Candles of hope (progress in efforts to ban landmines and reduce stockpiles of nuclear weapons is encouraging).In the spirit of the season's tribute to light that penetrates pervasive darkness, we can say that 1998 was not without its candles of hope. One such flickered to light in mid-November when Canada and a surprising number of NATO NATO: see North Atlantic Treaty Organization. NATO in full North Atlantic Treaty Organization International military alliance created to defend western Europe against a possible Soviet invasion. allies defied Defied is an active punk rock band from Long Beach/Wilmington, California. They were formed in December 2001 by guitarist, George Romano; bassist, Melvin Trinidad; and drummer, Manuel Mora. Defied soon inducted Brian Zuniga as lead vocalist in February 2002. their nuclear allies' demand to rebuff any UN effort that might imply doubts about the nuclear status quo [Latin, The existing state of things at any given date.] Status quo ante bellum means the state of things before the war. The status quo to be preserved by a preliminary injunction is the last actual, peaceable, uncontested status which preceded the pending controversy. (see page 7). Their refusal to reject the call for the speedy and total elimination of nuclear arsenals is a ray of hope that states huddled hud·dle n. 1. A densely packed group or crowd, as of people or animals. 2. Football A brief gathering of a team's players behind the line of scrimmage to receive instructions for the next play. 3. under the nuclear umbrella are beginning to see it less a protective roof and more a menacing storm cloud. The progress made has been both dramatic and imperceptible im·per·cep·ti·ble adj. 1. Impossible or difficult to perceive by the mind or senses: an imperceptible drop in temperature. 2. . In that it is much like the effort to ban anti-personnel landmines. There was a dramatic landmines victory a year ago, years sooner than most dared hope, when the world signed a comprehensive ban on those tools of arbitrary destruction. But if your normal habitat is an Angolan village rather than a conference room, you could be forgiven for thinking it a drama without effect. Neither nuclear weapons nor landmines will be banished by signatures on paper and yet those signatures are lighted candles against surrounding darkness. Decisions to change must necessarily precede actual change. Without the political commitment to ban landmines, the world will not muster resources to finally clear Angolan fields of the debris of war. Without a political commitment to abolish nuclear weapons, to reject the notion that peace depends on the threat to destroy all that sustains life and peace, the nuclear states will continue to expend ex·pend tr.v. ex·pend·ed, ex·pend·ing, ex·pends 1. To lay out; spend: expending tax revenues on government operations. See Synonyms at spend. 2. many more resources on maintenance of the nuclear threat than on its removal. There were other candles lit in 1998. Governments and civil society came together to commit new attention and resources to controlling the small arms small arms, firearms designed primarily to be carried and fired by one person and, generally, held in the hands, as distinguished from heavy arms, or artillery. Early Small Arms The first small arms came into general use at the end of the 14th cent. and light weapons that are the primary killers in armed conflict. The commitment to human security surely also grew, as governments and NGOs increasingly identify the welfare of persons rather than the survival of regimes as the primary object of responsible security planning. Candles do not themselves change reality, but they do deny danger and evil the cover of darkness. Some new candles were lit in 1998 the better for all of us to see and get at the tasks still undone. |
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