Blix envisages peace through globalisation
Hans Blix was this week awarded the 2007 Sydney Peace Prize "for principled and courageous opposition to proponents of war in Iraq, for life-long advocacy of humanitarian law and nonviolence and for leadership of disarmament programs to rid the world of weapons of terror".
The 79-year old Swedish diplomat and international human rights lawyer became a household name as chief weapons inspector of Iraq prior to the current war. His 2004 book Disarming Iraq is his account of the inspections and related events.
Dr Blix remains "deeply engaged in urging a revival of disarmament", chairing the independent Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission based in Stockholm. (Australian Gareth Evans is a fellow commissioner).
Here is an excerpt from Blix’s acceptance speech, the City of Sydney Peace Prize lecture:
"The subject of this lecture is globalization of peace. I shall tell you from the outset what my main messages are. First, I believe that in the long term the interdependence of nations that has already led to peace in a growing number of areas in the world, will lead to a globalization of peace, to a continued growth of international law and of common global institutions.
Second, we must wake up to the troublesome current reality of new great power tensions, and incipient arms races. We must revive disarmament and further develop the multilateral system of co-operation, including the United Nations.
Third, there are short, medium and long term threats both to life and peace if we do not husband the use of the earth’s resources, restrain our use of fossil fuels and restrain the growth of the human population".
He concluded with a quote from fellow Swede Dag Hammarskjöld: "The UN will not take us to heaven, but it might help us to avoid hell."
