OUR VISION:
We envision a future in which countries work together to abolish war, protect our rights and freedoms, and solve the problems facing humanity that no country can solve alone. This vision requires effective democratic global institutions that will apply the rule of law while respecting the diversity and autonomy of national and local communities.
OUR MISSION:
We are a membership organization working to build political will in the United States to achieve our vision. We do this by educating Americans about our global interdependence, communicating global concerns to public officials, and developing proposals to create, reform and strengthen international institutions such as the United Nations.
We envision a future in which countries work together to abolish war, protect our rights and freedoms, and solve the problems facing humanity that no country can solve alone. This vision requires effective democratic global institutions that will apply the rule of law while respecting the diversity and autonomy of national and local communities.
OUR MISSION:
We are a membership organization working to build political will in the United States to achieve our vision. We do this by educating Americans about our global interdependence, communicating global concerns to public officials, and developing proposals to create, reform and strengthen international institutions such as the United Nations.
CGS-Minnesota Chapter
5492 Bald Eagle Blvd. E.
White Bear Lake, MN 55110
info at globalsolutionsmn.org
Updated 2012-05-13
5492 Bald Eagle Blvd. E.
White Bear Lake, MN 55110
info at globalsolutionsmn.org
Updated 2012-05-13
Home
Minnesota Chapter
GIVING CIVIL SOCIEY ITS GLOBAL DUE
Joe Schwartzberg, President, Minnesota Chapter
schwa004@umn.edu
In the previous (March) number of this Newsletter I addressed the United Nations’ profound democratic deficit, noting that it was an organization of nations, rather than of people(s). In what follows I seek to make the case that the voices of civil society also have to be systematically heard and weighed in the making of vital decisions affecting our endangered planet. The ideas expressed below are distilled from Chapter 14 of my recently completed book, Transforming the United Nations System: Designs for a Workable World.
The tremendous increase in the number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the world since the end of World War II is a development of profound import-ance, yet one that is insufficiently apprec-iated by most of the world’s politically engaged population. While no official count exists, there are thought to be more than a million NGOs, of which more than 250,000, designated as INGOs, operate internationally.
To their credit, the founders of the UN included in the UN Charter Article 71, which permits ECOSOC (the Economic and Social Council) to grant INGOs UN-“affiliated status.” In 1996 the possibility of gaining such status was extended to NGOs working in only a single Member nation. Affiliated status is now of three types: “general,” “special” and “roster.” Representatives from agencies holding all three types may attend UN-sponsored conferences and meetings. Those from special and general NGOs may, addition-ally, circulate reports to UN agencies. Holders of general status may even pro-pose agenda items. Over the years, the number of affiliated agencies, has in-creased dramatically, from a mere 40 in 1948 to 3,187 in 2008, of which 137 were general, 2,072 special and 976 roster.
Unfortunately, the amount of paper gene-rated by affiliated agencies is so great that it is impossible for most of the world’s nations to read--much less reflect upon and react to--all that is written, even on subjects about which they are deeply concerned. Moreover, NGOs often work at cross-purposes from one another (as do, for example, pro-choice and pro-life organizations in the US). Yet another major problem is that NGOs from the global North vastly exceed those of the global South in respect to numbers, budget, and other resources. These shortcomings are correctable, as I shall seek to demonstrate in what follows.
The chief corrective mechanism that I envisage would be the creation of five “civil society coordinating councils” (CSCCs), dealing with the following broad issue clusters: peace and security, human rights, development, the environment, and democratic governance. These five entities would become the functional interface between civil society and the UN system. To make these SCCCs possible, it would first be neces-sary, subject to General Assembly author-ization, to have the UN Secretary General appoint high-level commissions com-prised of highly qualified experts from different parts of the world to recommend the general form and mandate of each CSCC and the manner of its selection.
Below each CSCC, there would be two levels of action (see diagram on page 2). The lower of the two would be the work-ing level of the individual NGOs. On our diagram, relating to the CSCC for Human Rights, the NGOs are grouped by issue clusters more narrowly defined than those for the CSCCs. Likely foci for issue clusters would include women’s rights, the rights of labor, racial discrimination, the rights of indigenous peoples, immigrants’ rights, infringement of civil liberties, the right to enjoy minimum standards of economic welfare, and so forth. The number and composition of clusters would vary over time and the initiatives for their creation and occasional reconstitution would very likely come from leading agencies (not necessarily primarily international) such as Oxfam, Amnesty International, the ACLU, etc.
To become and remain a member of any issue cluster an NGO would have to fulfill several obligations: to file a formal application with the appropriate CSCC, to file annual activity and financial re-ports, to agree to follow a code of ethical conduct (including non-proselytizing by faith-based entities), and to pay an annual fee based on a sliding income scale. NGOs with diverse man-dates (e.g., Avaaz) would be allowed to become members of more than a single cluster under a given CSCC and also to function under more than a single CSCC, provided they met the membership conditions for each of the cluster coalitions in which they sought to have a voice.
The five CSCCs would assign each NGO within their respective purviews a weighted vote. The weights would be in points in respect to the NGO’s budget, the number of countries in which it operates, and its UN affiliation status. (Regrettably, space constraints preclude the provision of additional details.) NGO weights would count in the election of CSCC members and in deliberation of policies at levels above those of the individual agencies.
Between the level of the individual NGOs and that of the CSCCs there would be a level of NGO coalitions whose main function would be to harmonize the concerns of the individual NGOs and prepare a set of recommen-dations to be passed upward to the relevant CSCC. The CSCC, in turn, would seek to harmonize and prioritize the concerns of the individual coalitions and send its consolidated set of recom-mendations to the most appropriate core agencies within the UN system with the expectation that the report would have a bearing in the formation of policy.
Thus, the Peace and Security CSCC would report to the Security Council; the Human Rights CSCC would report to the Human Rights Council (presently under the General Assembly, but hopefully an independent organ in the not-distant future); the Democratic Governance CSCC would report to both the General Assembly (UNGA) and also, should it come into existence, to the UN Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA) and both the Development and Environment CSCCs to the UNGA, UNPA and ECOSOC.
The regional composition of the CSCCs poses a major problem given the afore-mentioned gap between the resources of the global North and the global South. A way of mitigating this problem would be to allocate membership by regions using the formula: C = (P + N) / 2, where C = the percentage of CSCC members for a given region, P = the region’s percent-age of the total world population, and N = the point total of the region’s NGOs as a percent-age of the point total for all of the NGOs grouped under the CSCC.
Based on this formula and extrapolations of growth of both NGOs and population by region, I estimated the following mean percentages of CSCC councilors as of the year 2025:
Africa South of the Sahara 9
East Asia 14
Europe 21
Latin America and the Caribbean 7-8
Middle East and North Africa 7
North America 17-18
Northern Eurasia (mainly Russia) 2-3
South Asia 14-15
Southeast Asia and the Pacific 7
These percentages, however, would vary somewhat, from one CSCC to another.
At the level of the UN itself, the agency/ agencies receiving CSCC reports would, after appropriate analysis, comment cri-tically on them and forward them, with their comments, to other components of the UN system, including the Secretar-iat, which would translate the reports into all six of the UN’s official lan-guages. Additionally, it would provide feedback to the CSCC, which would, in turn, make that feedback available to lower level coalitions and NGOs.
To conclude, there is ample reason to enhance and regularize the role of NGOs in the decision-making processes of the UN system, even if only in an advisory capacity. A great many NGOs possess knowledge, skills and resources that the world sorely needs and that cannot nor-mally be obtained through customary forms of reliance on relationships within the diplomatic community.
Joe Schwartzberg, President, Minnesota Chapter
schwa004@umn.edu
In the previous (March) number of this Newsletter I addressed the United Nations’ profound democratic deficit, noting that it was an organization of nations, rather than of people(s). In what follows I seek to make the case that the voices of civil society also have to be systematically heard and weighed in the making of vital decisions affecting our endangered planet. The ideas expressed below are distilled from Chapter 14 of my recently completed book, Transforming the United Nations System: Designs for a Workable World.
The tremendous increase in the number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the world since the end of World War II is a development of profound import-ance, yet one that is insufficiently apprec-iated by most of the world’s politically engaged population. While no official count exists, there are thought to be more than a million NGOs, of which more than 250,000, designated as INGOs, operate internationally.
To their credit, the founders of the UN included in the UN Charter Article 71, which permits ECOSOC (the Economic and Social Council) to grant INGOs UN-“affiliated status.” In 1996 the possibility of gaining such status was extended to NGOs working in only a single Member nation. Affiliated status is now of three types: “general,” “special” and “roster.” Representatives from agencies holding all three types may attend UN-sponsored conferences and meetings. Those from special and general NGOs may, addition-ally, circulate reports to UN agencies. Holders of general status may even pro-pose agenda items. Over the years, the number of affiliated agencies, has in-creased dramatically, from a mere 40 in 1948 to 3,187 in 2008, of which 137 were general, 2,072 special and 976 roster.
Unfortunately, the amount of paper gene-rated by affiliated agencies is so great that it is impossible for most of the world’s nations to read--much less reflect upon and react to--all that is written, even on subjects about which they are deeply concerned. Moreover, NGOs often work at cross-purposes from one another (as do, for example, pro-choice and pro-life organizations in the US). Yet another major problem is that NGOs from the global North vastly exceed those of the global South in respect to numbers, budget, and other resources. These shortcomings are correctable, as I shall seek to demonstrate in what follows.
The chief corrective mechanism that I envisage would be the creation of five “civil society coordinating councils” (CSCCs), dealing with the following broad issue clusters: peace and security, human rights, development, the environment, and democratic governance. These five entities would become the functional interface between civil society and the UN system. To make these SCCCs possible, it would first be neces-sary, subject to General Assembly author-ization, to have the UN Secretary General appoint high-level commissions com-prised of highly qualified experts from different parts of the world to recommend the general form and mandate of each CSCC and the manner of its selection.
Below each CSCC, there would be two levels of action (see diagram on page 2). The lower of the two would be the work-ing level of the individual NGOs. On our diagram, relating to the CSCC for Human Rights, the NGOs are grouped by issue clusters more narrowly defined than those for the CSCCs. Likely foci for issue clusters would include women’s rights, the rights of labor, racial discrimination, the rights of indigenous peoples, immigrants’ rights, infringement of civil liberties, the right to enjoy minimum standards of economic welfare, and so forth. The number and composition of clusters would vary over time and the initiatives for their creation and occasional reconstitution would very likely come from leading agencies (not necessarily primarily international) such as Oxfam, Amnesty International, the ACLU, etc.
To become and remain a member of any issue cluster an NGO would have to fulfill several obligations: to file a formal application with the appropriate CSCC, to file annual activity and financial re-ports, to agree to follow a code of ethical conduct (including non-proselytizing by faith-based entities), and to pay an annual fee based on a sliding income scale. NGOs with diverse man-dates (e.g., Avaaz) would be allowed to become members of more than a single cluster under a given CSCC and also to function under more than a single CSCC, provided they met the membership conditions for each of the cluster coalitions in which they sought to have a voice.
The five CSCCs would assign each NGO within their respective purviews a weighted vote. The weights would be in points in respect to the NGO’s budget, the number of countries in which it operates, and its UN affiliation status. (Regrettably, space constraints preclude the provision of additional details.) NGO weights would count in the election of CSCC members and in deliberation of policies at levels above those of the individual agencies.
Between the level of the individual NGOs and that of the CSCCs there would be a level of NGO coalitions whose main function would be to harmonize the concerns of the individual NGOs and prepare a set of recommen-dations to be passed upward to the relevant CSCC. The CSCC, in turn, would seek to harmonize and prioritize the concerns of the individual coalitions and send its consolidated set of recom-mendations to the most appropriate core agencies within the UN system with the expectation that the report would have a bearing in the formation of policy.
Thus, the Peace and Security CSCC would report to the Security Council; the Human Rights CSCC would report to the Human Rights Council (presently under the General Assembly, but hopefully an independent organ in the not-distant future); the Democratic Governance CSCC would report to both the General Assembly (UNGA) and also, should it come into existence, to the UN Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA) and both the Development and Environment CSCCs to the UNGA, UNPA and ECOSOC.
The regional composition of the CSCCs poses a major problem given the afore-mentioned gap between the resources of the global North and the global South. A way of mitigating this problem would be to allocate membership by regions using the formula: C = (P + N) / 2, where C = the percentage of CSCC members for a given region, P = the region’s percent-age of the total world population, and N = the point total of the region’s NGOs as a percent-age of the point total for all of the NGOs grouped under the CSCC.
Based on this formula and extrapolations of growth of both NGOs and population by region, I estimated the following mean percentages of CSCC councilors as of the year 2025:
Africa South of the Sahara 9
East Asia 14
Europe 21
Latin America and the Caribbean 7-8
Middle East and North Africa 7
North America 17-18
Northern Eurasia (mainly Russia) 2-3
South Asia 14-15
Southeast Asia and the Pacific 7
These percentages, however, would vary somewhat, from one CSCC to another.
At the level of the UN itself, the agency/ agencies receiving CSCC reports would, after appropriate analysis, comment cri-tically on them and forward them, with their comments, to other components of the UN system, including the Secretar-iat, which would translate the reports into all six of the UN’s official lan-guages. Additionally, it would provide feedback to the CSCC, which would, in turn, make that feedback available to lower level coalitions and NGOs.
To conclude, there is ample reason to enhance and regularize the role of NGOs in the decision-making processes of the UN system, even if only in an advisory capacity. A great many NGOs possess knowledge, skills and resources that the world sorely needs and that cannot nor-mally be obtained through customary forms of reliance on relationships within the diplomatic community.
NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
(Click on the date)
May 2012
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
TOWARDS A WORLD PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY by Joe Schwartzberg, President, Minnesota Chapter CGS
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
LETTERS ON IRAN
March 2012
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
TOWARDS A WORLD PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY by Joe Schwartzberg, President, Minnesota Chapter CGS
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
LETTERS ON IRAN
January 2012
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
THESIL MORLAN, 1945-2011, IN MEMORIAM (with excerpts fromMinerva) by Joe Schwartzberg, President, Minnesota Chapter CGS
CHARITY VERSUS CHANGE by Hank Stone
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
AXWORTHY PRESENTATIONS by Dick Bernard, Board Member, Minnesota Chapter CGS
November 2011
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
ON GOODNESS by Joe Schwartzberg, President, Minnesota Chapter CGS
***AN EVENT YOU WILL NOT WANT TO MISS*** RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT by Hon. Lloyd Axworthy-Fromer Forein Minister of Canada and a former Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations, serving twice as President of the UN Security Council.
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
MOVE TO AMEND by David Cobb
September 2011
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
LIBYA AND THE RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT by Joe Schwartzberg, President, Minnesota Chapter CGS
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
SEPTEMBER 21, INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE
CORPORATE “PERSONHOOD”
AUCTION OF STAINED-GLASS WINDOW
May 2011
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
IS WORLD GOVERNMENT INEVITABLE? by Joe Schwartzberg, President, Minnesota Chapter CGS
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
WHAT CAN WE DO FOR THE CHILDREN OF "GENERATION HOT," THEIR HEIRS AND OURSELVES? by Lee DeChert
CGS MN ANNUAL MEETING INVITATION
CANDIDATES FOR OFFICERS AND BOARD OF CGS, MN CHAPTER
ON THE KILLING OF OSAMA BIN LADEN
March 2011
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
PEOPLE POWER AND NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY by Joe Schwartzberg, President, Minnesota Chapter CGS
SENIOR REFLECTIONS ON MODEL UNITED NATIONS EXPERIENCES by Meredith Burns
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
NEWS: LYNN ELLING TURNS 90, ISTILL GOING STRONG; Etc.
January 2011
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
Review of James T. Ranney, WORLD PEACE THROUGH LAW: RE-THINKING AN OLD THEORY by Joe Schwartzberg, President, Minnesota Chapter CGS
THE EARTH GARDEN by Hank Stone
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
November 2010
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
DIEZ DIAS DE DEMOCRACIA GLOBAL/ TEN DAYS OF GLOBAL DEMOCRACYJoe Schwartzberg, President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
REFLECTIONS ON THE ELECTIONS by Joe Schwartzberg
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
HAWKINSON FOUNDATION AWARDS FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
NEW WEB SITES
September 2010
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
DESIGNS FOR A WORKABLE WORLD (Upcoming book) by Joe Schwartzberg, President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
PAKISTAN NEEDS YOUR HELP
May 2010
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
IMPENDING CHANGE by Claude Buettner, Outgoing President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
FUNDING A WORKABLE UNITED NATIONS by Joe Schwartzberg
IRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
AWARD FOR JOE SCHWARTZBERG
WEIGHTED VOTING by Joe Schwartzberg
CHAPTER OUTLINE, DESIGNS FOR A WORKABLE WORLD (Upcoming book by Joe Schwartzberg)
CGS MN ANNUAL MEETING INVITATION, JUNE 17, THUR, 6-9 PM; Keynote Speaker: Secretary of State MARK RITCHIE, "THE ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN GLOBAL GOVERNANCE"
CANDIDATES FOR OFFICERS AND BOARD OF CGS, MN CHAPTER
March 2010
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
CONTFRONTING FUTURE TERROR by Claude Buettner, President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
CIVIL SOCIETY TO THE RESCUE by Joe Schwartzberg, CGS Board Member
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
DO YOU WANT A PIECE OF THE ACTION?
January 2010
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
THE QUEST FOR GLOBAL POLITICAL EQUITY IN THE 21st CENTURY by Claude Buettner, President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
NUCLEAR WEAPONS ARE AN EFFECT by Ronald J. Glossop, President, St. Louis Chapter, CGS
AVAAZ
CGS MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION by Dennis Dillon, Treasurer, MN Chapter, CGS
November 2009
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
A BINATIONAL COMMISSION WITH RUSSIA by Claude Buettner, President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
PRESIDENT OBAMA'S NOBEL PEACE PRIZE Slightly edited excerpts from a blog posted by Dick Bernard
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
PROGRESS IN PROMOTING UN REFORM by Joe Schwartzberg
WORLD SAVVY
September 2009
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
PRIORITIZING ISSUES FOR THE COMING YEAR by Claude Buettner, President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
WORLD PEACE THROUGH EDUCATION (BEST BOOKS AND GROUPS)
KENNEDY AND THE SAD STATE OF OUR MEDIA by Louise Pardee and Joe Schwartzberg
WANT TO HELP?
May 2009
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
GOING MAINSTREAM WITH GLOBAL THINKING by Claude Buettner, President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
THE TIDE IS TURNING by Joe Schwartzberg, CGS Board Member
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
CGS ANNUAL MEETING INVITAION, Keynote Speaker: Dean J. BRIAN ATWOOD
CANDIDATES FOR OFFICERS AND BOARD OF CGS, MN CHAPTER
“WORLD AFFAIRS CHALLENGE,” A COMPETITION ABOUT THINGS THAT MATTER by Gail Hughes, CGS Board
DESIGNS FOR A WORKABLE WORLD by Joe Schwartzberg, CGS Board Member
CITIZENS FOR GLOBAL SOLUTIONS NEEDS YOUR MEMBERSHIP
March 2009
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
ATOMS FOR PEACE NEEDS RETHINKING by Claude Buettner, President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
MY FIRST MODEL UNITED NATIONS EXPERIENCE by Sutton Higgins
ODDS AND ENDS
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
WANT TO HELP?
January 2009
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
HELPING TO BUILD THE FUTURE THROUGH THE PARTNERS PROGRAM by Claude Buettner, President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
ODDS AND ENDS
A UNITED NATIONS PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY? by Joe Schwartzberg, CGS Board Member
WANT TO HELP?
November 2008
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
SHIFTING TO A NEW EQUILIBRIUM by Claude Buettner, President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
ALFRED AEPPLI
GRASSROOTS SOLUTIONS NEEDED FOR GLOBAL PROBLEMS by James W. Nelson
WFM SUPPORTS PROPOSAL FOR FINANCIAL DIALOGUE
September 2008
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
CELEBRATE CONSENSUS BUILDING by Claude Buettner, President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
THE WEEK THAT WAS by Joe Schwartzberg
SUPPORT CGS-ENDORSED CANDIDATES
May 2008
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
OVER THE HORIZON by Claude Buettner, President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
IRAQ WHAT TO Do? by Joe Schwartzberg
ANNUAL MEETING THURSDAY JUNE 12, 2008
March 2008
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
ROOT CAUSE,CORRECTIVE ACTION by Claude Buettner, President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
THE UN AS ELECTION MONITOR by Joe Schwartzberg
RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP
January 2008
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
REFRAMING GLOBAL DEMOCRACY by Claude Buettner, President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
WEIGHTED VOTING AND SECURITY COUNCIL REFORM
2008, A YEAR OF GREAT OPPORTUNITY by Joe Schwartzberg
BOUTROS-GHALI: DEMOCRATIZATION AT GLOBAL LEVEL NEEDED
THANK YOU DICK BERNARD
November 2007
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
A NEW COMMUNICATIONS REVOLUTION by Claude Buettner, President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
THIRD THURSDAY (not this time) GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
2007 ANNUAL NATIONAL MEETING A GREAT SUCCESS
INACTION IS COMPLICITY
September 2007
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
BUILDING INTERNATIONAL BRIDGES by Claude Buettner, President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
MARTHA PLATT TURNS 100!
CGSers Help Launch New Radio Show: "Truth to Tell"
CGS 2007 ANNUAL MEETING
PROGRESS REPORT ON UN REFORM by Joe Schwartzberg
WORKS TO BE DISTRIBUTED AT NATIONAL MEETING
May 2007
PROSPECTS FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE by Joe Schwartzberg, President, CGS Minnesota Chapter
ENERGY WORKSHOP
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
REVIEW OF PREVIOUS THIRD THURSDAY FORUMS, 2006-2007
THE MINNESOTA MILLENNIUM INITIATIVE (MMI) by Bharat Parekh, Incoming Board Member
CGS MN ANNUAL MEETING INVITATION
MEETING RESERVATION FORM AND BALLOT
CANDIDATES FOR OFFICERS AND BOARD OF CGS, MN CHAPTER
WANNA GET INVOLVED?
March 2007
UNIVERSAL REGIONAL REPRESENTATION AS A BASIS FOR SECURITY COUNCIL REFORM by Joe Schwartzberg, President, CGS Minnesota Chapter
IS "FREE TRADE" THE ONLY POSSIBILITY IN A GLOBAL ECONOMY? by William McGaughey, CGS Minnesota Board Member
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
A CALL FOR OPEN DISCUSSION OF THE ISRAELI OCCUPATION OF PALESTINE
January 2007
HAPPY NEW YEAR
MEMO TO BAN KI-MOON: TRUE UN REFORM by Joe Schwartzberg, President, CGS Minnesota Chapter
CINDY SHEEHAN EVENT
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
ODDS & ENDS
November 2006
DECISIONS, DECISIONS, DECISIONS by Joe Schwartzberg, President, CGS Minnesota Chapter
CANDIDATES ENDORSED BY NATIONAL ORGANIZATION
Important Coming Events
WHY WE MERIT AND NEED YOUR SUPPORT
SELECTED WORKS BY JOSEPH SCHWARTZBERG RELATING TO UN REFORM
September 2006
JUSTICE AS THE KEY TO PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST by Joe Schwartzberg, President, CGS Minnesota Chapter
A GLOBAL PARLIAMENT?
ANNUAL MEETING A BIG SUCCESS
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
Lebanon, Sudan: Who You Gonna Call? By Don Kraus
QUOTE by Richard Nixon
May 2006
STEPS ON THE PATH TO GLOBAL JUSTICE by Joe Schwartzberg, President, CGS Minnesota Chapter
HOW DO OUR REPRESENTATIVES IN CONGRESS SCORE ON KEY GLOBAL ISSUES?
WANT NEWS OF COMING EVENTS?
A MESSAGE OF DEEP CONCERN ABOUT THE US AND THE MIDDLE EAST
CGS MN ANNUAL MEETING INVITATION (incl. MEETING RESERVATION FORM, BALLOT, CANDIDATES LIST)
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
Thanks to OUTGOING and CONTINUING BOARD MEMBERS
QUOTES by Felix Frankfurter and Theodore Roosevelt
March 2006
PROBLEMS, RESPONSES AND SOLUTIONS by Joe Schwartzberg, President, CGS Minnesota Chapter
GLOBAL WARMING ACTION ALERT
A UNITED NATIONS ADMINISTRATIVE ACADEMY
TWO GREAT GLOBAL CITIZENS
Eyewitness to Global Warming: Public Forums with Will Steger
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
A TIME FOR ACTION ON IRAQ, JOIN THE DEMONSTRATION ON MARCH 18
January 2006
AN ALTERNATIVE AGENDA by Joe Schwartzberg, President, CGS Minnesota Chapter
A FAIR TRADE LIGHTHOUSE IN HONG KONG By Patricia Jurewicz
THE YEAR 2005 IN REVIEW
POSITION STATEMENTS OF THE MINNESOTA ALLIANCE OF PEACEMAKERS
WOULD YOU LIKE TO HELP?
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
Book Review: SAVING CHRISTIANITY FROM EMPIRE by Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, reviewed by Louise Pardee
QUOTES by Clyde Prestowitz and Marcus Borg
November 2005
SENSATIONAL SANTA FE by Joe Schwartzberg, President, CGS Minnesota Chapter
ABOUT CGS
WANT NEWS OF COMING EVENTS?
TWO GREAT GLOBAL CITIZENS
PLEASE HELP EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
SIXTY YEARS OF THE UNITED NATIONS by Jay Shahidi
QUOTES by Thomas Paine and Socrates
September 2005
A TIME FOR NEW BEGINNINGS by Joe Schwartzberg, President, CGS Minnesota Chapter
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORA NOTICES
OTHER COMING EVENTS
QUOTES by Paul Streeten and by the House of Commons of Canada External Affairs Committee
Summer 2005
WHO AND WHAT WE ARE by Joe Schwartzberg, President, CGS Minnesota Chapter
BALLOT AND ANNUAL MEETING INVITATION
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM: GENOCIDE, 2005: WHAT IS HAPPENING IN DARFUR?
POPE JOHN PAUL II AS A HUMANE GLOBAL THINKER (two quotes)
Spring 2005
WEIRD PRIORITIES AND "SOFT THREATS" by Joe Schwartzberg, President, CGS Minnesota Chapter
"RESOLVED: THE UNITED STATES SHOULD WITHDRAW FROM THE U.N." by Bill McGaughey, CGS-MN Board
CALENDAR
CGS-MN PRESIDENT JOE SCHWARTZBERG NOMINATED FOR MAJOR AWARD by Michael Andregg, Justice and Peace Studies Program, University of St. Thomas
Winter 2004
A BAD YEAR AND THE JOB AHEAD by Joe Schwartzberg, President, CGS Minnesota Chapter
KOFI ANNAN: IS HE 'HISTORY'? Editors comment by Dick Bernard
JOE SCHWARTZBERG PRINCIPAL SPEAKER AT CONFERENCE ON WEIGHTED VOTING AT UNITED NATIONS
PEACE ONE DAY (film)
Fall 2004
FORCE OR LAW? President's column by Joe Schwartzberg
A POST-ELECTION MESSAGE FROM CHARLES J. BROWN, President & CEO, Citizens for Global Solutions
FOUR CGS MEMBER COMMENTS ABOUT NOVEMBER 2
Earth to Mars: CHOOSING A FLAG TO UNITE A PLANET by Tad Daley
September 2004
TWO HEROES President's column by Joe Schwartzberg
REMEMBERING A VISION OF THE UNITED NATIONS by Dick Bernard, editor
FORGING AHEAD ON UN REFORM
The Newsletter of the Minnesota Chapter of CGS is published in January, March, May, September and November of each year. Member submissions are encouraged and should be sent to Joe Schwartzberg by E-mail at schwa004 at umn.edu (replace at with @) or by post at 5492 Bald Eagle Blvd. E., Whie Bear Lake, MN 55110. You may call Joe at 651-429-9562 (Home) or 612-625-55787 (Office) if you'd like to discuss a submission.
(Click on the date)
May 2012
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
TOWARDS A WORLD PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY by Joe Schwartzberg, President, Minnesota Chapter CGS
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
LETTERS ON IRAN
March 2012
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
TOWARDS A WORLD PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY by Joe Schwartzberg, President, Minnesota Chapter CGS
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
LETTERS ON IRAN
January 2012
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
THESIL MORLAN, 1945-2011, IN MEMORIAM (with excerpts fromMinerva) by Joe Schwartzberg, President, Minnesota Chapter CGS
CHARITY VERSUS CHANGE by Hank Stone
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
AXWORTHY PRESENTATIONS by Dick Bernard, Board Member, Minnesota Chapter CGS
November 2011
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
ON GOODNESS by Joe Schwartzberg, President, Minnesota Chapter CGS
***AN EVENT YOU WILL NOT WANT TO MISS*** RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT by Hon. Lloyd Axworthy-Fromer Forein Minister of Canada and a former Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations, serving twice as President of the UN Security Council.
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
MOVE TO AMEND by David Cobb
September 2011
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
LIBYA AND THE RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT by Joe Schwartzberg, President, Minnesota Chapter CGS
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
SEPTEMBER 21, INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE
CORPORATE “PERSONHOOD”
AUCTION OF STAINED-GLASS WINDOW
May 2011
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
IS WORLD GOVERNMENT INEVITABLE? by Joe Schwartzberg, President, Minnesota Chapter CGS
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
WHAT CAN WE DO FOR THE CHILDREN OF "GENERATION HOT," THEIR HEIRS AND OURSELVES? by Lee DeChert
CGS MN ANNUAL MEETING INVITATION
CANDIDATES FOR OFFICERS AND BOARD OF CGS, MN CHAPTER
ON THE KILLING OF OSAMA BIN LADEN
March 2011
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
PEOPLE POWER AND NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY by Joe Schwartzberg, President, Minnesota Chapter CGS
SENIOR REFLECTIONS ON MODEL UNITED NATIONS EXPERIENCES by Meredith Burns
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
NEWS: LYNN ELLING TURNS 90, ISTILL GOING STRONG; Etc.
January 2011
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
Review of James T. Ranney, WORLD PEACE THROUGH LAW: RE-THINKING AN OLD THEORY by Joe Schwartzberg, President, Minnesota Chapter CGS
THE EARTH GARDEN by Hank Stone
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
November 2010
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
DIEZ DIAS DE DEMOCRACIA GLOBAL/ TEN DAYS OF GLOBAL DEMOCRACYJoe Schwartzberg, President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
REFLECTIONS ON THE ELECTIONS by Joe Schwartzberg
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
HAWKINSON FOUNDATION AWARDS FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
NEW WEB SITES
September 2010
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
DESIGNS FOR A WORKABLE WORLD (Upcoming book) by Joe Schwartzberg, President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
PAKISTAN NEEDS YOUR HELP
May 2010
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
IMPENDING CHANGE by Claude Buettner, Outgoing President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
FUNDING A WORKABLE UNITED NATIONS by Joe Schwartzberg
IRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
AWARD FOR JOE SCHWARTZBERG
WEIGHTED VOTING by Joe Schwartzberg
CHAPTER OUTLINE, DESIGNS FOR A WORKABLE WORLD (Upcoming book by Joe Schwartzberg)
CGS MN ANNUAL MEETING INVITATION, JUNE 17, THUR, 6-9 PM; Keynote Speaker: Secretary of State MARK RITCHIE, "THE ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN GLOBAL GOVERNANCE"
CANDIDATES FOR OFFICERS AND BOARD OF CGS, MN CHAPTER
March 2010
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
CONTFRONTING FUTURE TERROR by Claude Buettner, President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
CIVIL SOCIETY TO THE RESCUE by Joe Schwartzberg, CGS Board Member
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
DO YOU WANT A PIECE OF THE ACTION?
January 2010
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
THE QUEST FOR GLOBAL POLITICAL EQUITY IN THE 21st CENTURY by Claude Buettner, President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
NUCLEAR WEAPONS ARE AN EFFECT by Ronald J. Glossop, President, St. Louis Chapter, CGS
AVAAZ
CGS MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION by Dennis Dillon, Treasurer, MN Chapter, CGS
November 2009
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
A BINATIONAL COMMISSION WITH RUSSIA by Claude Buettner, President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
PRESIDENT OBAMA'S NOBEL PEACE PRIZE Slightly edited excerpts from a blog posted by Dick Bernard
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
PROGRESS IN PROMOTING UN REFORM by Joe Schwartzberg
WORLD SAVVY
September 2009
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
PRIORITIZING ISSUES FOR THE COMING YEAR by Claude Buettner, President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
WORLD PEACE THROUGH EDUCATION (BEST BOOKS AND GROUPS)
KENNEDY AND THE SAD STATE OF OUR MEDIA by Louise Pardee and Joe Schwartzberg
WANT TO HELP?
May 2009
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
GOING MAINSTREAM WITH GLOBAL THINKING by Claude Buettner, President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
THE TIDE IS TURNING by Joe Schwartzberg, CGS Board Member
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
CGS ANNUAL MEETING INVITAION, Keynote Speaker: Dean J. BRIAN ATWOOD
CANDIDATES FOR OFFICERS AND BOARD OF CGS, MN CHAPTER
“WORLD AFFAIRS CHALLENGE,” A COMPETITION ABOUT THINGS THAT MATTER by Gail Hughes, CGS Board
DESIGNS FOR A WORKABLE WORLD by Joe Schwartzberg, CGS Board Member
CITIZENS FOR GLOBAL SOLUTIONS NEEDS YOUR MEMBERSHIP
March 2009
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
ATOMS FOR PEACE NEEDS RETHINKING by Claude Buettner, President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
MY FIRST MODEL UNITED NATIONS EXPERIENCE by Sutton Higgins
ODDS AND ENDS
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
WANT TO HELP?
January 2009
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
HELPING TO BUILD THE FUTURE THROUGH THE PARTNERS PROGRAM by Claude Buettner, President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
ODDS AND ENDS
A UNITED NATIONS PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY? by Joe Schwartzberg, CGS Board Member
WANT TO HELP?
November 2008
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
SHIFTING TO A NEW EQUILIBRIUM by Claude Buettner, President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
ALFRED AEPPLI
GRASSROOTS SOLUTIONS NEEDED FOR GLOBAL PROBLEMS by James W. Nelson
WFM SUPPORTS PROPOSAL FOR FINANCIAL DIALOGUE
September 2008
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
CELEBRATE CONSENSUS BUILDING by Claude Buettner, President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
THE WEEK THAT WAS by Joe Schwartzberg
SUPPORT CGS-ENDORSED CANDIDATES
May 2008
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
OVER THE HORIZON by Claude Buettner, President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
IRAQ WHAT TO Do? by Joe Schwartzberg
ANNUAL MEETING THURSDAY JUNE 12, 2008
March 2008
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
ROOT CAUSE,CORRECTIVE ACTION by Claude Buettner, President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
THE UN AS ELECTION MONITOR by Joe Schwartzberg
RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP
January 2008
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
REFRAMING GLOBAL DEMOCRACY by Claude Buettner, President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
WEIGHTED VOTING AND SECURITY COUNCIL REFORM
2008, A YEAR OF GREAT OPPORTUNITY by Joe Schwartzberg
BOUTROS-GHALI: DEMOCRATIZATION AT GLOBAL LEVEL NEEDED
THANK YOU DICK BERNARD
November 2007
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
A NEW COMMUNICATIONS REVOLUTION by Claude Buettner, President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
THIRD THURSDAY (not this time) GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
2007 ANNUAL NATIONAL MEETING A GREAT SUCCESS
INACTION IS COMPLICITY
September 2007
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
BUILDING INTERNATIONAL BRIDGES by Claude Buettner, President, Minnesota Chapter, CGS
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
MARTHA PLATT TURNS 100!
CGSers Help Launch New Radio Show: "Truth to Tell"
CGS 2007 ANNUAL MEETING
PROGRESS REPORT ON UN REFORM by Joe Schwartzberg
WORKS TO BE DISTRIBUTED AT NATIONAL MEETING
May 2007
PROSPECTS FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE by Joe Schwartzberg, President, CGS Minnesota Chapter
ENERGY WORKSHOP
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
REVIEW OF PREVIOUS THIRD THURSDAY FORUMS, 2006-2007
THE MINNESOTA MILLENNIUM INITIATIVE (MMI) by Bharat Parekh, Incoming Board Member
CGS MN ANNUAL MEETING INVITATION
MEETING RESERVATION FORM AND BALLOT
CANDIDATES FOR OFFICERS AND BOARD OF CGS, MN CHAPTER
WANNA GET INVOLVED?
March 2007
UNIVERSAL REGIONAL REPRESENTATION AS A BASIS FOR SECURITY COUNCIL REFORM by Joe Schwartzberg, President, CGS Minnesota Chapter
IS "FREE TRADE" THE ONLY POSSIBILITY IN A GLOBAL ECONOMY? by William McGaughey, CGS Minnesota Board Member
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
A CALL FOR OPEN DISCUSSION OF THE ISRAELI OCCUPATION OF PALESTINE
January 2007
HAPPY NEW YEAR
MEMO TO BAN KI-MOON: TRUE UN REFORM by Joe Schwartzberg, President, CGS Minnesota Chapter
CINDY SHEEHAN EVENT
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
ODDS & ENDS
November 2006
DECISIONS, DECISIONS, DECISIONS by Joe Schwartzberg, President, CGS Minnesota Chapter
CANDIDATES ENDORSED BY NATIONAL ORGANIZATION
Important Coming Events
WHY WE MERIT AND NEED YOUR SUPPORT
SELECTED WORKS BY JOSEPH SCHWARTZBERG RELATING TO UN REFORM
September 2006
JUSTICE AS THE KEY TO PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST by Joe Schwartzberg, President, CGS Minnesota Chapter
A GLOBAL PARLIAMENT?
ANNUAL MEETING A BIG SUCCESS
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
Lebanon, Sudan: Who You Gonna Call? By Don Kraus
QUOTE by Richard Nixon
May 2006
STEPS ON THE PATH TO GLOBAL JUSTICE by Joe Schwartzberg, President, CGS Minnesota Chapter
HOW DO OUR REPRESENTATIVES IN CONGRESS SCORE ON KEY GLOBAL ISSUES?
WANT NEWS OF COMING EVENTS?
A MESSAGE OF DEEP CONCERN ABOUT THE US AND THE MIDDLE EAST
CGS MN ANNUAL MEETING INVITATION (incl. MEETING RESERVATION FORM, BALLOT, CANDIDATES LIST)
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
Thanks to OUTGOING and CONTINUING BOARD MEMBERS
QUOTES by Felix Frankfurter and Theodore Roosevelt
March 2006
PROBLEMS, RESPONSES AND SOLUTIONS by Joe Schwartzberg, President, CGS Minnesota Chapter
GLOBAL WARMING ACTION ALERT
A UNITED NATIONS ADMINISTRATIVE ACADEMY
TWO GREAT GLOBAL CITIZENS
Eyewitness to Global Warming: Public Forums with Will Steger
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
A TIME FOR ACTION ON IRAQ, JOIN THE DEMONSTRATION ON MARCH 18
January 2006
AN ALTERNATIVE AGENDA by Joe Schwartzberg, President, CGS Minnesota Chapter
A FAIR TRADE LIGHTHOUSE IN HONG KONG By Patricia Jurewicz
THE YEAR 2005 IN REVIEW
POSITION STATEMENTS OF THE MINNESOTA ALLIANCE OF PEACEMAKERS
WOULD YOU LIKE TO HELP?
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
Book Review: SAVING CHRISTIANITY FROM EMPIRE by Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, reviewed by Louise Pardee
QUOTES by Clyde Prestowitz and Marcus Borg
November 2005
SENSATIONAL SANTA FE by Joe Schwartzberg, President, CGS Minnesota Chapter
ABOUT CGS
WANT NEWS OF COMING EVENTS?
TWO GREAT GLOBAL CITIZENS
PLEASE HELP EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
SIXTY YEARS OF THE UNITED NATIONS by Jay Shahidi
QUOTES by Thomas Paine and Socrates
September 2005
A TIME FOR NEW BEGINNINGS by Joe Schwartzberg, President, CGS Minnesota Chapter
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORA NOTICES
OTHER COMING EVENTS
QUOTES by Paul Streeten and by the House of Commons of Canada External Affairs Committee
Summer 2005
WHO AND WHAT WE ARE by Joe Schwartzberg, President, CGS Minnesota Chapter
BALLOT AND ANNUAL MEETING INVITATION
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM: GENOCIDE, 2005: WHAT IS HAPPENING IN DARFUR?
POPE JOHN PAUL II AS A HUMANE GLOBAL THINKER (two quotes)
Spring 2005
WEIRD PRIORITIES AND "SOFT THREATS" by Joe Schwartzberg, President, CGS Minnesota Chapter
"RESOLVED: THE UNITED STATES SHOULD WITHDRAW FROM THE U.N." by Bill McGaughey, CGS-MN Board
CALENDAR
CGS-MN PRESIDENT JOE SCHWARTZBERG NOMINATED FOR MAJOR AWARD by Michael Andregg, Justice and Peace Studies Program, University of St. Thomas
Winter 2004
A BAD YEAR AND THE JOB AHEAD by Joe Schwartzberg, President, CGS Minnesota Chapter
KOFI ANNAN: IS HE 'HISTORY'? Editors comment by Dick Bernard
JOE SCHWARTZBERG PRINCIPAL SPEAKER AT CONFERENCE ON WEIGHTED VOTING AT UNITED NATIONS
PEACE ONE DAY (film)
Fall 2004
FORCE OR LAW? President's column by Joe Schwartzberg
A POST-ELECTION MESSAGE FROM CHARLES J. BROWN, President & CEO, Citizens for Global Solutions
FOUR CGS MEMBER COMMENTS ABOUT NOVEMBER 2
Earth to Mars: CHOOSING A FLAG TO UNITE A PLANET by Tad Daley
September 2004
TWO HEROES President's column by Joe Schwartzberg
REMEMBERING A VISION OF THE UNITED NATIONS by Dick Bernard, editor
FORGING AHEAD ON UN REFORM
The Newsletter of the Minnesota Chapter of CGS is published in January, March, May, September and November of each year. Member submissions are encouraged and should be sent to Joe Schwartzberg by E-mail at schwa004 at umn.edu (replace at with @) or by post at 5492 Bald Eagle Blvd. E., Whie Bear Lake, MN 55110. You may call Joe at 651-429-9562 (Home) or 612-625-55787 (Office) if you'd like to discuss a submission.
MAY 2012 Newsletter
Mark Ritchie
James Nelson
Joseph E. SchwartzbergNewsletters (Current and Archived)
GREAT FALL READING!
APOCALYPSE NEVER
Forging the Path to a Nuclear Weapon-Free world
By Tad Daley
Available from Rutgers Press: http://rutgerspress.rutgers.edu/acatalog/Apocalypse_Never.html
(This linked page has a link to a video of Tad discussing his book with readings.)
“In plain, understandable prose, Apocalypse Never makes a compelling case that the continued existence of nuclear weapons, regardless of their ownership, can lead to catastrophic disasters. A must-read.”
—Lt. General Robert G. Gard, Jr., (U.S. Army, Retired)
and chair, Center for Arms Control & Non-Proliferation
APOCALYPSE NEVER
Forging the Path to a Nuclear Weapon-Free world
By Tad Daley
Available from Rutgers Press: http://rutgerspress.rutgers.edu/acatalog/Apocalypse_Never.html
(This linked page has a link to a video of Tad discussing his book with readings.)
“In plain, understandable prose, Apocalypse Never makes a compelling case that the continued existence of nuclear weapons, regardless of their ownership, can lead to catastrophic disasters. A must-read.”
—Lt. General Robert G. Gard, Jr., (U.S. Army, Retired)
and chair, Center for Arms Control & Non-Proliferation
THIRD THURSDAY GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM
Free and open to the public. Come and bring a friend.
Where?
Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church, 511 Groveland Avenue, Minneapolis
(at Lyndale and Hennepin). Park in church lot.
Free and open to the public. Come and bring a friend.
Where?
Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church, 511 Groveland Avenue, Minneapolis
(at Lyndale and Hennepin). Park in church lot.
Monograph on UN Reform Through Weighted Voting, the "Schwartzberg Plan" by Dr. Joseph Schwartzberg WFM CONGRESS
IN WINNIPEG
PARTICIPANTS WANTED
The World Federalist Movement, of which Citizens for Global Solutions is the US national affiliate, will be having its annual Congress in Winni-peg, Manitoba on July 9-13. Our Chapter hopes to send a group of members and guests (i.e. non-CGS members) to participate in the large number of events that will be open to the public. We hope to leave the Twin Cities early on the 9th and return on the 14th, traveling by a rented minivan, carrying seven people. If more wish to come, we’ll make additional arrangements.
COSTS:The shared costs of trans-portation should come to roughly $150 per person. Rooms in hotels near the Congress venue would probably run to $80-120 per night
(half that if shared, though the Congress organizers are working on discounted rates) and it is also likely that University dorm lodging will be available. Congress registration (up to June 9) is $250.
Plenary sessions and commissions will address a wide range of topics: a UN Parliamentary Assembly; Inter-national Justice, the Rule of Law and Human Rights; Peace and Conflict Prevention; UN Reform and Federal-ism at Regional and Global Levels; Environmental and economic Gover-nance and the Global Commons; etc.
Winnipeg is a very cosmopolitan city, with good restaurants and lots to see and do, especially in summer. Organized excursions will be avail-able on July 13.
If you are interested in coming, call Joe at 651-429-9562 or 612-625-5578 or use schwa004umn.edu.
IN WINNIPEG
PARTICIPANTS WANTED
The World Federalist Movement, of which Citizens for Global Solutions is the US national affiliate, will be having its annual Congress in Winni-peg, Manitoba on July 9-13. Our Chapter hopes to send a group of members and guests (i.e. non-CGS members) to participate in the large number of events that will be open to the public. We hope to leave the Twin Cities early on the 9th and return on the 14th, traveling by a rented minivan, carrying seven people. If more wish to come, we’ll make additional arrangements.
COSTS:The shared costs of trans-portation should come to roughly $150 per person. Rooms in hotels near the Congress venue would probably run to $80-120 per night
(half that if shared, though the Congress organizers are working on discounted rates) and it is also likely that University dorm lodging will be available. Congress registration (up to June 9) is $250.
Plenary sessions and commissions will address a wide range of topics: a UN Parliamentary Assembly; Inter-national Justice, the Rule of Law and Human Rights; Peace and Conflict Prevention; UN Reform and Federal-ism at Regional and Global Levels; Environmental and economic Gover-nance and the Global Commons; etc.
Winnipeg is a very cosmopolitan city, with good restaurants and lots to see and do, especially in summer. Organized excursions will be avail-able on July 13.
If you are interested in coming, call Joe at 651-429-9562 or 612-625-5578 or use schwa004umn.edu.
If you would like from now on to receive this Newsletter electronically, please let
us know. Send an email with your own Email address to schwa004@umn.edu and indicate on it that you wish to become an “electronic subscriber.” Thanks.
us know. Send an email with your own Email address to schwa004@umn.edu and indicate on it that you wish to become an “electronic subscriber.” Thanks.
Dick Bernard
May 17, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
FUTURE EARTH
Recent research by thousands of scientists around the world have built up a body of evidence documenting that humans have become the dominant agent of global change. Global warming is but one profound manifestation of human domination of the planet we share. Many innovations are now needed to enable people to thrive on Earth. Earth, however, is now home to the wealthiest, healthiest, best educated and most innovative, creative, and interconnected cohort in history. Humans possess the means to address the planetary challenges they have set in motion. But first we need a consensus that we have crossed a threshold from being merely Earth inhabitants to becoming Earth’s leading architects and engineers. What, then, do we want our future Earth to be?
Presenter: Patrick Hamilton. Patrick is the Director of Global Change Initiatives at the Science Museum of Minnesota, is a Principle Investigator with the University of Minnesota’s National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics and a Fellow of the University’s Institute on the Environment. He has been producing museum exhibits and programs about environmental topics for 28 years. Recent projects have included “Water,” an international traveling exhibition developed with the American Museum of Natural History; “The Big Back Yard,” the Museum’s environmental science park; and “Science House,” the Museum’s solar-powered, zero-emissions building. Patrick’s current focus is the “Future Earth Initiative,” exploring the implications of humans as the dominant agent of change on Earth.
FUTURE EARTH
Recent research by thousands of scientists around the world have built up a body of evidence documenting that humans have become the dominant agent of global change. Global warming is but one profound manifestation of human domination of the planet we share. Many innovations are now needed to enable people to thrive on Earth. Earth, however, is now home to the wealthiest, healthiest, best educated and most innovative, creative, and interconnected cohort in history. Humans possess the means to address the planetary challenges they have set in motion. But first we need a consensus that we have crossed a threshold from being merely Earth inhabitants to becoming Earth’s leading architects and engineers. What, then, do we want our future Earth to be?
Presenter: Patrick Hamilton. Patrick is the Director of Global Change Initiatives at the Science Museum of Minnesota, is a Principle Investigator with the University of Minnesota’s National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics and a Fellow of the University’s Institute on the Environment. He has been producing museum exhibits and programs about environmental topics for 28 years. Recent projects have included “Water,” an international traveling exhibition developed with the American Museum of Natural History; “The Big Back Yard,” the Museum’s environmental science park; and “Science House,” the Museum’s solar-powered, zero-emissions building. Patrick’s current focus is the “Future Earth Initiative,” exploring the implications of humans as the dominant agent of change on Earth.
CANDIDATES FOR OFFICERS AND BOARD OF CGS, MN CHAPTER
PRESIDENT: JOE SCHWARTZBERG (incumbent). A life-long peace and justice activist, Joe has served thirteen years as President of the Minnesota Chapter of the World Federalist Association / Citizens for Global Solutions. He is a “Distinguished International Emeritus Professor” at the University of Minnesota and publishes and lectures extensively on UN reform and peacemaking (especially in Kashmir). His academic specialties are South Asia, political geography and the history of cartography. He is on the [Int’l] Council of the World Federalist Movement.
VICE-PRESIDENT: GAIL HUGHES (incumbent). Gail’s background is eclectic. She currently teaches and advises doctoral candidates in education at Capella University. Over the past decade she has taught courses in global studies, sociology, and interdisciplinary social science at St. Cloud State University. In earlier years she was a Program Evaluator for the Minnesota Community Colleges. She taught English as a Peace Corps volunteer in Lesotho and development studies as an independent volunteer in Botswana.
SECRETARY: BARBARA GERTEN (incumbent). After moving from her home state, Montana, Barbara graduated from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. She worked as a certified public accountant for 10 years before switching to “human services.” She was a co-founder of the Minnesota Restorative Services Coalition and of the Partnership for Education of Children in Afghanistan (which she visited in 2003); and has served on the planning committee for a conference: Nonviolence in Islamic Traditions.
TREASURER: DENNIS DILLON (incumbent). Retired after 38 years of work on educational testing and survey research and a co-founder of two companies, Dennis is active in peace, justice and sustainability pursuits for the Basilica parish, the Minnesota Alliance of Peacemakers (directing Peace Island project) and the Minnesota Peace Project and People of Faith Peacemakers.
NEW BOARD MEMBERS:
JIM ALLEN: Jim received his M.S. degree in mathematics (with a minor in statistics) from North Dakota State University, and subsequently taught mathematics and science in both public and religious high schools. His specializations were with modeling and simulation. He has also been a computer programmer for IBM and worked in management science for Pillsbury, retiring in 2000. A Navy veteran, he is an active member of Veterans for Peace.
ANDREA LEWIS: Andrea is a 2007 graduate from Mankato State University, where she majored in Non-Profit Management and Urban and Regional Studies. She has since worked for the YMCA in South Minneapolis, mainly in operations, but also in international work and in many local initiatives. She has studied Spanish in Ecuador and was chosen by the Youth Peace Network to attend an international camp on youth leadership in British Columbia.
MARIAM MOHAMED: Mariam’s degrees include a B.S. in agronomy, earned in Somalia; and two M.S. degrees: in environmental science & forestry and in agriculture, earned in the US. After leading a development program funded by the UN and World Bank in Somalia, she came to the US. Here she has been a Program Director for Workforce Development, Executive Director of the Somali Parent Teacher Association, Children and Family Program Officer for the McKnight Foundation, and a program consultant/facilitator for numerous philanthropic organizations.
LARS JORGEN ROED: Lars, who hails from Horten, Norway, is a Program Associate at the Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights and also serves on the Student Advisory Board of the Human Rights Program at the University of Minnesota. He has been involved for with International Model UN programs since his 15th year and this year helped with the Nobel Peace Prize Forum. His interests include political psychology and Russian.
CONTINUING BOARD MEMBERS:
HOSSEIN AKHAVI-POUR, DICK BERNARD, LYLE CHRISTIANSON, JASON JOHNSON, BHARAT PAREKH, and JUNE PARROT.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Thanks to OUTGOING BOARD MEMBERS: Jim Nelson, Charmagne Campbell-Patton, Rosa María de la Cueva Peterson, Hector Garcia, Ted Richter, Adepeju Solarin and Soren Sorenson.
PRESIDENT: JOE SCHWARTZBERG (incumbent). A life-long peace and justice activist, Joe has served thirteen years as President of the Minnesota Chapter of the World Federalist Association / Citizens for Global Solutions. He is a “Distinguished International Emeritus Professor” at the University of Minnesota and publishes and lectures extensively on UN reform and peacemaking (especially in Kashmir). His academic specialties are South Asia, political geography and the history of cartography. He is on the [Int’l] Council of the World Federalist Movement.
VICE-PRESIDENT: GAIL HUGHES (incumbent). Gail’s background is eclectic. She currently teaches and advises doctoral candidates in education at Capella University. Over the past decade she has taught courses in global studies, sociology, and interdisciplinary social science at St. Cloud State University. In earlier years she was a Program Evaluator for the Minnesota Community Colleges. She taught English as a Peace Corps volunteer in Lesotho and development studies as an independent volunteer in Botswana.
SECRETARY: BARBARA GERTEN (incumbent). After moving from her home state, Montana, Barbara graduated from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. She worked as a certified public accountant for 10 years before switching to “human services.” She was a co-founder of the Minnesota Restorative Services Coalition and of the Partnership for Education of Children in Afghanistan (which she visited in 2003); and has served on the planning committee for a conference: Nonviolence in Islamic Traditions.
TREASURER: DENNIS DILLON (incumbent). Retired after 38 years of work on educational testing and survey research and a co-founder of two companies, Dennis is active in peace, justice and sustainability pursuits for the Basilica parish, the Minnesota Alliance of Peacemakers (directing Peace Island project) and the Minnesota Peace Project and People of Faith Peacemakers.
NEW BOARD MEMBERS:
JIM ALLEN: Jim received his M.S. degree in mathematics (with a minor in statistics) from North Dakota State University, and subsequently taught mathematics and science in both public and religious high schools. His specializations were with modeling and simulation. He has also been a computer programmer for IBM and worked in management science for Pillsbury, retiring in 2000. A Navy veteran, he is an active member of Veterans for Peace.
ANDREA LEWIS: Andrea is a 2007 graduate from Mankato State University, where she majored in Non-Profit Management and Urban and Regional Studies. She has since worked for the YMCA in South Minneapolis, mainly in operations, but also in international work and in many local initiatives. She has studied Spanish in Ecuador and was chosen by the Youth Peace Network to attend an international camp on youth leadership in British Columbia.
MARIAM MOHAMED: Mariam’s degrees include a B.S. in agronomy, earned in Somalia; and two M.S. degrees: in environmental science & forestry and in agriculture, earned in the US. After leading a development program funded by the UN and World Bank in Somalia, she came to the US. Here she has been a Program Director for Workforce Development, Executive Director of the Somali Parent Teacher Association, Children and Family Program Officer for the McKnight Foundation, and a program consultant/facilitator for numerous philanthropic organizations.
LARS JORGEN ROED: Lars, who hails from Horten, Norway, is a Program Associate at the Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights and also serves on the Student Advisory Board of the Human Rights Program at the University of Minnesota. He has been involved for with International Model UN programs since his 15th year and this year helped with the Nobel Peace Prize Forum. His interests include political psychology and Russian.
CONTINUING BOARD MEMBERS:
HOSSEIN AKHAVI-POUR, DICK BERNARD, LYLE CHRISTIANSON, JASON JOHNSON, BHARAT PAREKH, and JUNE PARROT.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Thanks to OUTGOING BOARD MEMBERS: Jim Nelson, Charmagne Campbell-Patton, Rosa María de la Cueva Peterson, Hector Garcia, Ted Richter, Adepeju Solarin and Soren Sorenson.