The articles, the opinions, the stories, the poems and the cartoons Ovi magazine covers for Saturday December 17th, 2022
Building Stronger Track Two Networks by Rene Wadlow
The continuing armed conflict in Ukraine and the likelihood that the conflict will drag on through the winter as well as armed conflicts in other parts of the world forces us to ask if more can be done on the part of non-governmental organizations to encourage negotiations in good faith. Lengthy armed conflict severely weakens the social fabric of a country by destroying communities, engendering a culture of violence, and creating a sense of mistrust that makes collaboration within the society difficult to achieve.
There have been efforts through the United Nations and individual governments to encourage ceasefires and negotiations. It must be hoped that such governmental efforts will continue. These governmental efforts can be called Track One. Track One diplomacy is official government negotiations with their backup resources of research and intelligence agencies. Track One can make formal proposals within the United Nations or in public declarations to other governments. There can also be Track One “back channels” of informal or unofficial contacts.
Track Two diplomacy is citizen-based efforts through research, policy proposals, mediation, and the creation of collaborative relations. Track Two is a non-official effort, usually carried out by a non-governmental organization often in cooperation with academic institutions or at least with individuals in the peace research field.
Continue reading HERE!
When Love Returns #poem & #painting by Nikos Laios
“That we live for love,
That we feel love,
Fuelled by passion and desire
To reach lofty heights,
To soar, dip and fly on thermals
Of soft kisses and warm embraces.”
Continue reading HERE
Narcissism Inc.: The Harry and Meghan Production by Dr. Binoy Kampmark
Netflix’s Harry and Meghanhas been billed as a documentary, but it is clear that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have never watched that form of the genre. Hardly surprising: Prince Harry is unworldly and semi-literate and Meghan can hardly count herself as a cerebral giant. Indulgent, narcissistic and manipulative, the Prince and his Hollywood companion have done a spectacular job of undermining any reserves of sympathy they might have had in their freezing out from the Windsor universe.
Much has and will be made of the various personal details the Netflix production is promoting. The dominant theme is blame and blamelessness, enriched by a layering of score-settling. Unaware by the implications of her own conduct, Meghan herself observes that, “Most people need to find someone to blame.”
The couple are, naturally, clean, washed, pristine; the laundry of everybody else, from the media to the ghastly relatives, is not. “I believe my wife suffered a miscarriage because of what the (Daily) Mail did. I watched the whole thing,” states a forlorn Harry.
Continue reading HERE
Ma-Siri & Alexa #48 #cartoon by Thanos Kalamidas
For more Ma-Siri & Alexa HERE!
For more Ovi Cartoons, HERE!
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