UNIVERSITA CATTOLICADEL SACRO CUORE

2012 3 -MILANO -LARGO A.GEMELLI,1

DIPARTiMENTO DI SCIENZE POLITICHE

MILANO,

IL DIRETTORE

Amman 2000

EURO-MEDITERRANEAN CONFERENCE

"The role of cultural diversity on the threshold of the new Millennium"

Amman, 10-11 October 2000

Valeria Piacentini Fiorani

Catholic University of the S. Heart

Milano - Italy

The crises of our time. Evolution within orderly and peaceful coexistence

The threshold of this new millennium is, in fact, characterised by incredulity in the face of the proliferation of regional conflicts and the spread of massacres, ruthlessness and criminality, demographic factors and waves of migrations. Natural catastrophes add to these more misery, new violence and further ruthlessness. We are also faced by impotence (or inadequacy) of International Institutions, and by a general lack of new and credible visions.

We are actually confronting a new epoch, and the Present is a new positive phase of transitionconversion towards a new order.

Post-bipolarism has undoubtedly opened up a new era and a new scenario. Prevailing and predominant within this new framework is also a new Force, that of the "neo-telematic" revolution. The virtual nullification of distances, following an unbelievable thrust forwards by technological developments, is truly shaping a new system structured on increasingly global, globalising and globalised dimensions. It is a firm reality, which embraces political and

international relations, finance, economics as well as culture and - along with these - Education. -

We are faced with a new system, in which the indispensable premise for any form of orderly transition and evolution is represented by peaceful coexistence, the very premise in its turn of human well-being - material and cultural - and development.

It also follows that, due to this new epochal dimension, the strategies of the individual actors must also change (and they are, in fact, already changing), and, along with these, must also change the related tactics employed in attaining those security objectives which constitute the indispensable basis for any form of orderly coexistence and collaboration, of social, economic and cultural development.

Thus we have three terms, that to day represent an equal number of new concepts: "orderly coexistence" "stability" and "security". At the dawn of the new millennium these also acquire a new dimension. Without stability there can be no orderly coexistence and collaboration. Without security there can be no stability. Let us focus on this. Security is no longer a one dimensional, military concept. Security relates not only to military aspects. Due to the present new global and globalised context, it involves all those risk and threats - both human and natural - which may hinder or prevent the accomplishment of political objectives and projects, first among which - as already underlined - being stability, the very premise and framework to any peaceful coexistence and collaboration, these being in their turn the only realistic basis to human well-being and social-cultural development. Consequently, within the new globalised dimension created by the neo-telematic revolution, it follows also that such concept of security vs. stability is no longer merely the result or an exclusively individual action. It necessarily becomes a collective, multidimensional and cooperative/collaborative structural system.

And this is to day a strategic imperative.

In this new picture, to return to the fact that security to day has a global and multi-dimensional nature, a new formula comes to be applied in relation to the still numerous visions of the World and individual interests. The formula of "constructive convergence".

In this precise context, cultural factors come to the forefront.

Only by following such a route may we construct a modern, cooperative and efficacious system, which is no longer the dream of an individual actor or a Utopia. Such a system does not delegate to other parties its own responsibilities, strategies and tactics or, when necessary, the use of force to produce stability (be this coercive ór dissuasive). Thus, the most thorny problems would find a peaceful solution through dialogue, within the frame of bilateral and multilateral negotiations.

A pre-requisite for the creation of such a,scenario is, above all, internal development, gradual institutional and social reforms drawing on auto-referential models rather than super-imposed and hetero-referential frameworks. The fragility of these has been amply shown in the past and in the present crises (confidence building process).

And here, cultural factors come into their own.

Beyond financial, economic and technological factors culture and education will have an ever more decisive role to play with the final target of forging "the" new generation. Culture and education are the very premise to dialogue; this in its own turn is based on mutual respect, which only comes from the understanding of individual traditions and values, individual institutions and codes of honour and bravery, literature, arts and crafts, in one word the very history of civilizations, our common heritage as human beings. Thus, beyond financial, economic and technological factors Culture and Education may have an ever more decisive role to play in achieving the final aims of (a) preventing the outbreak of new regional conflicts and crises through a more realistic dialogue; (b) containing eventual crises; (c) preventing them from degenerating and finding a realistic composition and solution.

The true transition and the decisive turn towards new forms of knowledge, the technical dimension or, if we prefer, technological in the broader sense of the term, occurred in Jordan with the accession to the throne of His late Majesty King Husein bin Talal. At the same time, an apparently opposite process began, that of conserving traditional knowledge and its essential values, of recording this and, consequently, the rediscovery and research into those "codes" which are its indispensable instruments. Between these two levels a constant relationship has continued to exist. The development and the spread of new technologies and means of production has led, at the same time, to the affirmation of new institutions also within Jordan itself and to the often very profound change in methods of learning and spreading this new knowledge. However, the reciprocal relationship between technological development and preservation of the memory of ancient traditions has never failed and has become even closer as the leaps forward in technological knowledge produced increasingly impressive transformations.

To conclude, it is well possible to state that to day, within a more and more pressing context of global economy, of a global society, within a more and more pressing context of globalising media and finance, vis-à-vis an impending epoch of transition and evolution, Culture (and Education along with it) are acquiring a new dimension, too, and new aims.

Whilst continuing to look ahead, always further ahead into the future, the new generation that we are unto forging must not forget its own cultural identity represented by "its own past", traditions and roots to which the may continue to turn and in which they can find the very positive strength for renewal and building a future, cosmopolitan dimension, necessarily based on mutual understanding and on mutual respect of all individual values and dignity. Only by this may we create a solid platform and the basis for orderly coexistence and collaboration, the very projection of a Past and Present perceived throughout that Future in which the "media people" are already living.

The Hashemite crown has always been aware of this delicate process and has 'always carefully avoided - thanks to the personal charisma which has more than once won the consensus of the population - any divarication between access to knowledge (the exclusive legacy of those few who hold and exercise de facto power) and lack of this same (the majority óf the population). This has been a precise policy carried forwards by the ruling Family in a balanced play of complementary roles aimed also at avoiding otherwise inevitable gaps and economic and social inequality.

Milano, 1& September, 2000

Professor Valeria Piacentini Fiorani

Chair of History and Institutions of Islamic Countries

Department of Political Science