International responses / Comment
The responsibility to contribute
07/10/2008 By Robert Matthews
This comment, which is based on a presentation given by Robert Matthews before the Asembleia da República de Portugal on June 25, focuses on the role of Europe and the responsibility of industrial nations to protect the physical, economic and social well-being of peoples in developing and conflicted areas of the world.
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Today, millions suffer the devastation from local wars and violence, and sundry deprivations attack the most basic human, psychological and moral needs. The international system is still a fragile creature to address today’s conflicts; globalization, likewise, is not providing a decent life for hundreds of millions of people.
While Europe promotes a modern, democratic model in general, it has followed all too closely the US example of concentrating on terrorism and national security rather than development. Europe should be featuring its strong suit and applying the classic instruments of soft power to conflict and post-conflict societies. It is also important that its efforts in this regard -- development assistance, disaster relief, security assistance, public diplomacy, educational programs, work with NGOs and dialogue with civil society-- need to be coordinated to be truly effective.
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Keywords
Civil society Conflict resolution European Union Peacebuilding Post conflict United StatesBio author: Robert Matthews
Robert Matthews, Associate Fellow of FRIDE, holds a Ph.D in Latin American history from New York University, where he was a teacher at the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies. For twenty years was a collaborator with the Peace Research Center - Centro de Investigación para la Paz (CIP) - in Madrid, specializing in United States foreign policy.
