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WHAT'S NEW IN INES? |
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No. 1/2003 |
Dateline: February 13, 2003 |
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This is the weekly electronic information service of the International Network of Engineers and Scientists for Global Responsibility
Editor: Tobias Damjanov, e-mail:
WNII is archived at: http://inesglobal.org/archive.htm
INES homepages: http://inesglobal.org http://www.inesglobal.com/
INES International Office
INES Chair: Prof. Armin Tenner [Please note that the first "1" in q18 is the number one, while the last "l" is an "L"]
CONTENTS of WNII No. 1/2003
MEMBERSHIP AND PROJECTS' NEWS
Appeal To Resist War - INES Appeal to the International Academic Community
Paris, 1 February 2003
We oppose a US-led war against Iraq and support all non-violent opposition to the planned war. We appeal to scientists, engineers and academics throughout the world to work in solidarity to prevent this war in both their personal and professional capacities.
We call for teach-ins, hearings and other meetings to take place at all universities. These should consider the consequences of the planned war on the people of Iraq; the stability of the Middle East; the Future of the United Nations and international law; international relations and the dialogue among cultures; the global economy and the environment; and the development, proliferation and use of weapons of mass destruction.
We call upon universities throughout the world to engage in all forms of peaceful protest. We call upon universities in those countries supporting the war to go on strike should a war begin and to announce their intention to do so in advance.
Please contact INES at with information on activities at your university.
(see also the item "Update on anti-war activities and references" elsewhere in this WNII issue)
"INES Newsletter" No. 39
The "INES Newsletter" No. 39/November 2002 carries the following:
The "INES Newsletter" is edited by Armin Tenner: < > [Please note that the first "1" in q18 is the number one, while the last "l" is a "L"]
A pure ASCII version is available for distribution by e-mail. Ask the "INES Newsletter" editor to put you on his distribution list.
The "INES Newsletter" is also available at: http://inesglobal.org Previous issues are archived at: http://inesglobal.org/ines2.htm
INES member becomes IAEA Deputy Director General
In a message dated 11 December 02, Mexican INES member Prof. Ana Maria Cetto wrote:
" As of 2 January 2003 I will take up the post of Deputy Director General at the IAEA, as Head of the Department for Technical Cooperation. The duties attached to this post are forcing me to leave aside a number of other tasks and responsibilities. However, I sincerely hope to remain connected to INES (.)And of course I hope to continue to be useful to INES and its noble causes, and wish you all possible success in pursuing them!" (slightly abridged; the ed.)
UK: Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR): Preview of Newsletter No 26, February 2003
The latest issue of the SGR Newsletter dissects current controversies surrounding the theme of knowledge. It explores concerns about the widening scope of intellectual property rights and the limits this places on the culture of openness that's been at the heart of science and discovery throughout the ages - the "enclosure of the knowledge commons".
In particular, it analyses some of the issues raised by the groundbreaking new Convention on Knowledge (CoK) currently being developed by the Institute of Science in Society, the International Network of Engineers and Scientists, the Third World Network, SGR and others."
Features include:
Also in this issue:
For more information on these articles, and for enquiries about republishing the full texts, please contact Dr Patrick Nicholson:
THE US POLICY ON IRAQ
(SPECIAL SECTION)
Veto War, Vote For Peace! International Peace Bureau urges immediate action through the UN to prevent war on Iraq
Geneva, 4 February, 2003: Opposition to the use of force against Iraq is mounting globally. This includes serious objections expressed by France, Germany, Russia, China, Turkey and many other governments. We reject the attempt by the 8 European leaders in last week's letter to major newspapers to weaken European anti-war opinion. The worldwide wave of 'pre-emptive' demonstrations planned for Feb. 15 shows we are now in a phase of anti-war activity more intense and certainly more widespread than ever before in history. For all his faults (and doubtless because of them), George W Bush has helped both unite and extend the peace forces of the world. We now hear military figures and conservative politicians speaking up, joining the throng of religious leaders, intellectuals and cultural figures. Opinion polls in almost all countries show huge majorities against the war, and even in the US, support for Bush is falling rapidly. Colin Powell's statement tomorrow to the Security Council is unlikely to turn the tide of opinion.
UN inspections are the best alternative to war. So far they have proved the most effective way to disarm the Iraqi regime. The most important thing now is to give them more time and to delay the start of any US-led attack. This will allow us to build greater public opposition to the war and compel governments to resist the militarists at the UN.
**IPB calls for an international campaign of support for all States which are maintaining an anti-war position. In particular we urge civil society movements to give maximum encouragement to President Chirac of France, and his government, to stand firm and exercise the veto in the Security Council.**
A second track could be opened up by demanding a referral to the General Assembly, the so-called 'Uniting for Peace' resolution, which can be invoked by 7 Security Council members in case of impasse. (see www.ccr-ny.org for full documentation). Governments need full public support in grasping this opportunity.
US pressure on both fronts will be intense, with all the usual bullying tactics being used to threaten or buy off states with hostile views. But there may still be time over the next week or two for civil society to make the difference.
Web references
A weekly E-mail Updates series is also provided by the project: http://www.basicint.org/iraqconflict/Subscribe/Subscribe_index.htm
Update on anti-war activities + corresponding references
Nobel Laureates Sign Against a War Without International Support (Source: New York Times, 28 Jan 03)
On 27 January, forty-one American Nobel laureates in science and economics issued the following declaration opposing a preventive war against Iraq without wide international support:
"The undersigned oppose a preventive war against Iraq without broad international support. Military operations against Iraq may indeed lead to a relatively swift victory in the short term. But war is characterized by surprise, human loss and unintended consequences. Even with a victory, we believe that the medical, economic, environmental, moral, spiritual, political and legal consequences of an American preventive attack on Iraq would undermine, not protect, U.S. security and standing in the world."
The signers, all men, include a number who at one time or another have advised the federal government or played important roles in national security. Among them are Hans A. Bethe, an architect of the atom bomb; Walter Kohn, a former adviser to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency at the Pentagon; Norman F. Ramsey, a Manhattan Project scientist who readied the Hiroshima bomb and later advised NATO; and Charles H. Townes, former research director of the Institute for Defense Analyses at the Pentagon and chairman of a federal panel that studied how to base the MX missile and its nuclear warheads.
In addition to winning Nobel prizes, 18 of the signers have received the National Medal of Science, the nation's highest science honor.
International Appeal for a French Veto at the Security Council of the United Nations: http://membres.lycos.fr/stopalaguerre/index.htm -- Sign on : http://www.veto.ht.st
International Appeal by Lawyers and Jurists against the "Preventive" Use of Force Promoted by the International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA), this appeal has been drafted by a group of international lawyers and jurists including Judge Weeramantry, former Vice-President of the International Court of Justice. You can get this appeal from the IALANA Southern Office: -- Alyn Ware -- Alan Webb or from the WNII Editor as an rtf-formatted email attachment. Additional information is available from IALANA's website: http://www.ialana.org
Amnesty International's online petition to the President of the UN Security Council: http://www.amnesty.org/go/iraq
USA: Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR) Emergency Campaign on Iraq: http://www.cesr.org/iraq
Fact sheets about
1. Overview of the crisis
2. Costs and Consequences of War for Iraq
3. Weapons of Mass Destruction; are available at: http://www.cesr.org/iraq/index.cfm?pageid=3Dfact_sheets
USA: Electronic Iraq: http://electronicIraq.net This is a new online news project launched by veteran antiwar campaigners Voices in the Wilderness and the Electronic Intifada. The Electronic Iraq online magazine offers News & Analysis, Opinion/Editorial, Iraq Diaries, International Law, Aid & Development, Fact Sheets, and Action & Activism. The Iraq Diaries section offers eyewitness reports from Iraq, and Electronic Iraq's intention is to publish diary accounts from on the ground during any hostilities.
UK: Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq websites:
-- UN planning document "Likely Humanitarian Scenarios": http://www.casi.org.uk/info/undocs/war021210.html
-- Assessments on the likely humanitarian and economic consequences of war: http://www.casi.org.uk/info/consequences.html
-- List of recommended reading on the history of the sanctions and their context: http://www.casi.org.uk/reader/
SPECIAL SECTION ON THE US MISSILE DEFENSE POLICY
Missile Defence debate gap in the UK (Source: BASIC's Missile Defense Update, 11 February 2003)
A UK Defence Committee Report on Missile Defence was published on 29 January 2003: http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200203/cmselect/cmdf=ence/290-i/29002.htm
Submissions to the inquiry, including BASIC's, can be seen in the appendix:
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200203/cmselect/cmdf=ence/290-i/29008.htm
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
Abolition 2000 homepage: http://www.abolition2000.org Grassroots News: http://www.napf.org/abolition2000/news/
2003 NPT PrepCom: NGO preparations
The Second Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) Meeting for the 2005 Review Conference of the Non-Proliferation Treaty is to held at Geneva, 28 April to 9 May. In order to get ideas and actions started as quickly as possible, there are two recently created NPT listserves managed by Reaching Critical Will, a project of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF):
Rhianna Tyson, Project Associate, Reaching Critical Will
USA: National Strategy to Combat Weapons of Mass Destruction
This strategy has been officially announced on 10 December last year. It calls for the preemptive use of military and covert force before an enemy unleashes weapons of mass destruction, and underscores the United States' willingness to retaliate with nuclear weapons for chemical or biological attacks on U.S. soil or against American troops overseas. The unclassified strategy document corresponds to the classified National Security Presidential Directive 17.
National Strategy to Combat Weapons of Mass Destruction: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/articles/nationalstrategywmd_De=c10.pdf (3538 kb) or: http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/nspd/nspd-17.html
Now posted on the Lawyers' Committee on Nuclear Policy website are two pieces showing why the doctrine is legally, morally, and practically wrong: -- a memo on "The Lawfulness of 'Low-Yield', Earth-Penetrating Nuclear Weapons": http://www.lcnp.org/wcourt/nwlawfulness.htm -- and an op-ed on the National Security Strategy to Combat Weapons of Mass Destruction, "President Promotes Use of Nuclear Weapons?": http://www.lcnp.org/wcourt/NWPromotion.htm
Preparing for CSD-11 http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd11/csd11_2003.htm (Source: Major Groups Program Coordinator, CSD Secretariat, 31 Jan 03)
The next session of the Commission on Sustainable Development is scheduled from 28th of April through 9th of May 2003, at United Nations Headquarters in New York. This is the first meeting of the Commission post World Summit on Sustainable Development that took place in Johannesburg, South Africa, 26 August- 4 September 2002.
Third Meeting of the Global Forum on Sustainable Energy
The Third Meeting of the Global Forum on Sustainable Energy (GFSE- 3) was held from 27-29 November 2002 at the Wallzentrum of the University of Graz in the City of Graz, Austria. The meeting addressed public-private partnerships for rural energy development. It sought to examine the relevant outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) and contribute to the further development of initiatives to promote implementation, such as the EU initiative on Energy for Poverty Eradication and Sustainable Development. GFSE-3 was convened by Irene Freudenschuss-Reichl, Special Representative and Assistant Director-General for UN Affairs at the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and co-sponsored by the Austrian government, the City of Graz, the government of Sweden, UNDP, UNEP and UNIDO. Approximately 180 participants attended, representing government agencies, UN bodies, business and industry, non-governmental organizations and academia.
The coverage of GFSE-3 can be found online at: http://www.iisd.ca/linkages/sd/gfse3/
Useful websites of the International Institute for Sustainable Development
Various web references of interest
CONFERENCES, MEETINGS, SEMINARS
Sustain 2003 - The World Sustainable Energy Exhibition & Conference
For more details, mailto: http://www.sustain2003.com
Second European Conference on Information Warfare and Security (ECIW 2003)
The conference is an opportunity for academics, practitioners and consultants from Europe and elsewhere who are involved in the study, management, development and implementation of systems and concepts to combat information warfare or to improve information systems security to come together and exchange ideas.
Topics may include, but are not limited to, e-Intelligence/counter-intelligence, Perception management, Information warfare theory, Electro-magnetic pulse weapons, Information, computer and network security, Cryptography, Physical security, Security policy, Information warfare policy, Information warfare techniques, Hacking, Infra-structure warfare, National security policy, Corporate defence mechanisms, Security for small to medium enterprises, Cyber Terrorism, Ethical, Political and Social Issues relating to Information Warfare, Information warfare and security education, Legal issues concerned with information warfare and e-Crime.
For more details, contact Maura Conway, Department of Political Science, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland: < > http://www.mcil.co.uk/conf-management.htm
Conscious Evolution of Humanity: Using Systems Thinking To Construct Agoras of the Global Village (47th annual meeting of the ISSS)
Inquiry in the area of Evolutionary Development involves revision of development notions and strategies, from a systemic and evolutionary perspective, in order to integrate the often isolated areas of human, economic, social, and sustainable development. Doing more with less, promoting living simply and meaningfully, and creating a sustainable economy where present and future human needs can be met without compromising the natural environment are some of the concrete objectives of Evolutionary Development. Evolutionary Learning Communities, as learning environments where people can learn together about the interconnected nature of our world, the ecological impact of our individual and collective choices, and the joy of finding a meaningful way to contribute to the emergence of sustainable and evolutionary futures, are the social units where Evolutionary Development can be set in motion for the ongoing self-organization of human societies in syntony with the planetary life support systems upon which they depend.
Topic areas: - Human, social, and natural capital - Self-directed sustainable development - Community empowerment and participatory/anticipatory democracy - Socio-ecological competence and the evolution of consciousness - Design of ELCs as evolutionary guidance systems - Evolutionary Systems Design as praxis - Syntony as an organizing force in societal evolution
For more details, visit: http://www.ISSS-conference.org
All INES e-mail addresses and homepages are available upon request from:
Email address INES Office
Please note that the INES International Office can now be reached via:
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