Piece by Patrick J. Lynch CEO NZ Catholic Education Office

The extra airport security measures that are being phased in following the Christmas Day scare over the skies of Detroit City, along with the daily stream of reported violence in an increasing range of countries, heighten the awareness of the need to work towards an enduring solution to all international violence.

Terrorists threaten every human being, and their right to a peaceful life.

For many years international statesmen have urged national political leaders to talk up the concept of global citizenship. At a very practical economic level this is a reality. NZ, for instance, buys and sells a myriad of goods and services to the world. This interdependence is now widely recognised and overwhelmingly accepted.

However, we have difficulty in going the next step when we come to seeing ourselves and the rest of humankind as powerful and contributing members of the global community.

A global framework enables people to recognise that what affects one of us affects all of us. However, acting together to solve our global difficulties seems to be almost beyond our reach, as the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in December 2009 revealed.

One of the human traits that makes concerted global action difficult is the “we” and “them” syndrome in which others get blamed for problems, and therefore we expect “them” to take all the responsibility for actioning change.

Individuals, communities and nations that reach out towards one another and recognise they are global citizens with the responsibilities that citizenship brings, can make the world a better place.

Building a culture based on respect for difference is an imperative for a small nation like NZ, which already has moral clout internationally. We can use our good offices to help strengthen an international culture of peace, and create the necessary climate of consent for joint action on the global threats and challenges we face.

The 21st Century is already demonstrating that reaching out to others via free trade agreements and other inter-country agreements through instruments of collaboration is the way of the future. History has amply demonstrated that good can ultimately prevail over evil.

Terrorists can be stopped through a range of international actions, including listening seriously and constructively to the motivations behind terrorist acts and working to defuse the wider issues that prompt terrorists.

However, this state of affairs will occur more rapidly if we accept the fundamental premise that each of us is already a global citizen, and then seek to implement the implications of this.

Recognising the global citizenship of people in countries very different from our own may lead to significant rethinking of our personal world view, and will also create a climate for change that will strengthen our leaders’ ability to act in the world forum.

If we can do this our children will have a bright future – not an impossible dream.