M.Sahnoun President of IofC International (Photo: Edward Peters)

After two World Wars, the Cold War and numerous wars induced by the colonial legacy, we are now told to focus on a ‘war on terrorism’. 

Actually a more radical diagnosis is needed. The issue is not a clash of civilizations but a lack of security for all people. 

The causes operate on two levels. On one hand, social breakdown, war, the humiliation of whole peoples, the unequal distribution of wealth. And on the other, this solid, tenacious block inside each of us made of bitterness and conflict, which kills hope and faith, and holds us back from renewal. 

A different approach is to change ourselves, to know ourselves better. 

The Initiatives of Change centre at  Caux, Switzerland, has 60 years experience in creating the conditions for peace. The art of listening, of honest dialogue, is key to creating the conditions for peace.

Humanity cannot avoid this kind of change that starts with each one of us. Solving the conflicts of tomorrow demands a diplomacy that integrates the art of really listening to people and taking into account their hurts. Without this, there is no defusing the time-bomb of humiliation.

To find a preventive strategy that could tackle the root causes of insecurity and save millions of lives will require unprecedented trust and collaboration among all nations and actors. The first Caux Forum for Human Security in 2008 seeks this trust and collaboration.

Mohamed Sahnoun

President,  Initiatives of Change International

Served as Special Adviser to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the Horn of Africa region.