Her Majesty Queen Noor
Informal
Address the World Affairs Council of America
Washington, D.C.
December 2, 1999
Friends,
Imagine my shock to discover Americans to be more conservative about Royalty than we are! -- Not even in Jordan are people expected to stand in my presence!
I was asked to contribute a twenty- minute informal, personal perspective on my work, King Hussein’s legacy and the topic of this very timely conference — not an easy task given the seriousness and complexity of the challenges facing us at this moment in our history, and particularly given the current penchant for dramatic millennial summations and prophecy. But, since it seems to me that, in spite of seeming irreconcilable opposites, the global and the personal are intertwined in some interesting ways. Let me give it a try. . .
Since the fall of the Berlin Wall ten years ago, with the epoch-shattering changes that came in its wake, international affairs have become, for some people, too complex to contemplate. Those at the time who proclaimed "the end of history" have come to seem a bit naïve; the end of the cold war, welcome as it was in so many regards, has nonetheless allowed all sorts of suppressed animosities to emerge — the "us vs. them" mentality has shifted from hemispheres to neighborhoods.
The world is becoming both more global and more fragmented; whereas in the first half of this century, our wars were mammoth struggles between superpowers and their allies, now, long-standing ethnic tensions have escaped the restraints of larger state control, and are escalating into conflicts — smaller, more localized, but no less devastating to those caught up in them.
And while this new fragmentation foments more local strife, eventually its repercussions are felt everywhere, in the economic, political and military costs of endless interventions, the threats from extremism and its deadly offspring, terrorism, the demographic upheavals caused by millions of displaced persons, and sadly, the polarization and prejudice such conflicts can breed.
And it seems that in many of these conflicts, the victims of prejudice, the people fighting to defend their homes, or fleeing across borders, are Muslims. In the minds of the ignorant, Islam now occupies the place once forced upon Judaism and Communism — the evil empire, the demonic other against which the majority defines and justifies itself.
I come from a region that has suffered from this syndrome for generations. The 90s, post-Cold-War expression ‘clash of civilizations’ should not surprise me after a quarter century of living in the Middle East and intimate exposure to the Western political biases, media stereotyping and lack of understanding that have the pernicious effect of discrediting religions and dehumanizing even demonizing entire cultures.
During the Gulf crisis, the western media, with very few exceptions, insisted on portraying Jordan’s call for a peaceful resolution as "siding with" Iraq, despite the Kingdom’s clear condemnation of the occupation of Kuwait – and this myth continues. It was a case of "you are either with us or against us." No middle ground. From Hollywood and Silicon Valley, where Arabs became the villains of choice when others were no longer available, to publications and the press, who immediately jumped to the conclusion that the Oklahoma City bombing was an act of Middle East terrorism, leading to a wave of harassment and intimidation against Arab-Americans, to EgyptAir Flight 990 when unfortunately, all that some Americans needed to hear was that the co-pilot had uttered the word "Allah," and it triggered visions of a maniacal suicide pilot.
It is no surprise that Arab-Americans and the Muslim world were horrified that any Americans would believe any Muslim prayer must be the prelude to killing people.
Even more recently, the Congressional bill condemning anti-Muslim intolerance which was watered down to the point where it is virtually meaningless, and was ultimately shelved , these kinds of simplistic, black-and-white interpretations only exacerbate existing problems.
This was not how it was supposed to work. Only a short time ago, globalization was viewed almost universally as the answer to the world's ills — at least by those doing the globalizing. The rapid expansion of communications technologies and global markets would promote economic efficiency, generate growth, and perhaps even provide opportunity and prosperity for all the world's people.
The breakdown of ideological differences and the ease of communication fostered by new technologies was supposed to bring increasing international cooperation and understanding as we all joined together in the common pursuit of profit.
These hopes have not materialized. In fact, there is a growing divide between richer and poorer countries and individuals. According to UNDP’s Human Development Report of 1999, the Human Development Index scores of 10 out of 17 Arab nations, Jordan among them, have fallen in the past year.
The majority of people in the developing world, including the Arab and wider Islamic world are not enjoying the advantages of the information revolution. For those left on the margins, desperation can breed resentment, unrest, and even violence. Fear will exacerbate this divide between civilizations if the West, the primary controller of all this new technology, does not make a priority to ensure equitable access, and to make doubly sure that less-developed nations are not left facing the challenges, more than the benefits, of globalization.
Unfortunately, while other parts of the world move towards regional cooperation and globalization, the Middle East remains fragmented by nationalistic conflicts. Regional disputes have exacerbated internal domestic problems, fuelling an arms race spiral at the expense of stability and national socio-economic development.
The presence and availability of these vast arsenals, rather than acting as a deterrent, actually makes it harder to establish a lasting peace. If channeled into human development priorities instead, such resources would provide more sustainable forms of social security as a defense against violence.
Few, if any, tangible benefits have reached the community level. Indeed, most people in the region probably feel that globalization has subjected them to non-stop price rises and subsidy cuts, while simultaneously exposing them to an electronic and commercial cultural invasion.
Their standard of living is deteriorating, while their culture, from which they take sustenance and comfort, is under constant attack by a flood of misguided images from the West.
The paradox of globalization is that in many of the ways that it is supposed to bring us together, it is in fact driving us apart, as people take refuge in national, ethnic or religious identity from an increasingly alien but homogenized world.
This combination of economic and emotional pressures is potentially devastating to the politics of moderation and reconciliation. This leaves the Arab world today at a historic and perilous crossroads: either we and our partners work harder to ensure that the peoples of our region enjoy the rights, dignity and prosperity they believe they have been promised, or we risk the resurgence of demagoguery, extremism, violence and widening the gulf of mistrust and lack of understanding between our cultures.
The real issue is security, whether in promoting cross cultural understanding and cooperation, or in creating the sustainable peace for which they are the prerequisite. And like so much else today , the definition of security is changing. Threats to security today come not only from war, but also from economic and social inequities, human rights abuses, marginalization, and poverty.
Over the past decades, my work in Jordan and abroad has been predicated on this premise: that true security is not a matter of protecting borders from military aggression, but of providing a stable environment for all citizens, women and men, of all races and creeds, to participate fully in commercial and political life. Peace is not merely the absence of hostilities, but a positive human security founded in equity.
With productivity becoming ever more divorced from physical resources, the uniqueness of each country’s contribution is coming to depend more on the distinctness of cultures and the innovation of individuals.
The technology of globalization is instrumental in bringing the world these unique resources, from the mindwork of computer programmers to the handiwork of crafts men and women. One example — we helped establish the Hweitat Weavers Society in an arid, Bedouin community in southern Jordan. Having begun training 25 women in weaving, dyeing and basic business management, the enterprise now employs well over 1000 women and supplies markets all over the world. Three years ago, its products won the Magnificent Carpet Award in Atlanta, bringing international recognition to the weaving project. Today, their products are globally accessible through the World Wide Web site where orders can be placed directly to the Hweitat women. Perhaps equally important to the income this supplies to the women, the Web site presents their cultural heritage and humanity to rest of world.
In the empowerment of women, especially at the grassroots level, we have tried to set an example for other development organizations by moving beyond the traditional ineffective social welfare schemes, with training, income-generation and micro-finance projects oriented towards both local and international markets. Especially important, they have helped women entrepreneurs to develop their talents, and increase their family income.
As these women become active participants and decision makers in the social and economic affairs of their communities, they also become genuine economic forces, increasing their status and influence, as well as the overall quality of life, health and stability of their community.
We have also seen significant progress in every aspect of quality of life, from literacy to family income to population control. And, strengthened by increased self reliance and confidence in themselves, local communities are enjoying a measurable improvement in the quality of life, productivity and stability and will be more effective and successful in establishing partnerships on a regional basis in the future - more able to participate in the peace-building process in the era of peace.
These programs, which combine innovation with respect for local values and traditions, have received international recognition as development models for the Middle East and the developing world — and through a network of regional partnerships, we are supporting their implementation in other countries. I like to think that these models for sustainable economic growth and political participation have reinforced social stability and cohesion in Jordan, and that they are an essential component of our larger quest for justice, peace and understanding in the region and abroad.
Informed citizens are absolutely vital to this process. We have seen clearly over the past decades that it is not enough simply to sign a peace treaty. We are very conscious of the importance, if we are to overcome the enmity of previous generations, of encouraging the next generation, the future guardians of peace, to understand both their opportunities in a changing world and their duties towards themselves and others.
Education is a supremely effective tool for peace-building especially when it brings together students of differing ideas, backgrounds, even cultures, at a time in their lives when their minds are most open and receptive. I have seen this process at work in a number of very promising institutions, in Jordan and around the world.
The Jubilee School, an independent co-educational secondary school, established in Amman to commemorate His Majesty King Hussein's Silver Jubilee, develops the academic and leadership potential of promising scholarship students from the country and the region, with special emphasis on students from less developed areas of Jordan. The School provides a unique educational environment, which promotes creative thinking, leadership and conflict resolution skills, science and technology expertise and social responsibility.
Jubilee students are enthusiastic participants in programs like the Seeds of Peace which brings together children from former Middle East adversaries and other post-conflict regions to summer camps to begin to break down the barriers of ignorance and prejudice and promote mutual respect and understanding, even a sense of solidarity in making and building peace. Seeds is now producing a new crop of young people who value communication over confrontation, demonstrating that peace can grow even out of soil made almost barren by conflict. I mention these two educational programs in particular because they were of great importance to His Majesty King Hussein.
Another inspiring example, the United World Colleges, is a network of 10 multi-cultural, multi-national secondary schools around the world, which promote international understanding and solidarity. Through study and community service, the colleges focus on varied issues of world concern from racial equity to rural social programs to conflict resolution, adding academic structure to the culture of peace that the schools promote.
Also , a number of international institutions have recently introduced programs focused specifically on education for peace. UNESCO’s "education for democracy", and the Arab Institute of Human Rights’ "Education for Human Rights" initiatives for instance, are designed to instill in young people a culture of peace alongside the other tools they will need to be engaged citizens.
And far be it from me to imply that education is only for children, or none of us would be here tonight. There are very fruitful peace-education programs of peace education for adults, as well. For instance, the United Nations University International Leadership Academy —the first global leadership training facility as well as the first UN institution to be initiated and established in the Middle East— created networks of capable, motivated leaders with a creative perspective on the problems but also the possibilities of our world — leaders who can work together across the globe building teams, building bridges, building peace - with the added benefit of personal experience and understanding of Arab Islamic society. It is that kind of leadership that can turn the paradox of globalization into progress.
It has been my privilege to know such enlightened leaders, to learn from them, and to work in daily partnership over the past 21 years with one of them – my husband, King Hussein. A devout Muslim, he believed, deeply and passionately, in authentic Islamic values such as education, tolerance, consensus building, and above all, in peace. He understood that one could be a citizen of the world, and remain a devoted member of one’s own country, culture, and faith.
His style of leadership grew out of these beliefs. He may have been a king, but he led by force of character rather than ruling by force.
He achieved remarkable progress in modernizing a conservative developing society through initiatives such as promoting the role of women, universal education, and a participatory and pluralistic system of governance —all within the framework of traditional Arab and Islamic principles.
A man of faith, he abhorred the exploitation of religion for political or material ends, making a mockery of the true teachings of religion and provoking intolerance, hatred, and violence between nations and neighbors. He believed that, on the contrary, dedication to faith, even when the faiths differ, should be a unifying moral force among all people.
These same values infused his actions in the wider world, as well. He was a committed member of the global family. His optimistic faith in his fellow man, his deep and abiding humanism, was unshakable. He believed in the power of mediation and reconciliation, and practiced what he believed.
By personal example, he inspired the different people of our region and in the world at large to understand what he believed so deeply, that real peace is made not only among governments, but among peoples; that it is written not only on pieces of paper, but must be enshrined in the hearts of those living side by side. As globalization drives us both together and apart, he made us realize that understanding and moderation are the true bedrocks of peace. And not only did he uproot Israeli and Western prejudice toward Arab peace partners, but also stood as a vivid counterexample to myths about Muslims — pernicious stereotypes of intolerance, ignorance and extremism.
To serve as a living monument to this humanitarian vision and legacy, we established the King Hussein Foundation by Royal Decree early this year.
A national and international non-profit, NGO, the Foundation will work to sustain and build upon King Hussein’s lifelong commitments to education and leadership, environment and health, and democracy and peace.
He demonstrated that even against the most powerful global and historical trends toward mistrust and misunderstanding, an individual can make a difference. But for those without his high-profile position or sheer force of personality, the most effective way can be to join together to create organizations committed to genuine understanding.
Networks are the mechanism whereby individuals make their power felt in the world. This is where the World Affairs Councils are so valuable.
Consensus on the solutions to a wealth of world problems is arising from informed discussion, while different ideas and traditions are available to add richness to cultural debate. More than ever before, minority, even individual, opinion plays a major role in forging the larger consensus, and individual or local contributions, be they ideas or products. Working from their unique perspectives, taking advantage of the power that is shrinking the world, people around the globe can unite to transform the clash of cultures into a synergy of civilizations.
My journey among American and Middle Eastern cultures has taught me that the foundation for constructive partnership already exists, embedded in our common moral heritage -- in the teachings of the Muslim, Christian and Jewish faiths. There is a multitude of institutions in the Jordan, USA, Israel, the UK and Europe that foster interfaith studies and religious pluralism. They make us more aware that Arabs and Americans hold common moral values, but express them with different cultural voices and vocabularies.
Identifying these underlying, universal values promotes harmony between people and across cultures. Such enhanced mutual understanding is particularly important for defining the new relationships among Arab countries, Israel, and the United States, as we move from making peace to building that peace into a strong edifice of shared progress and security.
Individuals have power, whether Arab or Western, media pundit or refugee, whether Jordanian or American or any of two hundred other nationalities. We are World Affairs. The first and most effective way to make a difference is to work together, which is the essence of democracy, and the essence of peace. Each of us can become part of a global partnership, grounded in the common values we share and cherish. If each of us recognizes our individual responsibility to this larger framework, our separate efforts can meet and reinforce one another, as we work together for human progress.