Стр. 4 - V

Author : Franco Frattini
President of the Italian Society of International Organizations
We will start by considering a common denominator that unites and
characterizes all the recent crises: the human dimension of the dramas
that afflict the world today. In other words, how to concretely ensure
the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, human-
itarian issues, the rule of law, democratic institutions, the issues of
national minorities, information, culture, and education.
More concretely, there are wars often reported on the front pages of
newspapers, which deserve the opening of the television news, mo-
nopolize the public debate and remain forever printed in the history
books. But there have been and there are just as bloody and shocking,
severe, long-term wars, which unfortunately fell into oblivion. In the
Mediterranean, for example, there are regional tensions which are lit-
tle known, but nevertheless have great geo-strategic and political
repercussions, but are unfortunately known only to a few insiders.
However, some economic factors are destabilizing the area too. If we look to the entire Mediter-
ranean basin, widespread poverty is surely the first among them. Maghreb, Mashreq, Egypt... A real,
never defused time bomb that has fueled discontent and created revolutions over time.
You hopefully remember that extreme poverty and unemployment were among the triggers of the
Arab uprisings, which I prefer not to call "springs," given the total failure of many of their objectives.
The radicalization behind all that is a path with many ramifications. Certainly, it has a religious ram-
ification, because it hits through the preaching of Imams urging a Koranic reading inspired by vio-
lence. Those of you who studied Islamic doctrine or profess the Muslim religion know that, unlike
my religion, the Christian Catholic, there is no authority that can infallibly tell what is the interpre-
tation of the sacred text. So you will find a sura of the Koran inciting to murder all infidels, while
another urges peace, reconciliation and embracing other peoples. Depending on the preaching, on
interpretation, we have readings of true Islam very different from one another.
There are many differences between the terrorist organizations, but we must admit that all of them
have been strengthened because of the Western weakness, our weakness in defending our values.
In one word, there have been lack of political leadership and mistakes made by all: no one is immune
from error. From what we have seen so far, there is one conclusion to be drawn. It is not the case
of addressing each crisis areas of the Mediterranean following a case-by-case strategy. Today, it
would be essential that the big global players, perhaps taking advantage of the upcoming UN General
Assembly where they will all meet, would give rise to a sort of Mediterranean Compact: that is, a
permanent network of contacts among all those who, global or regional actors, have a word to say
for the stability of that region. If this does not happen, we will continue to follow pieces of different
crises, not even specific crises.
Электронное приложение к журналу «Международная жизнь»
Crisis Situations in the Mediterranean Regions