Crossing
the Divide: Dialogue among Civilizations
Published by the School of Diplomacy and International Relations
Seton Hall University
South Orange, New Jersey (USA)
http://diplomacy.shu.edu/dialogue
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Dedicated
to the innocents who lost their lives because their only fault was
to be different from their murderers.
".
. . Appeals to war will be met with appeals to compromise. Hatred
will be met with tolerance. Violence will be met with resolve. A
dialogue among civilizations is humanity's best answer to humanities
worst enemies…If one doubted the need for a dialogue among
civilizations, let them doubt no longer. 11 September made the need
for such a dialogue crystal clear."
-
Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General
"A
Dialogue among Civilizations is a dialogue between those who perceive
diversity as a threat and those who do not. Crossing the Divide
is more than just a call for Dialogue. It is the anti-terrorism
manifesto."
- Giandomenico Picco, Former UN Chief Hostage Negotiator
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| Crossing
the Divide: Dialogue among Civilizations is the result of
an international endeavor whose seeds were planted in 1998 by President
Mohammad Khatami of the Islamic Republic of Iran during an address
to the United Nations General Assembly. The time had come to bring
the world together in a discourse aimed at replacing hostility and
confrontation with mutual acceptance and understanding. Looking back,
it is fateful that the UN proclaimed 2001 as the Year of Dialogue
among Civilizations. Now, more than ever, a meaningful dialogue is
necessary to address our political, religious, ethnic and cultural
differences and even more so, to realize our similarities and embrace
our diversity. In addition to addressing these issues, Crossing
the Divide illuminates the pathway for a new paradigm of global
relations for present and future generations.
To
examine the different and shared values in today's cultures, and
better understand how increased globalization will affect and alter
relations among nations and peoples, UN Secretary-General Annan
appointed an international group of eminent persons to lead the
Dialogue among Civilizations. The eminent persons include former
heads of state and government, Nobel laureates and renowned scholars.
They were led by former UN Under-Secretary Giandomenico Picco, best
known for his role as chief hostage negotiator and for gaining the
freedom of the hostages in Beirut, Lebanon.
Crossing
the Divide: Dialogue among Civilizations is published by
the School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall
University, also the coordinating Secretariat for the United Nations
Year of Dialogue among Civilizations.
Excerpt
from the book:
"Crossing
the divide", whatever that divide seems to be, is the first
step in learning how to manage and appreciate diversity. It is
a quality that new generations may find indispensable. Have we,
the older generation, passed on the fear of diversity? If that
is so, it is equally important that the youth of our societies
be aware of our mistake and find the courage to go a step farther,
to learn what we have not, to see what we did not see, and to
cross the divide where we failed to do so. The young generation
aspires to do a better job than we have done, to build a more
just society than we have. No "lesson" from the past
can dampen the dreams and aspirations, the vision and expectations,
of the generation that is taking over. For most of us, the fact
that something was not done before does not mean it cannot ever
be done. This, if anything, is an incentive to strive for more.
Authors
of Crossing the Divide: Dialogue among Civilizations.
Dr.
A. Kamal Aboulmagd (Egypt)
Dr. Lourdes Arizpe (Mexico)
Dr. Hanan Ashrawi (Palestine)
Dr. Ruth Cardoso (Brazil)
The Honorable Jacques Delors
(France)
Dr. Leslie Gelb (United
States of America)
Nadine Gordimer (South
Africa)
His Royal Highness Prince
El Hassan bin Talal (Jordan)
Professor Sergey Kapitza
(Russia)
Professor Hayao Kawai
(Japan)
Professor Tommy Koh (Singapore)
Professor Dr. Hans Küng
(Switzerland)
Graça Machel (Mozambique)
Giandomenico Picco
(Italy)
Professor Amartya Sen (India)
Dr. Song Jian (China)
Dick Spring, T.D. (Ireland)
Professor Tu Weiming
(China)
The Honorable Richard
von Weizsäcker (Germany)
Dr. Javad Zarif (Iran)
Crossing
the Divide is available in English and German and will soon
be available in other languages including, Russian, Arabic, and
Italian. The book may be purchased from the following outlets:
1.
Amazon.com
2. The
Seton Hall University Bookstore
3. The UN
Bookshop
The
German version of Crossing the Divide may be purchased at leading
bookstores in Europe:
Brücken
in die Zukunft. Ein Manifest für den Dialog der Kulturen, von
A. Kamal Aboulmagd u.a. S. Fischer Verlag, Frankfurt a. Main 2001;
ISBN 3-10-009640-1
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