How Do We Seize This Historic Moment?

A crisis is an opportunity riding a dangerous wind. (Chinese proverb)

We’re living in a time of multiple terrifying crises.

Every day, horror after horror unfolds in Gaza. When we think it can’t get any worse, it does. Bulldozing people sleeping in tents outside a hospital and shooting a woman and children point blank in a school are just a couple of the war crimes we’ve witnessed. Hospitals being bombed, reporters being targeted by Israel’s army: the list goes on.

All the while, our political leaders haven’t been able to stop this. Every time a motion for a ceasefire is proposed by the International Criminal Court, the USA vetoes it.

Meanwhile, COP28 has just ended amidst a terrifying climate crisis, and much greenwash. And no one is talking about the impacts wars have on the environment.

And here at home the cost of living is skyrocketing, housing is increasingly unavailable, and every day more people are destitute. This, while corporations are rake in obscene profits.

What does all this say about our economies and political leadership?

People are justifiable furious about all of it, particularly the genocide being committed in Gaza. People are taking to the streets, not that we ever hear about this on mainstream media. We’re wading through propaganda on mainstream media and protests seem to be censored.

Politicians, where they least expect it, are being confronted by people concerned about the situation in Gaza.

Some boycott campaigns have been very successful. Starbucks has lost significant money.

The union movement is thriving after many years of stagnation. The United Auto Workers is forging an amazing path forward, and many unions in the USA and in Canada have publicly stated that they support a ceasefire. Greta Thunberg has said she supports a ceasefire in Gaza, and I wish more environmental organizations would do the same. After all, besides the death, trauma and destruction it causes, war has a huge environmental impact. Many indigenous groups stand in solidarity with Palestine.

Houthi rebels in Yemen have been blocking commercial shipping vessels in the lower Red Sea since mid-November to protest Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. About 12% of global trade passes through the Red Sea, including 30% of global container traffic, containing billions of dollars of traded goods and supplies. Here’s a picture of the demonstration in Yemen on December 22nd in support of Palestine.

People are finding creative and effective ways to use their collective power to get the results they want. Check out this, this, this and this.

What’s next, I wonder.

Meanwhile, geopolitically, the global north is in bad shape.

In the USA, leaders of both the Democrats and Republicans could wind up being cellmates.

The USA continues to send billions of dollars and military equipment to Israel, while Israel continues to commit warcrimes.

Ukraine seems to be at a stalemate, with funds not forthcoming from the USA. My sense is that the west is quietly trying to find a graceful exit from this situation. Sadly, one more country has been destroyed by its association with NATO.

Political leaders and institutions all over the world are losing credibility with every atrocity committed by Israel forces in Gaza.

Meanwhile, the global majority, formerly referred to as the global south, has been watching country after country destroyed by western forces: Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan and, most recently, Ukraine. So many of them are joining BRICS.

BRICS is an acronym for a comprehensive agreement between Brazil, Russia, Indian, China and South Africa started in 2010. Earlier this year, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates agreed to join BRICS in January, 2024. BRICS upholds principles of non-interference, equality, and mutual benefit.

And it’s changing the balance of global power.

Considering all this, what kind of world do we want to work towards and how do we achieve it? Here are some things I want for the world:

• a ceasefire in Gaza followed by meaningful negotiations for a peaceful settlement

• an economy that serves the population, not just the wealthy

• honest and transparent reporting

• meaningful climate action

How do we get these things instead of continuing in a direction of war, lawlessness, environmental destruction and increasing censorship?

How do we get from where we are now to a peaceful world where all can thrive?

Maybe we should take a page from BRICS and uphold the principles of non-interference, equality, and mutual benefit.

My experience in social justice and environmental movements is that infighting can sometimes rip us apart. What can we do to not let that happen and to move forward together in a constructive way?

Maybe respect each other’s smaller choices while agreeing on the bigger goals? Share reliable sources of information? Make a point of being inclusive, kind and respectful with each other? Try to decolonize our minds? Reject hate?

I truly believe that after this crisis has ended, our governments are going to be open to pressure from us, and that we will have strengthened with all the actions we’ve taken to take to try to get a ceasefire in Gaza, and with a strengthening trade union movement. And we need to get this right.

Does anyone else have ideas about how to get to the future where we can all thrive? How we need to co-ordinate? The values we need to embrace?

I hope you’ll share your thoughts.

Wishing you a peaceful and happy holiday season and new year.