Rev. Moon, PWPA Founder, Dies at 92

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Remaining True to Our Pledge

Rev. Moon presenting “PWPA and Our Resolution,”
Dec. 18, 1983

The Rev. Sun Myung Moon died early Monday morning, September 3, in South Korea. He was 92. We want to thank those scholars who have written to express condolences on his passing, and to issue a statement on behalf of Professors World Peace Academy (PWPA).

Rev. Moon’s numerous international humanitarian and multi-cultural contributions include the founding in Korea in 1973 of the PWPA and in 1983 the founding of PWPA-International. He encouraged and contributed substantially to several major international conferences and publications addressing critical global political, societal, and cultural issues. These included a conference on the coming collapse of the Soviet Union, held in Geneva, Switzerland in 1985, a conference the Future of China held in 1987, a conference on the Future of Liberal Democracies in 1989, and another on the Future of the Family held in 1995.

Professors from 72 nations sign “Our Resolution and Pledge”

In December 1983, on short notice after an International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences, Reverend Moon called high ranking scholars from 72 countries to organize PWPA International. Gathered in Seoul, they issued a document titled “Our Resolution and Pledge” in which they proclaimed their resolve to work with the Rev. Moon “towards the establishment of a God?centered world of universal fellowship and harmony in which the terrible wounds of the past arising from differences of history, culture, nationality and race will be bound up and healed.”

Reverend Moon Addresses the Mission of PWPA at the Little Angels School in Seoul, Korea

Following that gathering, Reverend Moon spoke to the new PWPA leadership and others gathered at the Little Angels School, in Seoul, Korea, a school for culture and the arts which he founded, giving them his vision for PWPA. Excerpts that encapsulate this vision follow:

I am pleased to have this opportunity to share with you some of my convictions on the occasion of this International Congress of PWPA. I have long thought that in addition to their scientific achievements, scholars must be pioneers in the realm of conscience, inspiring mankind by their bold and determined actions… I founded the PWPA to be a trailblazing organization at this critical moment in human history, able to mobilize those intellectuals who have devoted their lives to the advancement of human wisdom and enable them to play a leading role in overcoming the dangers of the age and opening new pathways to world peace. The ultimate goal of PWPA is to help create a just and harmonious world order by encouraging scholars to search for new ideas and methods of achieving peace and prosperity. The PWPA should provide scholars and other concerned leaders with the resources they need to solve the fundamental problems facing humanity. I believe that the PWPA should be international, multidisciplinary, future-oriented and action-oriented. No single discipline, no local prescription, can solve the problems facing humanity in this century. Mutual cooperation beyond na­tional and regional boundaries and in­terdisciplinary study beyond limited spe­cializations are absolutely necessary.

If the world is to overcome its many problems, it needs leaders. I sincerely hope that the members-scholars of the PWPA will participate actively, not pas­sively, in the search for and realization of universal human ideals. The PWPA exists not only for the advancement of the sciences, but also for the practical promotion of the well-being of mankind, thereby differing from most other schol­arly institutions. Its members should be­come social activists, orienting their stu­dents in a positive direction, seeking to influence public opinion and playing a leading role in public affairs. I encourage you to grapple, in a non-violent manner, with the most difficult and pressing social and philosophical issues of the age, in order to provide humanity with the lead­ership it needs to cope with the seemingly insoluble problems it faces…

It is an absolute requirement in this era that education for the coming gen­eration be shaped by the firm moral con­victions of their professors, who must communicate a clear sense of values. This must be the basic attitude of edu­cators. From this point of view, the role of a professor is the same as that of a religious leader. We educators must as­sume the responsibility not only for transmitting facts, but also for sharing with our students the meaning and pur­pose of human life.

In the nearly 30 years that have passed since Rev. Moon provided this vision to PWPA leaders, the world has changed significantly: the Soviet Union has collapsed. China has become an economic powerhouse. Many of the newly indigenous regimes replacing the former colonial powers in Asia and Africa have not fared well politically and several of the established liberal democracies have been burdened with unsustainable debt and suffer from out-of-control bureaucratic expansion.

During the same years, PWPA chapters were established in over 100 countries, hundreds of conferences have been held, and countless books and other publications have been prepared and issued under PWPA sponsorship. The International Journal on World Peace has become an established journal in the field of peace studies.

Today Reverend Moon’s vision and hopes need to be applied to contemporary problems more than ever. On his passing, PWPA wishes to reaffirm its commitment to the vision and mission set before it, and express its thanks to its Founder for his generous spiritual and material contributions. It is incumbent upon the PWPA today to vigorously continue its several initial missions for advocating the causes of global and inter-religious tolerance and understanding, eradicating poverty and suffering, and challenging the growing scientific knowledge to better serve the causes of societal progress and peace.

Signed:

Dr. Morton A. Kaplan, Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus, University of Chicago
Dr. Neil Albert Salonen, President, University of Bridgeport
Dr. Gordon L. Anderson, President, Paragon House Publishers
Dr. Hugh D. Spurgin, President, Bridgeport International Academy
Larry Orman, Director of Communications and Public Affairs, University of Bridgeport
Frank Grow, President, CEO Focus Chesapeake
Professor Nicholas N. Kittrie, KStJ, The Eleanor Roosevelt Institute for Justice & Peace,          Washington D.C.

New E-book Version of the Federalist Papers

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Paragon House has made available a new edition of the Federalist Papers designed for e-book readers.

The Federalist Papers were written over 200 years ago as an argument for the U.S. Constitution. They contain an understanding of human nature, political power, and core principles often ignored by today’s political leaders, courts, schools, and the media. This ignorance has led to the breakdown of our political systems and to an unchecked growth of government. The application of these principles to our current governments can unleash the freedom, human energy, optimism, and economic productivity, necessary to provide a foundation for peace. Continue reading →

2012 Election Commentary

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I have voted Republican, with one unfortunate exception, since I supported Nixon against McGovern. However, the Republican candidates are so poor this time that until yesterday I intended to vote for Obama. Then the NYT posted the story on the arms shipments to Maliki. With these weapons the horrible Maliki will be more dangerous than Saddam was. Moreover, he is so anti-semitic that he likely eventually will support Iran against Israel, and possibly with the advanced weapons Obama is sending. With one exception, I will not vote for Obama whoever the Republican candidate is. That exception is Ron Paul. I will stay home if he is the candidate.

Morton A. Kaplan

Society in the 21st Century: Opportunities and Dangers, Fifth International Congress of PWPA

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In 1992, at the First WCSF in Seoul, the Fifth International Congress of PWPA looked at the new technological developments and how they were changing human society—for better or for worse. PWPA presidents were asked to think about how they could avoid bad scenarios and foster positive developments in their respective societies. It was concluded that the future would be determined by what type of people controlled this new technology.

Liberal Democratic Societies is the Topic of the Fourth International Congress.

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The study of Liberal Democracies (August, 1989) was the third in a trilogy of PWPA Congresses designed to understand the world’s social systems. After the collapse of the Soviet Union—which co-chairman Edward Shils proclaimed at the conference one month before the Berlin Wall was torn down—democracy was championed as the future of all societies, and Fukuyama’s book, The End of History, was enjoying popularity. This congress was organized to help the world understand the strengths and weaknesses of liberal democratic societies and to caution that a workable democracy requires more than a free press and the right to vote.
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Fall of Soviet Empire Video

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[hana-flv-player video=”https://www.pwpa.org/wp-content/pwpa/video/SovietUnionPWPA1985.flv” width=”500″ height=”320″ player=”4″ autoload=”true” autoplay=”false” loop=”false” autorewind=”true” clickurl=”www.pwpa.org” /]

1985 PWPA Congress Predicts Fall of the Soviet Empire

This is a medium resolution video. The lower resolution video is found here:

https://www.pwpa.org/1985/08/second-international-congress-the-fall-of-the-soviet-empire-prospects-for-transition-to-a-post-soviet-world/

The Importance of Systems Theory in Politics

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Introduction to IJWP, September 2010

Twenty-five years ago, from August 16-20, 1985, the Professors World Peace Academy sponsored a conference on “The Fall of the Soviet Empire: Prospects for Transition to a Post-Soviet World,” organized by Professor Morton A. Kaplan of the University of Chicago and Lithuanian-born Soviet scholar Alexander Shtromas, who was teaching at the University of Salford in the UK. As an insider, Shtromas was one of the world’s most knowledgeable experts on the Soviet system. I was the secretary for the conference held in Geneva, Switzerland, in which over 90 research papers on all aspects of Soviet society were discussed.

In this issue of International Journal on World Peace, our first articles will take a retrospective look at the thought about the future of the Soviet Union and the international order at the time, some of the recommendations of Morton A. Kaplan and others, the collapse that came more quickly than most of those at the conference predicted, and opportunities for a more peaceful international order lost.
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Resolving Ethnic Conflicts in Nation-States

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Introduction to IJWP, June 2010

With the rise of the sovereign nation-state, after the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, came a period of great scientific and technical advancement as well as the rise of national and international wars in which millions of people have perished. The modern state, which has the capacity for efficiently providing rule of law in which large populations can live peacefully, is more often than not a tool used by powerful people to exploit masses, or an instrument of power through which to seek world dominance.

The United Nations Security Council, organized by the major powers after two devastating world wars and the development of weapons of mass destruction, has provided deterrence against powerful states entering into traditional wars against other states. However, the state, as the center of sovereign power, has been the target for control by unscrupulous individuals and groups everywhere. The result is a world in which individuals and groups are oppressed by those who control state power. Continue reading →

Power Politics in Southwest Asia

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March 2010 IJWP

Intro­duc­tion to March 2010 IJWP

We can better understand the War on Terror and the role of Western military forces in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan by learning the history of the politics in the region. Southwest Asia is marked by many weak state governments and competition for control of them by more powerful neighbors, international superpowers, and non-state actors that include religious jihadists and independence movements. In the September 2009 issue of IJWP we discussed anarchy in unsecured territories, with an emphasis on Africa. Southwest Asia suffers from many of the same political dynamics: (1) state borders that were created by past political conquest, either by expansion by indigenous rulers or conquest by colonial masters, (2) the collapse of European colonialism and the rise of the bi-polar world of the Cold War that had rewarded dictatorial allies, (3) the collapse of the Soviet Union and the rise of hopes around the world for self-rule, and (4) new contests for state power based on self-determination movements, regional hegemons, and non-state religious and ideological actors.

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Realpolitik and World Peace

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Introduction to December 2009 IJWP

Realpolitik is a term derived from German. It refers to a politics based on practical and material factors rather than on theoretical or ethical objectives (Merriam-Webster dictionary). Historically, many political platforms have been based on theoretical, religious, ideological, or moral arguments.

Most visions of ideal societies, as disparate as Plato, Confucius, Jesus, and Marx, all rely on changing basic human behavior. If we can only learn to love one another, to share with one another, to accept a Christian, Muslim, or socialist theory of justice, or change our selfish and exploitative behavior in some way, then we can create an ideal world. As we recently learned from the efforts of the Soviet Union to create a “new man,” one that is rational and scientific, the laws of nature are not easily trumped. Instead of getting a “new man” who gives according to his abilities and receives according to his needs, the Soviet Union got the Nomenklatura, the”old man” in a new bureaucratic class, who used position and power in the Soviet political system for personal and selfish desires.
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