s. lang letters to nyt
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SADRŽAJ:1) 1971, 02, 10 Croatian Nationalism gets new impetus (Alfred Friendly)2) 1996, 05, 05 Foreign Affairs;Expiration Date: 12/20/96 (Thomas L.
Friedman)3) 1996, 05, 19 Croatian War-Shrine Plan Revives Pain (Chris Hedges)4) 1999, 07, 14 “Letters to the Editor” (IHT) – neobjavljeno5) 1999, 12, 11 Analyisis: Conteplating life without Tudjman (BBC, Nick
Thorpe)6) 2006, 11, 13 Willy Brandt, 60 years of Heroes, (Time, neobjavljeno)7) 2007, 05/06 Letter (Foreign Affairs, neobjavljeno)8) 2007, 08, 27 59/71 comments (Blogs / Cosmic Variance - Charity Without
Religious Belief: Mother Teresa)
9) 2008, 07, 24 39/ 43 comments (Karadzic on Trial)10) 2008, 07, 25 65/81 comments (IHT, Roger Cohen: Bosnia remembered)11) 2008, 09, 18 153/170 comments (Well/Tara Parker-Pope on Health, The
Tyranny of Diagnosis. Are Doctors Treating the Diagnosis or the Patient?
12) 2008, 10, 05 26/25 comments (IHT, Roger Cohen: Kiplin' vs. Palin)13) 2008, 10, 09 127/260 (Diagnosis: Greed, New York Times)14) 2008, 10, 17 15/68 comments (Well/Tara Parker-Pope on Health – Doctors
and Patients, on stage)
15) 2008, 10, 25 13/224 comments (Bob Herbert: Crises on many fronts)16) 2008, 11, 06 78/199 comments (Well Blog - No Praise for Doctors-in-Training)
17) 2008, 11, 07 228/245 comments (Blog by the Editorial Writers, BrentStaples: Savoring the Undertones and Lingering Subtleties of Obama’s Victory Speech)
18) 2008, 11, 09 27/281 comments (Al Gore: The Climate for Change)19) 2008, 11, 10 42 comments (IHT, Next guest: Joseph Stiglitz)20) 2008, 11, 22 32/122 comments (Bob Herbert: Help Is on the Way)21) 2008, 11, 28 110/410 comments (Paul Krugman: Lest We Forget)
22) 2008, 11, 29 45/69 comments (The Lede Blog, Mumbai Attacks, theAftermath)
23) 2008, 12, 01 229/261 comments (Roger Cohen: Try Tough Love, Hillary)24) 2008, 12, 02 20/230 comments (Amitav Ghosh: India’s 9/11? Not Exactly)25) 2008, 12, 03 143/143 comments (Roger Cohen: A Court for a New America)26) 2008, 12, 10 10/50 comments (Editorial: Darfur, Another Year Later)27) 2008, 12, 12 31/50 comments (The Editorial Board: Ted Kennedy Gives Up a
Seat)28) 2008, 12, 12 7/72 comments (Roger Cohen: A Church in Guantánamo)
29) 2008, 12, 18 3/229 comments (Editorial: The Torture Report)
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30) 2008, 12, 18 73/86 comments (Well/Tara Parker-Pope on Health - DoPatients Trust Doctors Too Much?)
31) 2008, 12, 23 125/742 comments (Thomas L. Friedman: Time to RebootAmerica)
32) 2008, 12, 24 26/272 comments (Nicholas D Kristof: The Sin in Doing GoodDeeds)
33) 2009, 01, 01 2/34 comments (Mark Landler: Clinton, Familiar With Pitfallsof Mideast Politics, May Face Early Test in Gaza)
34) 2009, 01, 19 6/103 comments (Room for Debate: ‘The Speech’: An Experts’Guide)
35) 2009, 01, 24 8/264 comments (Bob Herbert: More than charisma)36) 2009, 01, 25 139/216 comments (Editorial: From here to Retirement)37) 2009, 01, 26 87133 comments (Dennis Overbye, Essay: Elevating Science,
Elevating Democracy)
38) 2009, 02, 06 11/167 comments (Gail Collins: Tough Times at Obama Inc.)39) 2009, 02, 22 6/89 comments (Pam Belluck: In turnabout, children take
caregiver role)40) 2009, 02, 24 12/119 comments (Editorial: Time of Reckoning)41) 2009, 02, 27 08/15 comments (The Lede, Robert Mackey: The Text of a
Bishop’s Semi-Apology)42) 2009, 03, 19 12/139 comments (Editors: Civilians Caught in Urban Combat)43) 2009, 03, 20 55/120 comments (Ron Lieber: Not laid off? How to aid the less
fortunate)
44) 2009, 04, 01 1/22 comments ( Editors: The art of persuasion at the G-20summit)45) 2009, 08, 29 Newsweek. Jonathan Tepperman: Why Obama should learn to
love the bomb46) 2009, 09, 09 24/95 comments (NYT: Reactions to the speech: A health care
roundtable47) 2009, 09, 16 11/135 comments (Zev Chafets: The right way to pray)48) 2009, 09, 23 Newsweek. Lally Wemouth: Ahmadinejad’s nuclear offer 49) 2009, 10, 01 2/7 comments (Economix - Carter Dougherty: Negative Interest
Rates in Sweden?50) 2009, 10, 09 9/114 comments (BlogTalk – Kate Phillips i Maria Newman:
Perceptions of Obama’s Prize)51) 2009, 12, 13 59/116 comments (Michael M. Weinstein: Paul A. Samuelson,
Economist, dies at 94)52) 2010, 01, 02 (Room for debate – Editors: Books to live by)53) 2010, 01, 17 (Katrin Benhold: In Germany), a tradition falls and women rise)54) 2010, 01, 21 Newsweek – Letters55) 2010, 01, 27 30/193 comments (Daniel B. Smith:Is there an ecological
unconscious)
56) 2010, 01, 28 40/187 comments (Gail Collins: United we rant)
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57) 2010, 03, 07 4/22 comments (Virginia Heffernan: Shelf life58) 2010, 05, 09 380/492 comments (Economix – Bring your questions on the
European debt crisis59) 2010, 05, 11 316/357 comments (Rachel Donadio: Pope Issues His Most
Direct Words to Date on Abus
60) 2010, 05, 24 13/36 comments (Russell Shorto: Integrationist61) 2010, 06, 01 21/151 comments (Editorial: Israel and the blockade)62) 2010, 06, 16 29/241 comments (Thomas L. Friedman: Letter from Istanbul)
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CROATIAN NATIONALISM GETS NEW IMPETUS
By ALFRED FRIENDLY Jr.Special to The New York Times
February 10, 1971, WednesdayPage 4, 671 words
ZAGREB, Yugoslavia, Feb. 6 -- A strange alliance of Communists and Roman Catholics, politicians and intellectuals, has coalesced here to assert the rights of some 4.5 million Croatsto guide their own destinies and control their own riches. [ END OF FIRST PARAGRAPH ]
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FOREIGN AFFAIRS;EXPIRATION DATE: 12/20/96Slobodan Lang, a doctor and Croatia's leading human rights activist, described to me a car trip he just took across Croatia and Bosnia, beginning in the ...May 5, 1996 - By THOMAS L.FRIEDMAN
May 5, 1996Foreign Affairs;Expiration Date: 12/20/96,By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN,When you go to apply for your NATO press pass in Zagreb the first thing you notice is that itcomes with one line already filled in -- the expiration date: "December 20, 1996."That is the date President Clinton has set for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Bosnia. Thequestion I have been posing to a range of people from Zagreb to Sarajevo is: What do youthink Bosnia will look like on the day NATO press passes expire? The most common answer is: "Anything can still happen" -- from a return to fighting to a hard partition to an uneasycoexistence. In other words, with seven months to go before the scheduled end of the NATO
mission there is still no clear-cut trend in Bosnia. On any given day, in any given village, youcan see both the forces of unification and the forces of partition busy at work. Though theforces of partition unquestionably have the upper hand, they are not yet decisive.It's like a bad marriage," one U.S. official said of the current state of affairs between Serbs,Croats and Muslims. But as in any bad marriage, he added, the couple could stay together indefinitely for the sake of the kids, in a loveless arrangement, or they could get a divorce.Slobodan Lang, a doctor and Croatia's leading human rights activist, described to me a car triphe just took across Croatia and Bosnia, beginning in the Croatian village of Erdut on theDanube. There he found a meeting of Serbs and Croats, discussing an amnesty for CroatianSerb refugees who want to return to their homes in the area. Just a few miles after that hecame upon an intersection in Bosnia where Serb, Croat and Muslim taxi drivers all gather
each day in one taxi station to ferry passengers to either Serb-held Brcko, Muslim-held Tuzla,or Croatian-held Sava. Still farther along, in Croatian-held Brcko Ravno, he met a Croatiansurgeon who had performed 8,700 operations during the war, saving Serbs, Croats andMuslims alike.Continuing down to Tuzla, he found that city's Muslim Mayor organizing a business fair thereat which Serbian, Muslim and Croatian businessmen were paying 200 German marks apieceto set up showrooms. But along the way, he passed a cemetery where Muslims had broken allthe crosses over Croatian graves. In Sarajevo, he visited with angry Muslim refugees, whohad managed to survive the Serbian massacre in Srebrenica and were now occupying theabandoned homes of Sarajevo Serbs, who had fled to the Serb Republic, where they are nowliving in squalor. He passed by Mostar, a city divided between Croats and Muslims that is
supposed to be reunited but is instead being partitioned, largely because Croats refuse to sharecontrol of the city with their Muslim neighbors. Mostar's division is also being reinforced byCroatian criminal gangs that don't want to see Mostar reunited because it would be bad for their protection rackets. Mr. Lang ended up in Selce, where a Muslim Croat conference was
being held on how to help those left handicapped by the war.That's Bosnia today. The only thing that's clear is that while NATO press passes will expireon Dec. 20, the Bosnian conflict will not. There is still too much rage loose in this land. Thereare still too many people not living in their homes (1.7 million out of a population of 4million). There are still too many killers walking free. And, most of all, too many of theleaders responsible for wrecking Bosnia are still around posing as architects of its new dawn.
No, there will have to be an ongoing NATO peacekeeping presence here after Dec. 20, and itwill have to include some U.S. forces to have credibility. As long as NATO does not becomea target, its remaining here with a smaller force for a longer period is worth it. It's a small
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price to pay to prevent more mass killing and to insure stability in southern Europe. Anyway,you need a longer cease-fire and period of reconstruction to really test whether a stable neworder here is possible."You Americans are like a doctor who wants to help a woman have a baby, but tells her thather pregnancy can only last three months," said Dr. Lang. "Well, you can't make a baby in
three months. You must have more respect for the suffering and the pain and the prejudicethat went on here. It is not something that goes away in a year." That's why everyone issimultaneously rebuilding and rearming, he added: "If your house was burned, if you weretaken away to a concentration camp by your neighbors, and then NATO says, 'We'll help youfor a while, but we're leaving by Dec. 20,' you would be a fool not to be preparing for the nextround."
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Croatian War-Shrine Plan Revives Pain"The tragedy that took place here has become a dispute about numbers," said Dr. SlobodanLang, whose grandparents died at the camp. ...May 19, 1996 - By CHRIS HEDGES
May 19, 1996Croatian War-Shrine Plan Revives PainBy CHRIS HEDGESThe anguish of tens of thousands of people killed during the 1940's at the concentration campthat was built here along the marshy banks of the Sava River still reverberates from theovergrown brush and deserted buildings.For while the camp lies neglected and derelict, those who died here have become thecenterpiece of a plan that has outraged survivors and threatens to distort historical truth for
political gain.Defying international criticism, the Croatian Government says it will press ahead with plans
to turn the camp into a memorial for victims of Communist and fascist terror.President Franjo Tudjman, who fought the Germans as a young member of Tito's Partisans,said a few days ago that he wanted to turn the camp into "a memorial for all victims of war."Those who died under fascist and Communist rule, along with the dead from the 1991Croatian war against the Serbs, would lie side by side at Jasenovac.Mr. Tudjman has even called for the return of the remains of the fascist wartime dictator AntePavelic, who is buried in Spain.This has sparked outrage because the victims at Jasenovac, who were mainly Serbs butincluded Jews and Gypsies, were killed by the fascist Croatian regime backed by the Nazis.Many survivors see the President's plan, which has been criticized by several Europeanleaders and Secretary of State Warren Christopher, as a desecration of the site.
"This is like reburying the bones of German SS officers and building a monument in their memory at Auschwitz," said Slavko Goldstein, a Holocaust survivor who now lives in Zagreb,the capital.The Jasenovac camp, 45 miles southeast of Zagreb, was the largest of 27 concentration campsin Yugoslavia during World War II. It was set up by the fascist government in Croatia andadministered by the Ustashe, the Croatian equivalent of the Nazi SS.The Croatian fascists adopted Nazi racial laws and set out to exterminate Jews, Gypsies andSerbs. Many other Croatian dissidents, including 12 Catholic priests, also died.President Tudjman, seeking to defuse criticism of the wartime government, says 28,000
people were killed at Jasenovac. Tito, eager to demonize his fascist rivals, said 700,000 people died. Both figures are dismissed as unrealistic by independent scholars in the United
States, who estimate that about 80,000 people were killed here."The tragedy that took place here has become a dispute about numbers," said Dr. SlobodanLang, whose grandparents died at the camp. "Because the pain is painted in gray, collectivetones, the suffering of individuals is ignored and manipulated. It is shameful."Many victims were unloaded from freight cars and killed immediately on the banks of theriver, their bodies tossed into the water. The rest worked as slave laborers, digging clay out of the swampy banks to make bricks. Thousands died of disease, hunger and beatings.Crematoriums were built late in the war.The Communist Government of Yugoslavia kept the camp open until 1947, killing thousandsof former Ustashe members and anti-Communist dissidents.Serbs use the camp to brand the Croats as unrepentant fascists. Croatian nationalists say theslaughter was about equal to the numbers of Croats killed by Serbian partisans and guerrillas.
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Croatian Jews -- of whom 80 percent of the prewar population of 68,000 died during the war -- are not acknowledged in Jasenovac. Gypsies are also ignored."If the truth is exposed, then the complexity of what took place can be revealed," said IvanJuric, the city manager of Jasenovac, who had family members who were killed on both sidesduring World War II. "But there are too many people who only want easy answers. We must
finally let those who suffered speak or this will never end."Croatian Serbs, who held this part of Croatia until last year, trashed the small museum. The parking lots, which once accommodated school buses, have weeds poking up from theasphalt. The gates lay open, the grounds deserted, save for swarms of mosquitoes.Mr. Juric stood in the gutted entrance hall of the museum. When asked if the tattered picturesof the emaciated children, the rows of dead and the bewildered families getting off transportswere taken at Jasenovac, he paused."That," he said, "is what we were told."
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International Herald Tribune“Letters to the Editor”fax: 00 33 1 414 39 338“Challenge of Goodness”Regarding “Beware, the Geneva Conventions are under fire (Opinion, 1999, July, 14) by YvesSandoz.Mr. Yves Sandoz is correct to point out the importance of the 50th anniversary of the 1949Geneva Conventions as an opportunity to support and further develop humanitarian activitiesin protecting the peace, during conflict and in restoring peace.During the last ten years I have devoted all of my efforts to saving lives and the dignity of Croats, Serbs, Bosniacs, Albanians, Jews, in the most difficult and life threatening conditions.This has been analyzed and presented in the project called “New Humanitarian Technology”.We proposed key improvements, such as the Right to a Home, Hate Watch, Global Hospitals,
Righteous in conflict, Red Cross Forum and others, which can be of key importance theimprovement of humanitarian work. These proposals are practical, effective and cheap. After introducing new legal instruments (court in Hague and Rome) and political/military actions, itis time to improve humanitarian knowledge and technology itself. Standing among tragicKosovar refugees in the “Blace” camp at the end of March while watching the NATO planesabove, a thought went through my head, that at the end of the millennium the world knows
better how to coordinate 500 bombers than 500 lavatories.My proposals stem form the suffering and experience, they are cheap and globally applicable.Support and improvements to the Geneva Conventions in autumn should renew the spirit of
Henry Dunnant, introduce the concept of “Humanitarian Globality” and propose a WorldSummit on Humanitarian activities during conflicts and wars.Dr. Slobodan Lang
Advisor to the President of theRepublic of Croatia for Humanitarian AffairsPantovcak 24110 000 Zagreb, Croatia phone: xx 385 1 45 65 192E-mail: [email protected] fax: xx 385 1 45 65 188
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Analysis: Contemplating life without Tudjman
Tudjman campaigning in 1997
Saturday, 11 December, 1999, 07:50 GMT
By Nick Thorpe in Zagreb The children are clutching candles in their hands. Behind them, the shell-marked walls of aCatholic church in Vukovar.
Not an image from the terrible siege of the city, eight years ago, butfrom the Croatian press.President Tudjman, the man who led his country to independencefrom Yugoslavia, had been in Zagreb hospital undergoing treatmentfor stomach cancer.
Prayers were said for him in churches across Croatia, but it was thisimage, with all the symbolism which Vukovar holds for the Croats,which stole the front pages."He was a strong leader during difficult times," says Slobodan Lang,President Tudjman's adviser on humanitarian affairs. "Times when Europe lacked vision."Mr Lang's words say as much about Croatia's ambivalent relationship with the statesmen of Europe, and particularly the European Union, as they do about the country's former president.War leader In 1991, close on the heels of Slovenia, Croatia declared independence.The country's Serbs - then 12% of the population - hesitated between taking up arms to stop
independence, or trying to gain maximum rights for themselves in an independent country. Narrowly, they decided in favour of war, thinking they could rely on the Yugoslav army,which had barracks throughout the country.The first, often-heard criticism of President Tudjman begins here - if he had only been moreintelligent, less nationalistic, more tolerant, perhaps he could have persuaded the Serbs thatthey had a place in his new Croatia.Instead, war raged for six months. About a third of Croatia was lost to the Serbs in battle, and10,000 people died.
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The United Nations got permission to patrol the "lost third", but by1995, President Tudjman lost patience with diplomatic efforts to win
back the territory, and his army seized it by force in two, blitzkrieg-like operations, "Flash" and "Storm".The last area, around Vukovar, was handed back by the Serbswithout a fight.The international community blows hot and cold on Croatia, butthere is little sympathy for its president.War crimes The European Union have made three conditions to Croatia, for it to apply for EUmembership - full co-operation with the War Crimes tribunal in the Hague, more progress onSerb returns to their old homes, and the holding of free and fair elections.The first two conditions grate on both the government's, and theopposition's nerves.
Croatia has already co-operated reluctantly with the tribunal, andseveral Croats accused of war crimes during the war in Bosnia have
been extradited to the Hague - something Serbia has never done.But now the court wants to investigate the aftermath of operationsFlash and Storm - the alleged war crimes committed by Croatianarmy soldiers against the few Serbs who remained.Croats feel that the whole validity of the operations is beingquestioned. The EU, which has been supporting the attempts by theInternational War Crimes' Tribunal to investigate atrocities committed in Croatia, denies this.
Elections expected Parliamentary elections will be held soon. They were expected on 22 December, but that datehas now been thrown into doubt.
Now that Mr Tudjman is dead, presidential elections must be held within 60 days.Parliamentary and presidential elections could be held simultaneously in January.At the moment, an opposition alliance led by the Social Democrats (SDP) and the SocialLiberals (HSLS) is well ahead in opinion polls.A defeat at elections for the movement which Mr Tudjman established in 1990 - the CroatianDemocratic Union (HDZ) - would signal a new era.
Members of the party dominate not only the political life, but theeconomy, and the media.So much so that doubts have been raised about whether they would
be willing to give up power if they lost. But there have beenreassuring words as well."The democratic institutions of Croatia are strong enough" says Ivica Racan, leader of theSocial Democrats, and the opposition candidate for prime minister."Non-democratic moves, after the election, have never been discussed by the HDZ" says Ivica
Pasalic, President Tudjman's number two in the ruling party.
Tudjman signs the Bosnia peacedeal in November 1995
Tudjman: Celebrated his 77th birthday on 14 May
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Across Croatia, the people are braced for a world without President Tudjman. The children of Vukovar now have to remember the war, without the war leader
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/526115.stm
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60 YEARS OF HEROES TIME E UROPE M AGAZINE | N OV .13, 2006
Congratulations to Ms Catherine Mayer, but there are no heroes in Europe without
Willy Brandt included,. Respecting your approach I'm sending to TIME,60 Years Of HeroesIn 1946, TIME launched an edition in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Since then, wehave charted an era of great change—an era for heroes
Welcome to the greatest party ever held. In the 60 years that Time has been publishing anAtlantic edition, extraordinary people have emerged from the churn and turmoil, creativityand chaos of a period that witnessed the aftermath of world war, the toppling of communismin Central and Eastern Europe, the vanquishing of apartheid in South Africa, the advance of women, the failure of old certainties and the rise of new fears. These people are our heroes,and in this special anniversary issue, we celebrate them and their many achievements.
Some forged reputations in battles against repression and prejudice, others tapped into theenergies of the era to produce great works of art. But the party isn't a solemn one. We've alsoinvited the men and women who have made our world more exciting: actors, musicians,adventurers, entrepreneurs, sports stars, together with representatives of a younger generation,
brave hearts in an age of instability. Heroism is about taking risks—with ideas, withconventions, sometimes with life itself. Some of our heroes died prematurely; others lived totheir full measure. All of them changed our world for the better. We raise a glass to them all
—and to heroism.
HEROES | REBELS & LEADERS Nelson Mandela, Charles de Gaulle, Andrei Sakharov, Mikhail Gorbachev,Jean Monnet. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Giovanni Falcone & PaoloBorsellino, Imre Nagy, Petra Kelly, Yitzhak Rabin, Helmut Kohl, ShirinEbadi, Václav Havel, Lech Walesa, Linus Torvalds, Margaret Thatcher ,King Juan Carlos, Simone de Beauvoir
WILLY BRANDT
WITH SILENT APOLOGY AND VISION OF PEACE HE SHOWED THE WAY TO PEOPLE, EUROPE AND THE
WORLD FOR THE 21. CENTURY
by SLOBODAN LANG
Twenty seven years after the uprising of Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto, West German
Chancellor Willy Brandt, crossing divided Germany and Europe went to Warsaw to attendeda commemoration of the Jewish victims of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising of 1943. While
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traveling he was thinking of Holocaust, “the machine-like annihilation of Polish Jewryrepresented a heightening of bloodthirstiness that no one had held possible.” On that day,December 7, 1970. after the commemoration, standing before the monument in their honor and to all victims of Holocaust, filled with emotion and taken by the enormity of the moment,he had to do something. Carrying the burden of the millions who were murdered, Brandt didwhat people do when words fail them. He dropped to his knees. Image of this seen in thenews had a powerful effect on many in Poland, Germany, Europe, on Jews and all people of the World. That picture became part of all of us. His silent act was arguably more powerfulthan any words Brandt might have uttered. It demonstrates how language sometimes fallsshort of capturing the overwhelming tragedy of human beings’ inhumanity towards oneanother. German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder in Warsaw on December 6, 2000, recalledBrandt’s act as a symbol of accepting the past and of understanding it as an obligation for reconciliation. As an obligation for a common future.
Willy Brandt at the Warsaw Ghetto Memorial (1970)
One year later Brandt accepting Nobel peace prize spoke about his own experiences,and what his country, Europe, and the world can do for piece. Wars must be eliminated, notmerely limited. Peace is something more than the absence of war, it requires equaldevelopment opportunities for all nations. Universal principles of the United Nations must bere-emphasised: sovereignty - territorial integrity - nonviolence - the right of self-determinationof nations - human rights. We are living in a world of the many and of change. Small nationsrepresent power in their own way; they can help themselves and to others; and they can be adanger to themselves and to others. We need to know more about the origin of conflicts.Institutions of peace and conflict research face this huge tasks, the true alternative to force.There are strong forces in opposition to the organization of peace. No religion, no ideologycan rule out for certain the possibility of hatred breaking out from the innermost depths of thehuman heart and plunging nations into disaster. We have witnessed the barbarism into whichman can relapse. Peace, like freedom, is no original state which existed from the start; weshall have to make it, in the truest sense of the word. I believe in active compassion andtherefore in man's responsibility. And I believe in the absolute necessity of peace.Incidentally,
can there be anything more important than helping to organize Europe and peace?
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He died in 1992. during the war in the Balkans, before terrorism, wars in Afghanistan,Iraq, Lebanon... He remains a powerfull visionary of global and individual, respobsibility and
posibility for achieving goodness and peace.How important is an apology? Is it important for reconciliation, for future
relationship, and mutual respect? Or is it an empty gesture, offensive to former victims. How important is peace in the 21 century?
___________________________________________________________________________ Slobodan Lang, physician, from 1989 to 1999 worked as humanitarian in Croatia, Bosnia andHerzegovina and Kosovo. First fellow of the Center for Health and Human Rights ‘FrancoisXavier Bagnoud’ at Harvard. Proposed prevention of genocide and many other improvementsof humanitarian work during war.
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Letter,
(R ICHARD HOLBROOKE'S ARTICLE («DEFYING ORDERS, SAVING LIVES,» MAY/JUNE 2007),
To the Editor:
Richard Holbrooke's article («Defying Orders, Saving Lives,» May/June 2007), is anexcellent reflection on a World, missing righteousness in politics and accepted responsibilityof every individual in circumstances of war and persecution. During the recent conflict in theBalkans, we based our work on the legacy of the “righteous among nations”. It proved to be a
powerful method of saving lives. After every war a humanitarian conference should analyzehumanitarian and human rights protection. Wars must not be left just to soldiers, diplomatsand courts. Peacemakers, humanitarians, scientists, and good people should have a muchstronger role.The great challenge to Europe (West, World) of the 20th century was to establish a collectiveethos – humanity/goodness/righteousness, democracy and freedom (security). It was dramatic,terrible and heroic. At a critical moment in 1940 Winston Churchill was only leader defendingall three.But the World War II almost completely marginalized nonviolence of Tolstoy and Gandhi, astoo idealistic. Allied victory in 1945, Nurenberg military trials in 1946 and even UNConvention on the prevention and punishment for the crime of genocide in 1948, happened
before “Righteous among nations” were initiated in Israel, at Yad Vashem in 1963. Therefore,sadly, “Righteous among nations” did not become part of global wisdom after World War II.Though widely respected Righteous remained uniquely, Jewis expression of gratitude to non-Jews who saved Jewsb during Holocaust, risking their own lives. Research on righteous wasdone only at Yad Vashem.
Holocaust was not loss of freedom or democracy but goodness itself.
Nazi Germany manifested high efficiency in performing the evil, whileother European states were sadly inefficient in accepting, protecting andsaving persecuted Jews. European states failed, either by doing evil or bynot doing enough of good and for good. On the other hand 21,758persons from 41 state were honored as “righteous among nations”, almost20 000 from the European Union and other European states.
We know today that more individuals, risked their own lives in saving Jews, then anybody, anywhere, ever. It remains the most successfulmovement of goodness. Honoring is not enough. We should learn from itand sustain it by similar work
Now Europe is free and uniting, but today, and in the future its fate will
always depend on freedom, democracy and righteousness. Europe shouldface its history together and prepare for the future, without fear to facevalues, because of possible conflicts and differences. An important stepcould be to call the conference of “righteous among nations”, theirfamilies, as well as people and families they saved. “Righteous amongnations”, should be recognized as European heroes, and a day of righteousness should be proclaimed. Besides monuments for the victimsand victors, we should also honor life and prepare for the goodness whenand wherever needed.
Slobodan LangProfessor of Public Health, “Andrija Šatampar School of Public Health,”
University of Zagreb, and former Croatian Ambassador for HumanitarianIssues.
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Karadzic on Trial- Times Topics Blog, The New York Times, July 24, 2008, 2:02 am39/ 43 Comments — Prof Dr Slobodan Lang, MD, FRCPH ,July 28, 2008 4:31 amDear Sir As a physician, I spent 10 years (1989 - 1999) in most war theathers during the war in theBalkans. Since 1991 my priority was Prevention of genocide and other mass crimes, startingfrom a position not to continue with illusions of “never again”, moral indignation, militaryoutcomes or just legal approach.Instead, genocide and mass violence should be approached from a position of knowledge,diagnosis and therapy, transcending the present reality through more experience, research and
joint will, to a new reality with better diagnosis and therapy, and so on until preventinggenocide as such.I started from the position of Ms Margaret Frick Cramer in the ICRC in 1942, the only onewhich insisted that information about ‘Final Solution’ should be shared with a world.
Most important were ‘righteous among nations’, non Jews who risked their lives to save Jewsduring Holocaust. I said to myself – all knowledge on preventing genocide should be sharedand if there were once good people, than there are always good people.In 1993 as a first fellow at the Harvard Institute for Health and Human Rights I wrote the first
paper on the Prevention of genocide, asked Ms Helen Fein to start this approach and informedamerican public in Newsday with an interview ‘Genocide is profitable’.In the meantime I gained enormous experience, and probably am the first who can state that
prevention of genocide is possible, made it a state policy and knows what to do globally aboutit.In some ways I am jealous of the legal field which has approached this question more thananybody ever. Yet, legal is not enough - prevention of genocide and mass violence asks for
many disciplines, especially public health and human rights.I have so much more to say, but this is enough for everybody to understand that so muchmore can be done in a real world, if we have will, use existing knowledge and take jointaction.
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Bosnia remembered. International Herald Tribune, Jul 23 2008 3:20pmPosted by Roger Cohen in Bosnia-Hercegovina, [email protected]
Justice is important – for Bosnia and for amnesia-afflicted Serbia with its everyone-was-guilty
evasiveness. But justice won’t change the faces, each with its lesson, brought back to me nowacross the years.
65./81 Comments
Prof. Dr Slobodan Lang, MD Zagreb, Croatia — 25 July 2008 4:40 am
I’am a Doctor, and spent all the years of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. All the time I wasconcentrated on protecting hospitals, prisoners of war and above all preventing genocide. Assuch I was the first fellow of the Harvard center for health and Human Rights, warnedAmerican public (Newsday) on the importance of prevention of genocide, tried to prevent it iSrebrenica and played a key role in first successful prevention of genocide in Bihać. Theexperience of crime, suffering and disease should not be used only for punishment, but for
prevention and goodness as well. After every war there should be UN sponsored InternationalHealth and Human Rights Conference (or Red Cross Conference) to use the experience for the benefit of people in other areas and generations of the future. Truth does not contain onlyevil and crime. Holocaust is terrible, but Righteous ones should be remembered. Realityshould be always transcended, not by utopia or heaven, but a better reality. If our knowledge,gained in Bosnia was used, Guantanamo would not have happened, Darfur could be stopped.Key reality from Bosnia is that tolerance between Christians, Muslims and Jews is possible,that hospitals and prisoners of war can be protected, that genocide can be prevented, that good
people do exist. I thank you for pointing messages from war in Bosnia and Herzegovina:moral clarity, courage, integrity and human dialogue, but understanding that in reality,
tolerance is possible, prevention of genocide is possible, protection of prisoners of war is possible and that good people do exist, are the lessons learned which should be learned byeveryone everywhere.
http://www.iht.com/pages/index.php
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Charity Without Religious Belief: Mother Teresa
Blogs / Cosmic Variance, August 24th, 2007 by Sean in ReligionAugust 24th, 2007 1:01 PM
People sometimes argue back and forth about whether religious belief is a good thing, becauseit induces believers to be moral or charitable. In a big-picture sense, I think arguments of thisform completely miss the point; beliefs should be judged on whether they are correct or incorrect, not on whether they cause people to do good or bad things. (If the belief is notcorrect, but it makes people do something good, can we say they’ve been tricked into actingthat way?) Certainly, nobody is going to convince me to believe something if they admit thatit’s false, but it would be good for me to believe — recommendations of that sort are usuallyaimed at other people, not the one handing them out. Besides which, as a matter of historicalrecord it’s pretty clear that religion has led people to do some really good things and also led
people to do some really bad things, and trying to weigh the effects on some imaginary scalesseems just hopeless. Or at least, an interesting and possibly never-ending source of discussionfor sociologists and historians of religion, but fortunately orthogonal to questions of the truthor falsity of religious claims.Still, I confess to being a bit amused by the news that, in the last years of her life, Mother Teresa didn’t believe in God. (Via Cynical-C.) Letters that she wrote have now been releasedas part of a book project, and they are shot through with serious doubts.Shortly after beginning work in Calcutta’s slums, the spirit left Mother Teresa.“Where is my faith?” she wrote. “Even deep down… there is nothing but emptiness anddarkness… If there be God — please forgive me.”Eight years later, she was still looking to reclaim her lost faith.“Such deep longing for God… Repulsed, empty, no faith, no love, no zeal,” she said.
As her fame increased, her faith refused to return. Her smile, she said, was a mask.“What do I labor for?” she asked in one letter. “If there be no God, there can be no soul. If there be no soul then, Jesus, You also are not true.”I’m not someone who has strong feelings about Mother Teresa either way, and it seems sadthat her doubts put her in such apparent torment. (To the extent that these letters paint areliable picture at all, of course.) And, in the department of “things that are perfectly obvious
but must nevertheless be said explicitly because it’s the internet,” this is only one individualcase, from which no grand conclusions should be drawn. Except the obvious: motivations for altruistic and charitable behavior can be very complicated. We should keep them separatefrom our attempts to understand how the universe works.
59/71 commentsSLOBODAN LANG SAYS: AUGUST 27TH, 2007 AT 6:11 AM We entered twentieth century with Tolstoy, Gandhi and others developing science of peace,truth and goodness. Totalitarian systems refused spiritual and nonviolent approach.In the second world war democracy also abandoned nonviolence. After WWII, there was a
Nurenberg trial, forming of UN, NATO, ner Redc Cross Conventions - all before1963,”righteous among nations” were honored by Izrael, non-Jews who risked their lives tosave Jews during Holocaust. They are the biggest movement of goodness ever and anywhere.Their experrience is not used internationalyPope John II devoted significant part of his life to peace and goodness.Personally, coming from a Holocaust family and being a physician, I wanderred which is
most evedence based tool of goodness. I used Tolstoy, Gandhi, “Righteous among nations”,Hannah Arendt, Einstein, M.L. King, Simone Weil, Frankl, … and Mother Theresa. It worked
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and was a powerfull way of saving thowsands of lives of Albanians, Bosniacs, Serbs, Croatsand others, while UN and Europe were by far too innefficient.We see terrorism, Middle East, Afghanistan, Iraq, Abu Graib, Guantanamo,…Dont through away peacemakers, righteous ones, beleivers - Mother Theresa. World of 21.century needs them
Slobodan Lang, MD [email protected]
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/08/24/charity-without-religious- belief-mother-teresa/
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The Tyranny of Diagnosis by PAULINE W. CHEN, M.D., NYT, September 19, 2008
Are Doctors Treating the Diagnosis or the Patient?September 18, 2008, 2:11 pm Often patients visit the doctor with a litany of symptoms and the hope that the doctor can givethem a diagnosis.But as Dr. Pauline W. Chen notes in her “Doctor and Patient” column today, a diagnosisdoesn’t always lead to better care. The problem, she notes, is that once doctors settle on adiagnosis, they start treating that specific disease, rather than always listening to the specific
problems of the patient in front of them. The illness may have a name, but the patient has become anonymous. Dr. Chen writes:Over the last century and a half, however, medicine has increasingly decoupled disease fromthe individual. This decoupling has given rise to the concept of precise, objective andquantifiable diagnoses, diagnoses so separate from patients that they seem in many ways totake on a life of their own…. When we know what is wrong, we sometimes stop paying suchcloseattention to those patient experiences that seem to have little relevance to the diagnosis athand. We focus less on the individual and more on the diagnosis.To read more, check out today’s fascinating “Doctor and Patient” column: “The Tyranny of Diagnosis.”
Have you been frustrated by the medical community’s inability to diagnose your ailment? Didyour care improve once doctors were able to put a label on your problems? Please join Dr.Chen in the discussion by sharing your thoughts and experiences below.
153/170 CommentsDr Slobodan Lang. September 22, 2008 1:53 pmLonger living led to new population of the aged. Their physical, mental and social well beingis a major challenge. It can be accomplished only with them as partners of physicians andother professionals. Up to know they have been treated more as passive objects who need justdrugs and medical interventions. Strategy should be changed strengthening health and humanrights.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/18/are-doctors-treating-the-diagnosis-or-the-patient/?scp=1&sq=%95%09Are+Doctors+Treating+the+Diagnosis+or+the+Patient%3F+-+Well+Blog+...&st=cse&apage=7#comments
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/19/health/chen9-18.html?pagewanted=print
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Cohen: Kiplin' vs. Palin,By Roger Cohen,International Herald Tribune,October 5, 2008
A close friend wrote to me suggesting I take a look at Rudyard Kipling’s poem, “The Gods of the Copybook Headings,” in the light of current events. Written in 1919, when Kipling was53, in an England drained by the Great War, which had taken the life of his teenage son, the
poem makes sobering reading.
26/25 Posted by: Dr Slobodan Lang, Croatia — 06 October 2008 1:45 pm
Dear Mr. Cohen,You have renewed capital importance of a “Never again” statement after second war. It has
been used for more than fifty years in a wrong way. Interpretation has been limited just to acatastrophy of 6, 000 000 Jews, thesis that existing political will is sufficient that there is no
need for a worry in the future, that moral disgust would never again allow something similar and other.Yet the only way to imrove any problem is using Will, Knowledge, Action approach.Knowledge is still adequately used to analyse victims of the World War II. Prior to that war there was no concept what so ever of war risk to civilians. Number of victims in WWII fromHolocaust to Hiroshima, made war risk to civilians during war as a major scientific question,which has not been adequately faced up to know. I participated in forming of the Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard, and was the first to call for the prevention of Genocidein 1993. My key approach during the conflicts in the Balkans, was not victory and
punishment, but truth and goodness. I introduced the concept of Challenge of Goodness, madeit a global term and remain a key author on Google. Recently I initiated a futher concept of Technology of goodness. I thank you for one more opportunity to challenge world to useknowledge to make a better world. Recognition that earth is round, is not solved, but eternalquestion. Prof Dr Slobodan Lang.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/10/05/opinion/edcohen.php
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Diagnosis: Greed, New York Times,October 9, 2008, 9:00 pmMulti-million-dollar ties between university psychiatrists and pharmaceutical companies are
just more evidence that self-regulation doesn’t work.
127/ 260Prof. Dr Slobodan ,October 10, 2008 1:11 pmMs Warner, your comment is proper and stimulating.Medicine is a discipline of truth and goodness, as well as complete reality and powerfullvision. New challenges of suffering and knowledge stimulate its development. Modernmedicine was shocked by Nazi experiments, which made it clear that physicians needHippocratic oath, adopted in 1948. From that time on developments in knowledge,technology, and failures allways again pointed to a need to develop further medical ethics. In
1993 Dr Jonathan Mann, founded First Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard. Lastmonth its journal became a global internet open access journal. Obviously you have shownthat there is need for further development relating to physicians, values and drug companies.Your observation is cause for optimism not disappointment. You have openly challengedsocial and professional will, now we need to assemble knowledge and then take action. Butwhatever , wherever and whenever, medicine and health can be fully realized only if they area goal of a moral community of people, health workers, patients and people, for whom healthand good of the patient are the biggest prize of all. That's a proper message today not only for medicine, but, because of bank scare, for everyone. Moral community is more successful and
sustainable than money community.
http://warner.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/09/diagnosis-greed/
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DOCTORS AND PATIENTS, O N STAGE
By TARA PARKER-POPE
Anna Deavere Smith portrays multiple characters in “Let Me Down Easy.” (Michael Lutch)
Medical dramas like “House” and “Grey’s Anatomy” are some of the most popular shows ontelevision, but can we learn anything from a dramatic interpretation of medicine?
October 16, 2008, 3:41 pm
15/68October 17, 2008 12:57 amDoctors key responsibilities are truth and goodness. These are done through will, knowledgeand action. To do this we have always to act now, remember past and prepare for the future.To help individual or the community (Rwanda genocide) we must diagnose truth and helpnow. We do it by using our own and others knowledge and experrience from the past. Whilehelping now we have also to think how to improve both, diagnoses and therapy, truth andgoodness, do research and report it globaly so that somewhere else in place and time another doctor could help his patients better than we did. I travelled to Harvard in 1993 trying to
prevent genocides. It started globally, but it was to late for Rwanda. I pleaded with heads of states in1995 po protect Srebrenica, but they didn’t hearnor understand. Ichallenged the worldto goodness as the most important human technology for the 21 century, uniting all andeveryone. No, doctor must never forget, he shoud act now, but to do it he has to remember
past and pass his experrience for a better world tommorrow. It is never “Never Again”, butalways again and again.
— Prof. Dr Slobodan Lang FRCH
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/16/doctors-and-patients-on-stage/?scp=32&sq=%22Slobodan%20Lang%22&st=cse
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Crises on Many Fronts
By BOB HERBERT
Bob Herbert
Published: October 25, 2008
The markets are in turmoil. The economy is hurting. And there are other serious problems aswell. The poor are being clobbered by all of them.
13/224Recommended by 68 ReadersProf Slobodan Lang, MD, FRCHZagreb, CroatiaOctober 25th, 20089:15 amI am grateful to BobHerbert for this entire article, but especially for writing „no one knowshow to quell the uncertainty. And no one is even talking about the poor.“ My country,Croatia, is a new state. It became independent state in 1990 (joined UN in 1992), through the
process of defense from agression, and change to democracy. Now it is in a process of joiningEuropean Union. All of this had great cost in life, values and money. We are losing people(low birth rate, and emmigration), have large international debt, low efficiency in fightingcrime and corruption and significant political differences. Now we face the economic crises.
Our Prime minister is not saying a word. Financial minister is saying that there is nothing toworry. The uncertainty is not used to stimulate debate, but to keep it low and irrelevant. Nobody is mentionning health, employment, poverty ... I am just preparing to open socialquestions by an article in weekly journal, and regular followup in a health journal, as long as
possible crisis lasts. It is a pity that there are no advices to small and new countries how toface economic crisis and how to inform its citizens. Mr herbert I will begin with your words(article), thank you.
http://community.nytimes.com/comments/www.nytimes.com/2008/10/25/opinion/25herbert.html?scp=32&sq=%22Slobodan%20Lang%22&st=cse
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No Praise for Doctors-in-Training - Well Blog
NYT, November 6, 2008, 2.58 pm.
Animal trainers have long known that positive reinforcement is more effective than negative
methods. But that message hasn’t reached the people who train our doctors.As Dr. Pauline W. Chen notes in today’s “Doctor and Patient” column, new doctors receivemuch of their medical training in a culture of fear and negative feedback. She recalls thatduring her own early training, praise was rare.
Negative reinforcement during those early years taught me to be a cautious and conscientiousdoctor. Our teachers rarely praised us for good work and never allowed us to forget our errors.But sometimes the lessons had little to do with learning how to care for patients.One night during my internship, for example, a powerful senior attending called to chew meout for putting his V.I.P. patient in a double room. His voice was so loud I can still remember holding the phone away from my ear. “Do you know I can get you fired for this?” he roared.
“Yes, sir,” I responded meekly. I was too scared to tell him the truth, which was that the headnurse, not the intern, assigned patient rooms.Those early lessons were so effective that even today whenever I hear anyone say the words,“I need to talk to you,” my first response is: Did I do something wrong?Dr. Chen explores new research suggesting that positive reinforcement may be a moreeffective way to train the best doctors. Click here to read her column, “A Positive Approach to Doctors-in-Training,” and please join Dr. Chen in the discussion below.
78/199 Comments
Dr Slobodan Lang, November 7, 2008 9:39 amValues in medicine were bradly introduced after World War II. Hippocratic Oath of medicalethics was actually introduced as a reaction to Nazi doctors crimes, as a form of a promisenever to do it again. Definition of health, under Dr ndrija Štampar, as a positive approach, not
just fighting disease, but also supporting patient’s „physical, mental and social“ wellbeing, acomplete human being, initiated health and human rights. Medical research, together withsophisticated medical technology and procedures (transplantations, heart surgery, drugs …)led to clinical ethics. During the nineties at Harvard, Jonathan Mann initiated Health andHuman Rights. I was the first fellow. At the beginning of this century importance was givento ethics in public health. Professionalism Dr Chen mentions, was initiated in 2002. We have
followed it in Croatia. Now we are facing the question of values in Primary Health Care. In itthe biggest change is in people and communication. Today patients are much more educated people than earlier. Modern health care, demands responsibility of all. It can be realized onlythrough partnership of health workers and people, individually and publicly. Everyone has aright and responsibility for health. Internet and other forms of communication unable allforms of health networks to better our work. We have initiated in European TTB (tipping the
balance) primary health group, work on medical ethics of primary health care. Values, ethics,and human rights are no longer one time oath, but a daily responsibility in practice, researchand reading. We need sustaining will to improve it, collect needed knowledge, and take actionto do it.http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/06/no-praise-for-doctors-in-training/?scp=1&sq=
%22Slobodan+Lang%22&st=cse&apage=4#comments
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Savoring the Undertones and Lingering Subtleties of Obama’sVictory Speech,
November 7, 2008, 4:55 pmBy Brent StaplesLike many great orations, Barack Obama’s victory speech on Tuesday night was deceptivelysimple. As powerful as it was to hear, the hidden complexities and import of the president-elect’s words surface only after we re-read the text and think back on the moment.
228/245 CommentsDr Slobodan LangNovember 9, 2008 11:45 pmIn presenting Obama victory to Croatian public, I wandered what to do. Should a smallcountry of 4.5 million just learn how to be obedient, or should every individual develop will,knowledge and action, cherishing freedom. I opted for the second and presented, Obamaspeech, personal half a century communication with US and ended commenting - election inthe US is finished, ours is beginning. Thank you for this article. My paper will come out thisThursday, three days after this mail – globalization, yet every man is a treasure, there is nosurplus.
http://theboard.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/07/savoring-the-undertones-and-lingering-subtleties-of-obamas-victory-speech/
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The Climate for Change,Al Gore
How we can save the economy and the earth at the same time.
27/281Prof Slobodan Lang, MD, FRCH,Zagreb, Croatia
November 09, 2008 9:37 amRecommended by 4 ReadersDear Mr Gore, I met you as a Senator just before you become Vice-President, and wrote toyou an open letter in the winter of 1992. At that time I pleaded for peace in the Balkans,especially Bosnia and Herzegovina, and proposed measures of what to do. If that was done,the war could have been stopped, and so much suffering prevented , including genocide in
Srebrenica. Red Cross could have significantly improved humanitarian work during war, andUnited States would have no shameful history of Guantanamo, Abu Graib and humansuffering in Iraq and Aphganistan. Sadly you didn't consider me relevant enough to react.That's your problem in general, you come with good ideas, but don't give them vitalitythrough listening, communication, education and global approach. Now you do it again. Youtalk only about interest of America and relevance of sophisticated and powerful groups. Youdon't mention other countries or people in general, their interests and them as a recourse. Youdon't propose global partnership, don't include United Nations or other forms of internationalcooperation. You mention young at the very end. This way you will fail again. Please readPresident Elect Mr Barack Obama speech and learn, study and rewrite your proposal for everybody and everyone, for America and the world, for young, their enthusiasm, learning,
long term commitment. That's the way, only way.
http://community.nytimes.com/article/comments/2008/11/09/opinion/09gore.html?s=1&pg=2readers' comments
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Next guest: Joseph StiglitzPosted by Daniel Altman in Q & A, General,IHT, Nov, 10, 2008 3:40amLoyal readers, this week we are hosting Nobel-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz for another question-and-answer session. Professor Stiglitz has agreed to discuss the effects of
the current financial crisis and the challenges that await the global economy. At thisimportant time, we’re lucky to have his input.Professor Stiglitz was one of the outspoken economists who warned about the risksinherent in the global financial system years before this crisis. He will undoubtedly havesome very interesting things to say about how we might stave off such crises in the future.In addition, as a former chairman of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, he alsotakes a strong interest in the management of the American economy. His most recent book,The Three Trillion Dollar War, shows just how much the invasion of Iraq may haveaffected the long-term fiscal position of the United States.I will take questions for Professor Stiglitz through this Friday and post the answers nextweek. Please leave your questions here as comments or email them directly to me [email protected]. And as always, remember that you MUST include your real, full nameand country if you would like your question to be used. Thanks.FRIDAY 7:00 PM PARIS - NO MORE QUESTIONS, PLEASE! THANKS.
42 CommentsPosted by: Slobodan Lang — 10 November 2008 5:17 am
Croatia has gone through [a] very difficult period of twenty years. Part of the result is highforeign debt and a lack of [a] strategic plan of development. [The] government hascompletely relied on entering NATO and [the[ EU, and using it to marginalize critical
thinking in the country. Now it is practically not mentioning financial crisis and social risk. What do you expect inour part of the world and what do you advise? I deeply respect you, and will make your advice public. Thank you.(From Croatia)
http://blogs.iht.com/tribtalk/business/globalization/?p=846
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Help Is on the WayBy BOB HERBERT, Op-Ed ColumnistIHT, November 22, 2008
A new advertising campaign may help troubled veterans come in from the cold and piercingly lonelyenvironment of post-wartime stress.Share your thoughts.
32/122 CommentsRecommended by 11 ReadersProf Slobodan Lang, MD, FRCHZagreb, Croatia
November 22, 2008 9:40 amVeterans and Humanitarian rules in general are significantly lagging behind existing experrience,
knowledge, human rights and possibilities. I have personal experrience of humanitarian work duringwars in the Balkans during the nineties. During that time I was also the first fellow at the Harvardcenter for health and human rights in 1993. and initiated the „Challenge of goodness“ to improvehumanitarian work during war. These proposals include permanent international monitoring of the
prisoners of war camps, as well as international responsibility for the missing after every conflict. RedCross (Humanitarian) conference should be held after every war, to analyse results and experrienceand improve further work. Respect for Holocaust, and all war victims and veterans demand treatmentof humanitarian work as knowledge which continually improves practice.Present approach relies just on court and punishment. This way we study and remember only evil.That is only half, goodness is more important part of the truth. Many of your readers, and most
probably Mr Herbert as well, know about crimes during the wars in Balkans, but do not know aboutdeeds of goodness. In truth so much good was done. If you learned about it, many wrongs in AbuGraib, Guantanamo and elsewhere could have been prevented. International Court in Hague hasdecided that every state is responsible for genocide, including prevention. It also stated that masscrimes are not included in states international responsibilities. Who is responsible for them? At thesummit in Copenhagen in 1995, I tried to initiate prevention of genocide in Srebrenica, but it was notunderstood. You have a new government and veterans. World needs a new summit on prevention of genocide and general improvement of humanitarian work .
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/22/opinion/22herbert.html
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Lest We Forget By PAUL KRUGMAN
New York Times, Op-Ed Columnist November 28, 2008The story of how we failed to see this coming has a clear policy implication — that financialmarket reform should be pressed quickly, and that it should not wait until the crisis isresolved.Share your thoughts.
110/410Recommended by 4 ReadersProf Slobodan Lang, MD, FRCHZagreb, Croatia
November 28, 2008 9:29 am
Mr. Krugman, I completely support your proposal that „the time to start preventing next crisisis now.“ This is why as a physician I work all my life in prevention. Special attention I paid to
preventing and stopping crisis, like, AIDS, Genocide, Prisoners of War, refugees etc. As suchI was the first fellow at the Harvard Centre for Health and Human Rights in 1993. In the fielditself there are direct successes of prevention. I also directly communicated with U.S. VicePresidents, Dole, Al Gore and Biden. Srebrenica, Abu Graib, Guantanomo etc could have
been prevented. They were not because it was impossible to transfer experrience, knowledgeand proposals for controling existing and preventing future crisis. Mr Krugman, You as welldidn't present earlier successful efforts, what would have been very useful. Mr Krugman, you
are a Nobel winner, scientist, educator, columnist and above all good man. Assemble peoplewho have experriences in crisis preventing and control and lets start effective work. If youdon't try, it wiil happen exactly as You said ' the wheeler-dealers will be making easy moneyagain..' only now it will be part of your responsibility as well.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/28/opinion/28krugman.html?ref=opinion&pagewanted=print
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Mumbai Attacks, the AftermathThe Lede Blog
November 29, 2008
Times correspondents are following developments throughout the day. Questions emerge.Who did this? How did it happen? 45/ 69 CommentsProf. Dr Slobodan Lang FRCH
November 29, 2008 4:56 pm I Was at a Gate of India just a few days ago. India is a country that gave Gandhi. He gave thehighest importance to TRUTH. Its role is not to continue, hate, violence and conflicts, but tounable us to understand each other, develop knowledge, peace and nonviolence. Sorily truth isto often used to justify hate and violence. Technical development has unabled cheaper and
simpler but more destructive forms of violence. «Gunatanamos and Abu Graibs» will notsolve but cause more terror. The world needs the Challenge of Goodness and develop prevention, nonviolence, mutual understanding … It is possible! With sorrow, I am with allthe victims, on any side, from Holocaust on. After World War II, Human Rights were started.Let’s now start Gandhian Global Responsibility. That would be global, revitalize United
Nations and Unite People of this every day smaller world.
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Try Tough Love, HillaryBy ROGER COHEN
NYT, December 1, 2008U.S. policy toward Israel has been ineffective. It's time to think again.
Share your thoughts.
229/261 CommentsRecommended by 1 Reader Prof Slobodan Lang, MD, FRCHZagreb, Croatia, December 01, 2008 2:15 pm
In thinking about Israel there are always at least three realities: Holocaust, Now and Future.Holocaust was neither prevented nor stopped – it was a global failure. Now is full of killing,hate, misunderstanding and major risks – it is a global failure. In the future all imaginabletragedies are possible: lack of peace, loss of democracy, rise of anti Semitism, rise of antiislamic bias, increase in terror, new wars, use of atomic weapons, world war – it is a major risk of a future global failure. How to solve it? When diplomacy and armies failed duringHolocaust „righteous among nations“ risked their lives to save Jews, it was the greatestmovement of goodness in European history. Now again full attention is given to diplomacyand weapons and they are failing. Why shouldn't we start a peace project, initiating a globalnetwork of peace. For six month through Internet everybody could propose peacedevelopment. It would be reviewed by people of peace: Nobel peace laureates, humanitarian,health, religious, university, artists ... They would present findings to people in the area andUnited Nations. We would face a challenge of goodness. If it works it would prevent fromhate to world war. It is true that nobody would know what was prevented – but it would be
truly a global success. Violence is illusion, goodness is vision. Illusion of today leads tofailure tomorrow. Vision today is reality tomorrow.
http://community.nytimes.com/article/comments/2008/12/01/opinion/01cohen.html?s=1&pg=10
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India’s 9/11? Not Exactly
By AMITAV GHOSH
Unlike the United States, India’s experience of terrorist attacks far predates 2001. The key tovictory against terrorism will be determined by its response.
Published: December 2, 2008
20/230Recommended by 6 ReadersProf Slobodan Lang, MD, FRCHZagreb, CroatiaDecember 3rd, 20087:10 am
Import analysis of the global meanning of terrorism was started in thesame paper in whichanalysis of genocide begun by Raphael Lemkin, in paper presented to the 5th Conference for the Unification of Penal Law in Madrid in 1933. Since it is of great value today, hera aresome key messages.The Conference of Warsaw (1927), placed among the offences of law of nations "intentionaluse of any instrument capable of producing a public danger"The Steering Committee of the Conference of Brussels (Unification of the Criminal Law,1930) added to the Warsaw Formula, between brackets, the word "terrorism." later it wasattempted to codify a new offence, terrorismm, instead of dealing with the intentional use of any instrument capable of producing a public danger. These efforts did not succeed, because,"terrorism" does not constitute a legal concept; "terrorism," "terrorists," "acts of terrorism" are
expressions employed in the daily speech and the press to define a special state of mindamong the perpetrators who still carry out from their actions the particular offences.Terrorism does not present a uniform design, but embraces a large variety of differentcriminal acts.We are of the opinion that a new offence against the law of nations called terrorism would beuseless and superfluous. It is rather necessary to create by analysis a series of provisions,relating to acts so harmful and dangerous to the international community, offences against thelaw of nations - transnational danger.First and foremost, acts of extermination directed against the ethnic, religious or socialcollectivities whatever the motive (political, religious, etc.); for example massacres, pogroms,actions undertaken to ruin the economic existence of the members of a collectivity, etc. Also
belonging in this category are all sorts of brutalities which attack the dignity of the individualin cases where these acts of humiliation have their source in a campaign of exterminationdirected against the collectivity in which the victim is a member.Taken as a whole, we will call by the name "barbarity." Taken separately all these acts are
punishable in the respective codes; considered together, however, they should constituteoffenses against the law of nations by reason of their common feature which is to endanger
both the existence of the collectivity concerned and the entire social order.They shake the very basis of harmony in social relations between particular collectivities.Considering the contagious character of any social psychosis, actions of this kind directedagainst collectivities constitute a general (transnational) danger. Similar to epidemics, theycan pass from one country to another. The danger formed by these actions has the tendency to
become stable since the criminal effects, which cannot be addressed as an isolated punishableact, require, on the contrary, a whole series of consecutive responses.
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IT IS DESIRABLE AND NECESSARY that an International Convention is concluded toensure the repression of all the above-mentioned offenses.
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Darfur, Another Year Later
Editorial.
Published: December 10, 2008
The world is still waiting for Sudan to call off its murderous militias, stop obstructingdeployment of a strengthened peacekeeping force and begin serious peace talks.Readers share their thoughts on this article.
10/50Recommended by 6 ReadersDecember 11, 2008 6:56 am
By now world has experience not just in genocide, but its prevention as well. Responsibilityfor prevention is stated already in the UN Convention on the prevention of Genocide from1948. In practice it was started during the wars in the Balkans. In 1993 I in 1993 asked fromHelen Fein to start international work on prevention, wrote in Newsday that genocide became
profitabe, participated in forming of the Francois Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health andHuman Rights at Harvard University. There I proposed „Challenge of Goodness“, withinwhich in the first place, prevention of genocide. During the Balkan conflicts we succeeded in
preventing a number of mass atrocities, including genocide. In some we failed even thoughwe tried. During the same period international organizations were ineffective in practice,organization, legal work and theory. Things changed at the beginning of the third millenium.Work on genocide prevention is gaining in relevance. Newest is Prof. Albright Report on
Preventing Genocide. It is time for a world summit on this issue. Well prepared it could become historical. In relation to Darfur there is a need for urgent action. By now world hassome experts in genocide prevention in theory and practice (me included). Call a meeting of these experts, under auspices of United Nations, Bernard Kouchner, Nobel Peace Committee,Madeleine Albright, Red Cross, World Health Organization etc., or all of these – but pleaseinclude people with, will, knowledge, action, experience and results. Prevention, control andhelp are possible if there is international will. Darfur is a test of global goodness.
— Prof Slobodan Lang, MD, FRCH, Zagreb, Croatia
http://community.nytimes.com/article/comments/2008/12/11/opinion/11thu1.html?permid=6
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Ted Kennedy Gives Up a Seat
By The Editorial BoardDecember 12, 2008, 5:55 pm
With little fanfare, Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, ill with brain cancer, hasgiven up his seat on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
31/50December 15, 2008 8:59 am
Senator Kennedy devoted his life to civil rights, gender equality, immigrants, refugees, peoplewith disabilities, poor people, health care, human rights, abolishing death penalty … As acatholic he knows that everybody has a short life, is weak and makes mistakes. He did all hecould to make this a better world. He did it well. He did all possible to transfer the values and
ideals of the civil movements from the sixties into the strength of laws and democratic state.During the first decades of the twentieth century Europe was unable to do it, totalitarianismwon and wars, persecution, camps, …holocaust begun. Thank you Senator Kennedy.
— Dr Slobodan Lang
http://theboard.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/12/ted-kennedy-gives-up-a-seat/#comment-78069
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A Church in GuantánamoBy Roger Cohen
A sermon on the Parable of the Tenants provokes thought about New York’s financialdisaster, based on greed for redoubled assets, and the economic ravages of Cuba’s head-in-the-ground Communism.Share your thoughts.
7/72Recommended by 7 ReadersDecember 15, 2008 7:13 am
Today the world has to go to Guantánamo. Inhuman way in which prisoner of war camp
(terrorist) was run is a landmark social discovery, which can lead to significant improvementof the prisoners of war camps globally. Existing Red Cross rules are out of date. In a just published report on Preventing Genocide, Prof Albright and Cohen justly invite us not to losetime on defining genocide, but rather concentrate on preventing mass crimes. There is a needfor same kind of report for the prisoners of war camps. Camps are a major shame of the 20thcentury which has not been reviewed up to now. International Committee of the Red Cross isreluctant to do it because of its own failures (Theresienstadt, Soviet Union, Bosnia, Iraq,Guantanamo and so many other). Prisoner of war camps should be accepted as aresponsibility of every state. Every state with armed forces, should have prisoners of war camps and personnel prepared and trained for proper treatment of prisoners. In peace theyshould be inspected, during war monitored and after war evaluated. It should be international.
If it is not done by United States or Sweden, it cannot be demanded or expected from any one.Present international rules give just an illusion of preventing torture in camps, while in truththey cause it. Humanitarian work and human rights in war and crisis are by now part of human experience and knowledge. Universities should play its role. Sometimes one wondersif all sides want their soldiers to be tortured when caught, in order to keep hate and fighting. If treatment was proper, maybe people would ask, why wars, start singing Guantanamera and goto church in Guantanamo. For now we have responsibility to face our doing in camps and
praying to God to help us do it. — Prof Slobodan Lang, MD, FRCH, Zagreb, Croatia
http://community.nytimes.com/article/comments/2008/12/15/opinion/15rogercohen.html?s=1#postComment
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The Torture ReportEditorial
A prosecutor should be appointed to consider criminal charges against top officials at the
Pentagon for decisions that led to the abuse, torture and death in prisons run by the Americanmilitary and intelligence services.
3/229 commentsRecommended by 55 ReadersDecember 18, 2008 6:22 am
It is a major responsibility of President elect Mr Obama „to reverse Mr. Bush’s disastrousorder of Feb. 7, 2002, declaring that the United States was no longer legally committed tocomply with the Geneva Conventions,“; it is important to press charges against allresponsible, but it is not enough; all cases of torture should be presented, but all of this is notenough. Since 1993 I am warning that existing rules of International Committee of the RedCross relating to prisoners of war are outdated, creating illusion of human treatment, but intruth they do not protect, even lead to torture. The world, United Nations, European Union,supported by United States tried to face the issue by court – International Tribunal for former Yugoslavia. It found a large number of torture cases, but their findings had no effect onanybody. Courts are not enough. We need as Hannah Arendt said „will, knowledge andaction“. A commission and report comparable to one on Preventing Genocide is needed to
propose new rules on prisoners of war, leading to renewed Geneva Convention.
— Prof Slobodan Lang, MD, FRCH, Zagreb, Croatia
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/18/opinion/18thu1.html
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Do Patients Trust Doctors Too Much?By TARA PARKER-POPEDecember 18, 2008, 2:48 pm
73/86December 19, 2008 12:40 am
Human life from individual to global, from beginning to now is based on the ability tointroduce new and practice existing goodness on one hand and recognize and abandon wrongon the other. The same goes for medicine. After WWII Nazi physicians were sentenced todeath for crimes they committed in concentration camps. It showed that high education andmorals do not go side by side. As a result in 1948 Hippocratic Oath was renewed, promisingthat physicians will recognize unethical in their work. At the same time Andrija Štampar fromCroatia (founder of World Health Organization) proposed that health means complete
physical, mental and social wellbeing and not just the absence of disease (1990 spiritualwellbeing was added). This means responsibility to include new possibilities. It followedthinking of Henry Sigerist and Mahatma Gandhi. Historically Doctor was more educated than
patients and communication was more difficult. Today many patients are more educated thantheir doctor, and communication is continuative. The most powerful resource of a 21 centuryhealth is PATIENT. We need a Patient oath in a new team work. Primary Health Group,Tipping the Balance, started developing ethical code for primary health care along these lines.Join [email protected]
— Dr Slobodan Lang
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/18/in-doctors-we-trust/?apage=3#comments
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Time to Reboot America.
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Published: December 23, 2008
We don’t just need a bailout in this country, we need a national makeover. That is why thenext few months are among the most important in U.S. history.Share your thoughts.
125/742Recommended by 1 Reader December 24, 2008 8:06 am
In November of 1989 I spent the first night after the fall of Berlin Wall with women in EastBerlin. They told me that they brought down the wall first of all to strengthen the future of
their children and families. These days we are celebrating Hannukah. Its goal was to supportJewish people, in preserving their faith and culture. Sorrilly, in Europe, fall of the Wall andexpansion of the European Union, is treated more as beaurocratic action, separated from
people, than as rebirth of values and democracy. Europe is in deeper trouble than UnitedStates. We need Marshall Plan, Schummans, De Gasperis, Brandts of today. People need to berespected and supported in values and relevance. Than young people will make families, work and have children. If not it will be violence, economc crisis and renewal of totalitarianism.
— Dr Slobodan Lang, Croatia, Zagreb, Croatia
http://community.nytimes.com/article/comments/2008/12/24/opinion/24friedman.html?s=2&pg=25
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The Sin in Doing Good Deeds
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
Published: December 24, 2008
If a businessman rakes in a hefty profit while doing good works, is that charity or greed? Dowe applaud or hiss?
26/272 commentsRecommended by 3 ReadersDecember 25, 2008 9:09 am
Mr Kristof has posed one more Challenge of goodness. Can Charities be Profitable?Question arose, because of the important role of both, misuse of relationship and lack of
consistent research in the subject.Profit is mentioned on Google almost 200 million, charity around 80 million and ethics 70million times. Taken together „profit and charity“ is found around 30,000, "profit and charity"ethics bellow 2,000 and for "ethics of profit and charity" no results are found. Numbers speak.Let's pose some hypothesis and discuss moral rules for „profit and charity“:Profit, charity, and ethics independently are important and needed.Primary role of business is profitPrimary role of charity is goodnessSocial development constantly initiates new needs, knowledge and actions of goodnessIn some instances charities that support „new goodness“ can become profitable or charitiescan try to be profitable in order to support goodness. Both is legitimateProfit from charities cannot be turned into or used for personal wealth and luxurious lifeLeaders of charities, faith, science, education, medicine ... are challenged by goodness notwealth or profitThey are moderate in personal material needs and strive for goodness.It is Christmas, 10 commandments are always more important than golden [email protected]
— Prof Slobodan Lang, MD, FRCH, Zagreb, Croatia
http://community.nytimes.com/article/comments/2008/12/25/opinion/25kristof.html?s=1&pg=2
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Clinton, Familiar With Pitfalls of Mideast Politics, May Face EarlyTest in Gaza
By MARK LANDLER
Rina Castelnuovo for The New York Times
Hillary Rodham Clinton at the Western Wall in Jerusalem in 2005. After awkward episodes as first lady, she proved to be Israel’s friend as senator
Published: January 1, 2009
Hillary Clinton’s troubled history with Arab-Israeli issues could complicate her task of proving thatshe can be a mediator in the Middle East.
2/34Recommended by 12 ReadersProf Slobodan Lang, MD, FRCHZagreb, Croatia
January 2nd, 20099:33 amAs a doctor and humanitarian from Croatia I have great experience in ethnic conflict, hate andwar. Israelis and Palestinians are locked in a conflict - war of honor. Both sides believe thatthey have no other way but to hate and destroy each other. That is not so. But we have to facefull truth in order to be effective in goodness. In medicine we look at past history to help
patient now and improve it in the future. We establish goals and what interventions, performed by whom are needed to succeed. Responsibility for continuing conflict is in manyways European. We cannot change the past, lets not destroy the future. Moral lessons to either side are in bad taste. Israelis and Palestinians cannot solve it alone. The goal should and must
be long term security for both. Ceasefire and security should be imposed by NATO (it was
done in Kosovo and Bosna & Herzegovina). Use of arms should be forbidden (Izrael couldhave gone to the Security Council before attack). Among Palestinians acceptance of non
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violence should be a precondition for political legality and legitimacy. Palestinian state should be established, with internationally approved or imposed borders. Palestinian people shouldreceive help up to achieving full development. Costs should be primarily payed by EuropeanUnion. This is just the beginning. From this point on we can move to much harder questionsof true peace and mutual tolerance, respect and cooperation. If this is not done future will be
terrible for all, not just Israelis and Palestinians. Clinton & Clinton are good to lead thisimportant project. But, biggest problem is in Europe and Arab countries, not in Palestiniansand Israelis.
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Letter ?, Dr Slobodan Lang,Zagreb, HrvatskaLiving in a European country with the experrience of the blessings of peace and horrors of war, I feel responsibility to all people of the Middle East. Europe has failed the challengeof peace and goodness, resulting in World War II, Holocaust, ethnic cleansing, Jewish
exodus, destruction and division. It failed again in the nineties in Southeast Europe.Ceasefire was imposed but true peace was not achied. Today, Europe is united. It shouldexpress deeper meanning of politics by acknowledging its responsibility for clear and
powerfull policy of closing the era of violence and openning the path to permanent andstable peace. Middle East. Izraelis and palestinians, do not need spectators, fans or judges,this is not the world cup of violence. They do not need the banality of shallowness andarrogance of violence. They need the healing power of peace, and all of us need jewish,arab and muslim beauty and wisdom to build a better world. Europe should not fail thistime. Let's face the challenge of goodness.
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January 19, 2009, 1:50 pm
‘The Speech’: An Experts’ GuideOn Tuesday, all eyes and ears will be turned to the man whose oratorical skills have been compared toAbraham Lincoln’s, Franklin Roosevelt’s and John Kennedy’s. What does Barack Obama need to do
in his inaugural address? We asked William Safire and other former presidential speechwriters for their ideas.
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January 16, 2009 3:37 am
America faced and solved Depression with a New Deal – Europe tried and gave up to totalitariansystems. Roosevelt stood up with four freedoms, Europe barely survived. Today America choseObama – Europe sends thee separate delegations to Gaza, cannot coordinate monetary policy, violencespreads from France to Greece and Latvia… It doesn’t know how to come out of the cold. Yet, both
are part of the Western World. New President of the United States will speak to all of us. It isespecially so with President Obama who ads Global, or at least underprivileged, African component as
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well. We need freedom for Responsibility. Responsibility for democracy, for peace, for sustainabledevelopment, for environmental protection, for health – for self respect. His speech should show theMan with will for a better world, inviting us to pool our knowledge and resources together and give uscourage to take action, everyone and all.
— Dr Slobodan Lang
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/19/the-speech-an-experts-guide/?scp=3&sq=%22Slobodan%20Lang%22&st=cse
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MORE THAN CHARISMA By BOB HERBERT
I’ve seen charismatic politicians come and go like sunrises and sunsets over the years. Therewas something more that was making people go ga-ga over Barack Obama. Somethingdeeper.
8/264Recommended by 128 ReadersProf Slobodan Lang, MD, FRCHZagreb, CroatiaJanuary 24th, 2009
9:36 amObama won because he wishes to build a better world, an openly acknowledged that hecannot do it alone and doesn't want to do it by hate and destruction, using just military, policeand courts. He didn't ask as a commander for recruits in his army, but as a conductor pleadedfor good people to join his orchestra for a better world. Good people world wide heard hisvoice and answered and joined – by votes or thoughts. Challenge of goodness – that is hischarisma.
http://community.nytimes.com/comments/www.nytimes.com/2009/01/24/opinion/24herbert.html?scp=33&sq=%22Slobodan%20Lang%22&st=cse
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Editorial
FROM HERE TO R ETIREMENT Published: January 25, 2009
The wipeout in 401(k)’s has made it clear that there needs to be a better way to ensure that a lifetimeof savings can’t be undone by forces beyond one’s control.
139/216HIGHLIGHT (what's this?)Recommended by 18 ReadersProf Slobodan Lang, MD, FRCHZagreb, CroatiaJanuary 26th, 2009
11:31 amAt the very beginning of democracy in Croatia, I said to key political person that indemocracy private ownership is as important as multi party system. For this reason Idemanded privatization before elections. When it was refused I asked the head of than stillCommunist Alliance: „What will you say to people whose pensions will be stolen.“ Heanswered: „Don't worry, they won't associate it with us.“ He was right. We were offered informer communist countries liberal economy and corruption as „ideal“ democracy. We aresuffering, but now you are starting to worry as well. It will become worse, unless there ismore will for goodness, knowledge developed for that purpose and action taken to achieve it.
http://community.nytimes.com/comments/www.nytimes.com/2009/01/26/opinion/26mon1.html?
sort=highlights
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Essay
ELEVATING SCIENCE, ELEVATING DEMOCRACY By DENNIS OVERBYEPublished: January 26, 2009
Harry Cambell Harry Cambell
To be honest, the restoration of science was the least of it, but when Barack Obama proclaimed during his Inaugural Address that he would “restore science to its rightful place,”you could feel a dark cloud lifting like a sigh from the shoulders of the scientific communityin this country.
Science is not a monument of received Truth but something that people do to look for truth.
8/133Recommended by 12 ReadersProf Slobodan Lang, MD, FRCHZagreb, CroatiaJanuary 27th, 20097:54 am
Science is the way of truth. Science has a right to search, responsibility to prove, ability toface unknown and transform ideas into knowledge. Scientists have no will nor action for goodabove other people. It doesn't teach us how to be good people. Nazi Doctors have shown thathighly educated people can use science for wrong reasons, including crimes. At this momentthere is a worry how Iran will use nuclear knowledge. The question is what is the role of truth,from individual to global. In medicine both, physicians and patients want to use truth for action of supporting health or preventing disease. Gandhi was clear truth for goodness.Abraham trusted God in relation to treatment of his son, but challenged him in relation toSodom and Gomorrah. What will happen to the righteous ones. Today is Yom Hashoah VeHagevurah (Devastation and Heroism Day), day of remembrance of Holocaust. We need willfrom individual to global in doing good, science to develop knowledge and action to take it.
President Bush made a major mistake in censoring science, but it is also truth that science
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without values is not only ineffective, but dangerous as well.Let's elevate will and action for goodness. Science and democracy are tools in achieving it.
http://community.nytimes.com/comments/www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/science/27essa.html?scp=18&sq=%22Slobodan%20Lang%22&st=cse
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TOUGH TIMES AT OBAMA I NC.By GAIL COLLINSOp-Ed Columnist
Tony Cenicola/The New York Times
Published: February 6, 2009
Face it, you miss George W. Bush. Ever since he slunk off the scene, things havegotten all vague and squishy.
11./167Recommended by 20 Readers
Prof Slobodan Lang, MD, FRCHZagreb, CroatiaFebruary 7th, 20099:50 amComment by comment, truth is coming out. World has no strategy for economic crisis, peace,environment, health, human rights, democracy. This is the consequence of globalization,which after the collapse of Soviet Union believed that profit making is the key to a better world. European Union was made practically limited to economics and defense. At that timeon the 50th anniversary of the Universal declaration of Human Rights in Strassbourgh I
proposed word „globality“ to encompass real values as goal for a better world.At the end of the second world war, world had strategy. There were 48 states which created
United Nations, World Health Organization, UNESCO, UNICEF ... Now there are almost 200states without global strategy, for issues, for states, for people, for young. A great woman,Eleanor Roosevelt led to Human Rights as a global challenge. Today we know in all religionsand science as well, that major challenge is goodness, responsibility for goodness by all. Thisis expected from President Obama, this is what is waited for. He was elected in 2009 thanks toa will decades ago to move from faith and vision using knowledge into political action of making a better world. They had a dream, world is waiting, young are waiting...
http://community.nytimes.com/comments/www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/opinion/07collins.html?scp=27&sq=%22Slobodan%20Lang%22&st=cse
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I N TURNABOUT, CHILDREN TAKE CAREGIVER R OLE By PAM BELLUCK
Barbara P. Fernandez for The New York TimesMichael Anderson II, 12, giving his mother, Iris Santiago, a B12 injection. “I don’t really talk to people aboutit,” Michael said of his caregiver responsibilities.
February 22, 2009
Some experts think that providing prolonged care to a sick parent places unnecessary stress onchildren.
6/89Recommended by 12 ReadersProf Slobodan Lang, MD, FRCHZagreb, CroatiaFebruary 23rd, 2009
8:15 amCare giving to sick and old is a major public health challenge. Quality approach to health careis based on: what is not allowed, what is professional responsibility and partnership.Partnership development opens major possibilities in improving health care and quality of life. Older and sick, should be stimulated to take care of themselves, help among themselvesand offer services to the younger. They should become not just a burden but also a newresource in a community. Young can support and participate, but they shouldn't carry the
burden of failures in responsibilities of the adult world. Young should develop, learn, promotehealth, socialize ...Let's not develop new child labor. Let's not have new Dickens
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EDITORIAL
TIME OF R ECKONINGPublished: February 24, 2009
In his first speech to a joint session of Congress, President Obama soundedconfident without minimizing the grave problems that must be surmounted.
12/119Recommended by 2 ReadersProf Slobodan Lang, MD, FRCHZagreb, CroatiaFebruary 25th, 20092:01 amPresent crisis is the first global Black Swan. As a humanist and public health doctor I amlooking for the way how to motivate public, professional and politicians to treat this crisis as achance for development. Freud thought as how close are love and hate, kindness andaggression. 20th century showed socially link between failure and success, peace and war.During the last decades human rights groups were too much associated with what is wrongand not enough, like Gandhi and King, what and how should it be done.While thinking about writing an open letter to Prime Minister in Croatia, speaking to a newgeneration of postgraduate students, President Obama speech came in. It will be a resource of hope, Maybe it helps. Thank you.
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February 27, 2009, 11:00 am
The Text of a Bishop’s Semi-ApologyBy ROBERT MACKEY
After reportedly consulting, of all people, a historian who served jail time in Austria for Holocaustdenial, Richard Williamson, the schismatic Catholic bishop who caused an uproar by casting doubt onthe Holocaust, has issued an apology in the passive voice acknowledging “my responsibility for muchdistress caused.”
8/15February 27, 2009 3:34 pmHolocaust is one of the greatest tragedies, experience of suffering, manifestation of totalitarian risk,inability to prevent it by others and cost of stopping it. In wars in the Balkans during the nineties of thelast century, I used Holocaust experience in order to prevent genocide, protect prisoners of war andrefugees. Holocaust denial disables responsibility and prevention of war, violence, terrorism,genocide. Man who denies Holocaust, denies Christ. Let’s rather accept responsibility for goodnessand help establish peace in the Near East, prevent genocide, stop terrorism…
— Dr Slobodan Lang
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March 19, 2009, 7:45 pm
Civilians Caught in Urban CombatBy THE EDITORS
(Photo: Mohammed Abed/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images)
Palestinian civilians ran for cover during an Israeli air strike in the Jabalia refugee camp,
in the northern Gaza Strip, on Dec. 29, 2008.
Since Israel ended its assault on Gaza, Palestinians and international rights groups have accused it of using excessive force that resulted in a high number of civilian casualties. The Israeli military hasdenied these charges, but now testimony is emerging from soldiers, indicating that some of theseclaims have merit.Although rules of engaging potential enemy combatants exist, in the heat of battle they often becomemurky. Fighting in an urban environment where the enemy is not in uniform or carrying arms butslipping between houses and among civilians presents an especially difficult situation for soldiers.Are there rules of engagement that can minimize civilian casualties?
11. March 20, 2009 12:08 am
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Neither the Times or Haaretz stories have yet to detail how many Israeli soldiers have made theseclaims, and what sort of corroboration there is. The unanswered question is, were these isolatedincidents in the fog of war or widespread and deliberate government policy?Big difference – but not to the Israel haters, of course. Their position is Israel has no right to defenditself because Israel is illegitmate by virtue of its being.
Just sit back and accept Hamas attacks because you deserve it. Sorry, that’s unacceptable to Israelis.
12/134March 20, 2009 12:47 amDuring the wars in the Balkans I was present during different forms of destruction of land, cities and
people. In order to perform it people were depicted as less human, without equal humanity and withoutrights to live. It was performed in Vukovar, Osijek, Karlovac, Dubrovnik, Sarajevo, Srebernica, Bihaćand many other cities. At the same time it was possible to lessen its effect by protecting anddeveloping humanist approach. I initiated the concept of „Challenge of Goodness“ and proposed and
presented prevention of hate and genocide, protection of hospitals, prisoners of war and refugees, as
well as responsibility for goodness by human beings during conflict. After the war International courtwas initiated to investigate crimes, while international human rights organization just registeredviolations. Nobody showed interest in collecting any experience of goodness. I proposed that after every conflict there should be a conference by the International Committee of the Red Cross to gainnew knowledge and develop humanitarian approach. It could be done by the Nobel Peace committee.It is not done. Present warfare by all, is in reality based on dehumanization and devastation. America,Great Britain and Israel performed partly because they were not adequately informed with our experience. Field experience, adequately presented, integrated into global knowledge and followed byimroved action, has no [email protected]
— Dr Slobodan Lang
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NOT LAID OFF? HOW TO AID THE LESS FORTUNATE By RON LIEBER
Aaron Houston for The New York Times
After Josh Crandall lost his job, a friend helped him turn a Web site called The Clever Commute into a business.It now has up to 5,500 participants.
Published: March 20, 2009There are many ways to give support to friends and former colleagues who’ve lost their jobs.Would you loan money to a friend or former colleague with an income interruption? Would you giveit to a family member? Should you offer first, or wait to be asked?55/120Recommended by 3 ReadersProf Slobodan Lang, MD, FRCHZagreb, CroatiaMarch 21st, 200912:15 pmUnemployment, under employment, credit, home and other difficulties during crisis increasein number as disease does during crisis or killing and suffering during war. It changes fromindividual to population, from chronic to acute, from longterm to immediate. We are notadequately prepared for it by research, education or policy. This time it should be a civilmovement in the United States, like blacks, women, peace, environment, consumers,
handicapped, older in the sixties. We have dreams and they will come together, march toWashington and win.
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April 1, 2009, 8:05 pm
THE ART OF PERSUASION AT THE G-20 SUMMIT
By THE EDITORS
(Photo, top to bottom: Phil Noble/Getty Images, Steffen Kugler/European Pressphoto Agency)
At this week’s economic meeting (clockwise from top left), Gordon Brown of Britain;President Obama; Angela Merkel of Germany; Nicolas Sarkozy of France.
Updated, Apr. 2, 5:40 p.m. | The G-20 leaders agreed on Thursday to commit $1.1 trillion inadditional loans and guarantees to bail out troubled countries. But that package fell well short of adirect injection of a bigger stimulus — showing the rift between the United States and the Europeannations on whether to wait to see results from current spending measures before doing more.
1/22April 2, 2009 12:38 amWorld strategy should have been designed after the fall of Soviet Union, as it was after WWII, and included security, human rights, health, education and other key elements of civilization. It was done when there were 48 states, and it was not during the nineties with
200. Reason is that in 1945 there was world vision and leadership, between 1990 and 2008, itdidn’t exist, and world was delivered to the pirates of profit. During the London meeting we
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shall see, if there is a vision and leadership today. If it exists, there will be hard work, peaceand hope … if not, God help us.
— Dr Slobodan Lang
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/the-art-of-persuasion-at-the-g-20-summit/?
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WHY OBAMA SHOULD LEARN TO LOVE THE BOMB
By Jonathan Tepperman | NEWSWEEK
Published Aug 29, 2009
From the magazine issue dated Sep 7, 2009
Posted By: Prof. Dr Slobodan Lang @ 09/09/2009 3:10:52 PM
Jonathan Tepperman („Learning to love the bomb,“ September 14), writes, that nuclear weapons may make the world a safer place, and Obama's proposal to rid the world of nuclear weapons might be a mistake.After, World War I and II, Presidents Wilson and Roosevelt proposed practical visions for
their time (League of Nations and United Nations).Cold War balance of terror 'peace' lasted for half a century in a world holding its breath,millions killed in local wars, tyranny, stifling thought and staggering defense costs. PresidentEisenhower warned of „destroying from within what you are trying to defend from without.“Gorbachev in the late eighties, urged elimination of all nuclear weapons and war in resolvingdisputes. Instead of confrontation, he was pleading for the beginning of a long road to lasting
peace. Compromise, mutual trust and cooperation were needed.President Bush suspicious of visions and fearing cuts in the defense budget opted for 'statusquo plus' policy.
On September 24, meeting of 14 leaders at U.N. on eliminating nuclear weapons, may become small step to real peace and better world. Billions are willing to join global march for peace. World Peace will not be accomplished through „Nuclear arms for all.“ Newsweek should support learning to love for peace.
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September 9, 2009 , 10:32 pm
R EACTIONS TO THE SPEECH: A HEALTH CARE R OUNDTABLE
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Alex Wong/Getty
We asked a few experts on health care delivery and policy to share their first reactions to President’sObama’s speech this evening. Here are their thoughts. Jump to:
Paul Levy, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Len M. Nichols, The New America Foundation
Dr. Peter Bach, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Helen Darling, National Business Group on HealthElizabeth McGlynn, RAND Corp.Karen Davis, The Commonwealth Fund
24./95September 10, 2009 1:47 amCategorical imperative of our time is global change from conflict to cooperation, from war to
peace, from nuclear weapons to disarmament, from aggression to nonviolence, from diseaseto health, from rights to duties, from military states to joint world.To will to achieve this is imperative, but we lack means, philosophy, knowledge, organizationand technology, to achieve this.This is a challenge for all and everyone in the 21 st century.
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Health for all in the U.S. is just a small step to show that it is still a country capable of valuesand visions.
— Dr Slobodan Lang
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THE R IGHT WAY TO PRAY?By ZEV CHAFETS
Published: September 16, 2009
Americans aren’t sure they know how to talk to God. Fortunately, there is plenty of instruction available.More people are turning toward do-it-yourself spirituality. How do you pray? Share your experiences.
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Recommended by 20 ReadersProf Slobodan Lang, MD, FRCHZagreb, CroatiaSeptember 16th, 20094:35 pmAt the time of the beginning of war in Croatia I was agnostic- As a scientist I relied onknowledge and human rights, strongly on the West, especially United States. Yet they didn'ttake action to prevent war. Faced with giving up peace making or ask for help from God, Isurrendered to Christ, and begged for peace, for giving me strength to help people. I receivedhelp from „Wounded Christ,“ preventing genocide, helping refugees, entering prisoners of war, working with good people, to initiate and face „Challenge of Goodness.“ God is reality
of my everyday life.
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199
AHMADINEJAD’S NUCLEAR OFFER
The Iranian president discusses his proposal to buy enriched uranium from the United States,his continued denial of the Holocaust, and Tehran's detention of journalist Maziar Bahari.By Lally Weymouth | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Sep 23, 2009When Iran is trying to restart relations with the West, why would you once again deny thatthere was a Holocaust when that is so easily disprovable?Don't you think that the Holocaust is a very important issue?
Yes, I think it is the greatest crime of the 20th century.So you do agree that it is an important topic. Do you believe that the Holocaust still carriesthrough to this day in terms of its effects today? Could you explain to me how it affects issuestoday?It does not matter what I think. It matters what you think, Mr. President.I understand, but I would like for us to exchange our views so as to resolve an issue here.The world wants to know what you think.Who is the world here?Iran is trying to improve its relationship with the West, as I understand it. It is clear that there
was a Holocaust. Why would you say there was no Holocaust? Do you feel there should be noJewish state—no Israel?What I am saying is extremely clear. It is an academic approach to a crucial subject and alsoone based on humanitarian considerations. What I am saying here is that in past history manyevents have happened, and in World War II many crimes were committed. Over 60 million
people were killed and even more were displaced. So we have several specific questions withregard to the events of World War II, and I believe we cannot find the answers to thesequestions through the propaganda that is promoted by the media. In the end, the questionsneed convincing answers. The first question that I have to try and understand is why in themidst of all that happened in World War II, the Holocaust is emphasized more than any other [event]?Let's say that Stalin's crimes were equally great.The second question is why do Western politicians focus on this issue so much? The thirdquestion is how does that event connect with issues that we see around us in the world today?Was this a historical event that happened in isolation without impacting the presentconditions? The next question we should ask ourselves is if the event did take place, wheredid it happen, who were the perpetrators, what was the role of the Palestinian people? Whatcrime have they committed to deserve what they have received as a result? Why exactlyshould the Palestinian people be victimized? Are you aware that over 5 million Palestinians
have been displaced and have had refugee status? What role did they play in the Holocaust?Why is the Holocaust used as a pretext to occupy the land of other people? Why should the
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Palestinian people give their lives up for it? You are probably aware that there have beenembargoes on the people of Gaza.Posted By: Prof. Dr Slobodan Lang @ 10/02/2009 4:30:12 AMAhmadinejad posed important questions about Holocaust which can and should be answeredwith respect and tolerance opening global dialogue of responsibility.1. Holocaust is universal crime because it didn't recognize equality of all people, regardless of race, faith, health condition, gender and political opinion. As a result it claimed that some
people should not live and performed mass killing.2. It is of global relevance even though it did happen in Europe, as any other major humanexperience, discovery, art ...3. It has influence today precisely because it was not unique. Some who beleived it wasunique, used 'Never again' approach. But genocides, mass crimes, aggression and totalitarianthinking are present today and they are a major challenge to all of us4. Palestinian people are linked to Holocaust as any of us. We are all responsible to prevent it
in the future5. Holocaust suffering of hate, violation of human rights, displacement, camps, killing is amajor challenge of goodness to develop knowledge and means of preventing it.Posted By: Unoman @ 10/02/2009 6:59:05 AMProf. Dr Slobodan Lang – I would like to know your opinion on Ahmadinejad's view, and of some groups in Europe andUSA, that the Holocaust is a myth designed to give it so much attention over other groups thatalso suffered so much death under the Third Reich. These groups question the number of deaths, 6 million Jews, implying there was an exageration to make it be seen that the Jews
suffered more than any other group during WWII. I still fail to understand, why not producethe records of counts to prove that 6 million Jews were killed ? and why should people andgroups that question the numbers be attacked, with such contempt and ridicule ? wouldn't ithave been so direct to prove the doubting Thomases ? why is it so difficult to address their questions ?I found this comment from mkf1 to be food for thought and would also like to know your views, as he points out and I quote "All there is, is the death of many millions of people inWW2. Regardless of their religion or ethnicity or mode of death. I personally refuse to take
part in the "Holocaust mania" For this reason I say yes, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Sikhs,Atheists, all died in WW2 and no group deserves more sympathy than any other. For thisreason I reject the self aggrandizing label of "Holocaust" Questioning the actual numbers of each group who were killed in a concentration camp is not anti-semitism, nor is it being "aHolocaust denier" The very idea of criminalizing free speech, as they have done in someEuropean states, makes their claims of freedom, completely ludicrous. It is hypocritical toclaim to posess freedom of speech and then turn around a criminalize speech."....unquote......and now this brings me to ask Prof. you can undoubtely see that mkf1 used inverted comas whenever there is a wordHolocaust apparently indicating his views which I leave it to you for interpretation, my basicquestion is, did these other groups suffered the same level of persecution and death as the
Jews ? and if so was it in gross numbers as the Jews ? and again if so, why aren't the recordsmuch known ? and finally, how did the term Holocaust, which prior to WWII was used to
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denote the violent deaths of large number of people(Winston Churchill describing theArmeniain Genocide of WWI), change to be solely used to denote the genocide of EuropeanJews ?Posted By: Prof. Dr Slobodan Lang @ 10/02/2009 4:14:43 PM
Nazism claimed that homosexuals, retarded, mentally sick, Gypsies, Jews and other are notequal to others and should be killed. They did kill them, without relationship to war, wherever they could .Other victims in WWII, including millions of civilians from many nations, were killed as aresult of fighting, destruction and killing in the war Today, we cannot do anything about changing history, but we can believe and practiceequality of people and peace making.Genocide of any people is recognized as a major global crime. Aggression should be also.Posted By: Rob007 @ 10/02/2009 12:56:55 PMUnoman,
Sorry to interject your conversation with the prof - but I have to say that undoubtedly theJews absolutely DID suffer extremely more than any other race under the Nazis (defined bynumber of killed, and German prosecution of ethnic cleansing policies which specificallytargetted Jews over other races). This is not fabricated, it is knowable and there is a plethoraof varying sources all collaborating the same information. Apart from that, people live to tellthe story...people's grandparents, who marched into places like Aushwitz to liberate the them.As we can see, already too much time has passed, and now everything again is "nebulous";everyting we said we'd never as a people forget, we are forgetting and going back to basicquestions for which already too much information collaborates. It is not a surprise. Only 30
years later, did the Khmer Rouge do the same thing to their people, later the Bosnian Serbs totheirs (Muslims in that case), and the Rwandans to theirs. So we forget. But at least weedcutated and relatives of the living should not accept that such damning and unquestionableevidence turn into "nebulous" during our lifetime.And now we see post like those from mkf1, wich would have been discarded in past asflatearthers just a decade ago, cause the less knowing to questions to known and theknowable, digging for some conspiracy that might mean the perspective is wrong. It is not.
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October 1, 2009, 4:05 pm
Negative Interest Rates in Sweden? By CARTER DOUGHERTYIn theory, the Swedish central bank has embarked on a radical experiment: turning its overnightinterest rate negative. In practice, it has done no such thing.
2/7October 2, 2009 2:51 amRelationship of property, income and wealth is in the process of being linked to moral of justice andgoodness in a major way from twitters to G20. 21st century, new millelnium has finally started
— Dr Slobodan Lang
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/01/negative-interest-rates-in-sweden/?scp=1&sq=%22Slobodan%20Lang%22&st=cse
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October 9, 2009 , 1:20 pm
BLOGTALK : PERCEPTIONS OF OBAMA’S PRIZE
By KATE PHILLIPS AND MARIA NEWMAN
Stephen Crowley/The New York Times
President Obama reacted to receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in the White HouseRose Garden on Friday morning.
Several people pointed to an article by Robert Krebs in Foreign Policy magazine last July, in
which he argued that the Nobel peace committee’s intentions are always partisan:„And for good reason: The Nobel Peace Prize’s aims are expressly political. The Nobel
committee seeks to change the world through the prize’s very conferral, and, unlike its fellow prizes, the peace prize goes well beyond recognizing past accomplishments. As Francis
Sejersted, the chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee in the 1990s, once proudlyadmitted, “The prize … is not only for past achievement. … The committee also takes the
possible positive effects of its choices into account [because] … Nobel wanted the prize to
have political effects. Awarding a peace prize is, to put it bluntly, a political act.”
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World needs a vision of peace, , sustainable environment, global understanding, humancommunication and responsibility. American president is globally responsible for linkingidealism and pragmatism, wellbeing and meaning, science and faith. Wilson did it in 1918,Roosevelt in 1945 – Obama should announce it in Nobel lecture.
— Dr Slobodan Lang
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/09/blogtalk-perceptions-of-obamas-prize/?scp=7&sq=%22Slobodan%20Lang%22&st=cse
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PAUL A. SAMUELSON, ECONOMIST, DIES AT 94By MICHAEL M. WEINSTEIN
The first American Nobel laureate in economics was the foremost academic economist of the20th century.
59/116Recommended by 14 Readers
Prof Slobodan Lang, MD, FRCHZagreb, CroatiaDecember 13th, 20094:39 pm
My father, was Prof Dr Rikard Lang, distinguished economist in communist Yugoslavia. Heused Prof Samuelson textbook, as a book of hope, calling and teaching students for a time thatwill come since early fifties. Time did come, and now both of them are gone.Your work remains, thank you Professor Samuelson.
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January 2, 2010, 2:00 pm BOOKS TO LIVE BY
By THE EDITORS
Left to right: A. B. Wenzell, Gustave Doré Original illustration from Edith Wharton’s“The House of Mirth”; Gustave Doré’s depiction of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza.
In a Room for Debate forum last week, we asked several writers and the owner of the Strand book store which books they would weed out from their crowdedbookshelves. And in the spirit of honoring books, we asked the writers to readpassages from books they would never part with.Hundreds of readers sent in thoughts about the books they would never give upand why. Here are excerpts from their comments.
BOOKS TO LIVE BY
Room for Debate readers share their thoughts about the books they will never give up and why.
22/54Recommended by 2 ReadersProf Slobodan Lang, MD, FRCHZagreb, CroatiaJanuary 4th, 20109:36 amYes I am the book, because I lived the life of challenge – facing life, accepting challenges,taking action, organizing people, developing movement, broadening knowledge.But I will also always remain a blank page, ready for a new book. Your article caught mewhile translating into Croatian 'The Ethics of Responsibility' which I will send chapter bychapter, every month one, to 12 people who will react in one page (uninterested, express
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position, new insights, challenges, actions). There are 20 chapters, so it will take 20 months.This is experimenting with a new thought net of linking people, reading, thinking and doing. Idon't know about the result, but hope.
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The Female Factor
I N GERMANY, A TRADITION FALLS, AND WOMEN R ISE
Gordon Welters for the International Herald Tribune
VIEW FROM THE FORMER EAST Jana Seipold with her daughters in Berlin.By KATRIN BENNHOLD
Published: January 17, 2010
A social revolution is driving a search for fresh ways of combining family life andmotherhood with a more powerful role for women.
21/135Recommended by 25 ReadersProf Slobodan Lang, MD, FRCHZagreb, CroatiaJanuary 18th, 20101:33 pmI admire Ms. Merkel as a great European leader. In her honor I will tell you a short story. In
1989 We had a Healthy Cities meeting in West Berlin devoted to green urban policy. Thosewere the days of tearing the Wall. We were among the first to cross and spent the first nightwith women of East Berlin. I was so fascinated that they did got rid of that wall in a Gandhianstyle, that I told these women: 'You will be admired forever. You women united Berlin
peacuefully'. Women replied: 'Doctor, you are so naive. In twenty years nobody willremember or mention us. We did it not to be famous, but to unable better life for our children'.They were right, but nevertheless in defending of Dubrovnik, speaking for peace in theBalkans, on a White Way in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we relied on women. Six month ago Igot a granddaughter, and gave her a name Hana, because of my love and admiration for Hanna Arendt, who was not free to have a country, home, family and child. She left love to allof us, and now in the 21st century a small Hanna is looking at me with her big eyes, and I love
her and hope. We need women. Thank you for starting this series. We will use it. I alsoadmire Habermas for communication and Brandt for kneeling. Woman for leadership, men
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for communication and kneeling. In Jewish faith there are always 37 just men, but the problem is that we don't know who they are, and they don't know it. In Europe (not justEurope) there are other walls to bring down for a better life of our children, of my Hana.
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http://www.newsweek.com/id/231131
Posted By: Prof. Dr Slobodan Lang @ 01/21/2010 3:08:51 PM
Humanitarian catastrophy happened in Haiti, it happened in history and it will happen in thefuture. The tragedy is that United States is the leader of a “Never again” approach. In 1993 Iasked at Harvard, in Newsday and wit Helen Fein to work for on prevention of genocide. Ittook 15 years that world court made genocide prevention responsibility of states. For years Ilspeak about challenge of goodness. Human rights is not counting the dead but keeping peoplealive. We cannot control epidemics, genocides or humanitarian catastrophe without
prevention. We have to further research on the prevention of natural disasters as such, as withcancer it will take time. But we can establish global insurance, organization and technologyonce it occurs. If we can be prepared for transport of troops anywhere in the world, we should
be more prepared to set up emergency camp for disaster victims. If American president willnot or cannot initiate a global conference on disaster prevention, emergency, settlements andrenewal, than he is not world leader. It is true that nobody else cant take his place, so it meansworld is leaderless. Obama is to Haiti, what was Lot to Sodoma. Words are not enough.
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Artwork by Kate MacDowell; photograph by Dan Kvitka for The New York Times
Published: January 27, 2010
IS
THERE
AN
ECOLOGICAL
U NCONSCIOUS
?By DANIEL B. SMITHA branch of psychology says that there is — and that ignoring it puts not just the planet butalso our minds at risk.How do environmental changes affect your psyche? Share your thoughts.30/93Recommended by 1 Reader Prof Slobodan Lang, MD, FRCHZagreb, CroatiaJanuary 31st, 20109:41 amWest tried to give men centered interpretation to Jesus, speaking of old and new testament,speaking of 'cruel' and 'loving' God and other mistakes in thinking and responsibility. WithoutHebrew Bible, there is no God of World creation, ecology and human environmentalresponsibility. Consequences have been tragic throughout history, they are dangerous todayand may be fatal tommorrow.
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U NITED WE R ANT By GAIL COLLINS
Published: January 28, 2010
Seldom has a presidential address been delivered when so many Americans are so angry for so many different reasons.
40/187Recommended by 6 ReadersProf Slobodan Lang, MD, FRCHZagreb, CroatiaJanuary 28th, 2010
9:47 amAs a Croatian, American friend and a world citizen let me commentCroatia: State of the union is a major tool of responsibility, duty and equity in democracy.First state of the union was delivered by God, through Moses to 603 550 (all) Jews on Sinai.A country where it is not done is not a democracy based on people. My country is one of those.American Friend: Good point is that people are treated as creators of America, not just asconsumers, voters... They are responsible, each and everyone for America. What is missing is
proposal for effective integration of energy. Business produces profits, military fights, people produce hope, goodness, health, education, faith.World Citizen: League of Nations and United Nations were products of war victors with
Commonwealth model and without equality for all nations. Gorbachov offered opportunity toBush Sr. To initiate a vision of global equity and responsibility. Bush didn't do it. MaybeObama will. World needs it, and it is American responsibility. One of the things is initiate inevery country regular conferences on democracy. There was a project Health for All, thiscould be 'Democracy for All'.
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The Medium
Published: March 4, 2010
SHELF LIFE By VIRGINIA HEFFERNAN
Libraries and book collecting in the age of electronic reproduction.
4/22Recommended by 1 Reader Prof Slobodan Lang, MD, FRCHZagreb, CroatiaMarch 7th, 20104:54 pmIs there a first e-book bestseller, which was never published before or after becoming
bestseller?
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BRING YOUR QUESTIONS ON THE EUROPEAN DEBT CRISIS
May 9, 2010, 8:00 am
In light of the fiscal turmoil facing much of Europe, we have asked a panel of experts toanswer your questions about the Greek debt crisis, contagion worries, the future of the euro
zone, how Europe’s issues might affect the United States, and the effect of all this on themarkets. Submit your questions in the comments box below. We’re beginning to post the panel’sresponses on Monday afternoon.
A panel of experts is answering reader questions about the Greek debt crisis, contagion worries inEurope and the United States, and what the heck is going in the markets.
380/492Recommended by 1 Reader
Prof Slobodan Lang, MD, FRCHZagreb, CroatiaMay 10th, 201011:35 amCroatia is in the process of joining EU. What is the Greek message to Croatia? Is it relevantfor Croatia? http://community.nytimes.com/comments/economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/09/bring-your-questions-on-the-european-debt-crisis/?sort=oldest&offset=16&scp=19&sq=%22Slobodan%20Lang%22&st=cse
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Pope Issues His Most Direct Words to Date on Abuse
By RACHEL DONADIO
Vincenzo Pint/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Speaking to reporters on his plane en route to Portugal, Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday said that the “sins inside the church” posed the greatest threat toCatholicism.
By RACHEL DONADIOPublished: May 11, 2010
Pope Benedict XVI said that the “sins inside the church” posed the greatest threat to Catholicism.
316/357Recommended by 1 Reader Prof Slobodan Lang, MD, FRCHZagreb, CroatiaMay 12th, 20109:34 am
Pedophilia is not "internal sin" but a medical problem, internationally classified. Pope shouldhave already, or at least should now ask medical workforce to report and propose action
program.
http://community.nytimes.com/comments/www.nytimes.com/2010/05/12/world/europe/12pope.html?sort=newest&offset=2
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The Integrationist
Joost van den Broek/Redux/Hollandse Hoogte
KEEPING THINGS TOGETHER Job Cohen, right, as mayor of Amsterdam, reached out to the Moroccancommunity.
By RUSSELL SHORTOPublished: May 24, 2010Can Job Cohen, a Jew who reaches out to Muslims, be the next Dutch prime minister — and amodel for Europe?
13/36Recommended by 9 ReadersProf Slobodan Lang, MD, FRCHZagreb, CroatiaMay 30th, 20101:19 pmJob Cohen, Bernard Kouchner, myself and similar people are post Holocaust Jews. Todaythere is Israel (a world by itself), American and other trans Atlantic Jews (another worldagain), and European Jews, and finally European Jews.Before systematic murder during Holocaust, there were 8,861,800 Jews in Europe. For athosand years despite living in many countries, with little inflow or outflow from migration,conversion, or intermarriage with other groups, they were one of European nations.Two thirds, approximately six million European Jews were murdered during World War II, ina genocide, systematic state-sponsored extermination by Nazi Germany. Most of the othersmigrated to Israel, United States and other countries outside Europe. European nation of Ashkenazi Jews no longer exists, because Europe was incapable to treat as equals during long
years of antisemitism and then mass murder.
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Remaining Jews of Europe have intermarried, with people of other nations and faiths, but stillretained a sense of Jewishness. In different countries after emancipation a sense of a unified(French, English, Croatian ...) Jewry emerged. A program of integration begun. For understandable reason the major attention was given to confront never ending antisemitism. Italso included developing a new sense of equity in Europe, as individuals and minorities, but
no longer a nation – in European Union.Coming from very old and distinguished Jewish and Croatian family, at the beginning of thewars in former Yugoslavia I considered what was my duty. In 1991 Henry Kissinger told methat Europe is not capable or willing to protect any people or prevent war and that we are likeWarsaw ghetto, depending on ourselves.Therefore I relied on a history of 22,765 Righteous Among the Nations from 44 countries. My
position was that if there were good people once, there will be always; if they risked their lifefor Jews, they will do the same for everybody; if we remember them we should integrate their message in our knowledge and future.On basis of this throughout wars I tried to prevent hatred, protect prisoners of war, developedright to a home, support refugees, support isolated and endangered populations, prevented
genocide, constantly pleading for tolerance and challenge of goodness. Internationally atHarvard, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), World Veterans, EuropeanCouncil, Inter Parliamentary Union and elsewhere I proposed that after every war thereshould be international Red Cross conference to evaluate and improve humanitarian work. In1999 I proposed formation of a Committee to prevent genocide „Margaret Frick Cramer“ atICRC. Suffering of the Jews I used for prevention of new suffering for other people. It didwork, enormously – but Europe was not able to hear it and develop its joint humanitarian
policy.Job Cohen's effort is similar, now on basis on painful experience of antisemitism anddifficulties of integration he is trying to transform it into action and knowledge for others andthe future.This is post holocaust gift and warning to Europe, from the remaining Jews, who survived,decided to stay, integrate and use their Jewishness, to make better Europe for everyone.
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ISRAEL AND THE BLOCKADE
EditorialPublished: June 1, 2010
The supporters of the Gaza-bound aid flotilla had more than humanitarianintentions. The Gaza Freedom March made its motives clear in a statementbefore Monday’s deadly confrontation: “A violent response from Israel willbreathe new life into the Palestine solidarity movement, drawing attention to theblockade.”
The questions raised by an Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla demand an immediateand objective international investigation.
21/151Recommended by 7 ReadersProf Slobodan Lang, MD, FRCHZagreb, CroatiaJune 2nd, 20109:45 amAll people in the Middle East should live as equals, that's beyond dispute. The way of achieving it is. Backed by the experience of Holocaust, Righteous among nations, destructionand division of Europe, i worked as a humanitarian during Balkan conflicts. This led togenuine results. Relying on local good people, faith and knowledge of past experience issignificantly more effective than just politicians and sadly ineffective UN. I called this postHolocaust program. Now it is time to use it to help Israel, Palestinians and surroundingcountries to achieve peace. It cannot be done by people without personal experience,knowledge and results. As a physician I know that doctor can be wrong, but you have to be adoctor to be right. Politicians or public, including Jews without experience cannot make either diagnosis or therapy. Prepare a conference of people with effective humanitarian, health,nonviolent and peacemaking experience in recent conflicts throughout the world on what todo. It would ask for preparing their own results, get insight in the situation in the Middle East,consult with local people and then make diagnosis and propose therapy. Peace is possible, butnot without faith, will, knowledge and hard work. I proposed that after every conflict there
should be a Red Cross, or Nobel peace conference to evaluate why war happened,humanitarian work and peace efforts – to develop knowledge of goodness. Staying aloof fromreal life and registering just crimes wont work. Wallenbergs still exist, work and are notrespected.
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LETTER FROM ISTANBUL By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Visiting Turkey and finding that the nation has pulled away from its balance pointbetween the East and the West.
Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times
Thomas L. Friedman
49/241Recommended by 11 ReadersProf Slobodan Lang, MD, FRCHZagreb, CroatiaJune 16th, 2010
11:42 amFifteen years ago I spent time with Mr. Thomas L. Friedman, traveling across Bosnia andHerzegovina. He wrote about it in N.Y.T. on May 5, 1996. „You must have more respect for the suffering and the pain and the prejudice that went on here. It is not something that goesaway in a year." Since then I was asking that western morals, politics, justice and securitycannot be based exclusively on diagnosing, prosecuting and fighting evil. Good exists as well.After every war there should be a conference (Red Cross or Nobel Peace), to identify howeffective were existing humanitarian measures and what new can we do. I come from a familyof Holocaust victims and Croatia Christians. During war I developed a postholocaust programof using tragic experience of European Jews to prevent or help new suffering, regardless of their nationality or faith. It worked well, for camps, humanitarian convoys, refugees,
preventing genocide. Bosnia is the place where all major religions (Islam, Judaism, Orthodoxand Catholic) meet and we worked developing tolerance and goodness.