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UN AND THE DIALOGUE OF CIVILIZATIONS: ISSUES, PROBLEMS, AND PROSPECT
Lotfolah Afrasiabi
Dr. K. L. Afrasiabi holds a PhD in political science from
Boston University. He has done post-doctoral studies at Harvard University.
He has recently completed a book on the Economic Cooperation Organization.
His previous publications include: After Khomeini: New Directions in Iran''s
Foreign Policy, articles on theology for the Harvard Theological Review and
Hamdard Islamicus. Currently, he is a research scholar at the University of
California, Berkeley.
Notwithstanding the UN''s adoption of Year 2001 as the Year
of Dialogue Among Civilizations and the intellectual attention that this issue
has received worldwide, this paper seeks to examine the politico-discursive
significance of this UN initiative in the post-Cold War context of the world
organization. The paper is divided into three sections. First, a brief history
of the UN General Assembly''s activities with respect to the Dialogue Among
Civilizations, i.e., the two resolutions, and the alignment of forces for and
against the initiative, will be presented. Section two provides a detailed
report, based on the author''s first-hand experience, on the concrete programs
and plans of action pursued by the UN and the leadership in charge of Dialogue
among Civilizations, Mr. Giandomenico Picco. The third section examines the
likely impact and prospects of the UN initiative on Dialogue Among
Civilizations, both with respect to the current efforts to reinvigorate the UN,
and the Third World''s, and Muslim World''s, interests and aspirations vested in a
genuine global dialogue. In conclusion, specific suggestions to strengthen the
UN initiative and also enhance its effectiveness vis-a-vis the burning issues of
today''s world, such as intolerance, hierarchy, economic injustice, and the like,
will be presented.
