Daniele Lugli, the outgoing president, presented the XXIII Congress of the Nonviolent Movement (Brescia, 2010) and emphasized the need of nonviolence in resolving both local and distant conflicts. It is no accident that the theme of this congress was “Nonviolence for the Open City” as those closest to him were involved in the management of the migratory phenomena.
We are aware that, after fourteen years, conditions for immigrants who choose to live in Italy or cross its borders have not improved, so we are putting forth another piece from that report today. In the paragraph that follows, Daniele clarifies the misinterpreted allusion to federalism and discusses the tendency of searching for scapegoats to justify governments’ treatment of immigrants when they are unable or unwilling to provide coexistence a path that is not determined by the forces of market competition.
The majority of these circumstances are caused by the federations of favored nations, which are closed like fortifications to keep the migratory waves in check. The end consequence is highly stratified society, both inside with areas of poverty and among the super-rich and powerful, and between states with a morality that upholds the rights of the strongest. It is just the opposite of the concept of progress that Condorcet had imparted to us: the constant raising of individual ethics and the diminishing of distinctions within and between governments. Obama’s nomination to lead the superpower has, if not completely dashed, at least dampened the expectations.
Franco Riva reminds us that “the city of men, with their way of thinking and building it, is the name given to the common way of existence of man on earth.” Our cities, their people, their goals, and their connections are all changing quickly before our very eyes. It’s a significant shift. Some people view it as anthropological. I don’t think I can definitively say where it’s going.
We felt that reading Alexander Langer’s “Attempt at a Decalogue for Interethnic Coexistence,” whose eyes we are envious of, would be a wonderful way to get acquainted with this reality. These modifications bring with them unfamiliar issues and complications that can be unsettling and confusing. To appropriately handle difficult problems, one must engage in rich, nuanced thought and behavior. They require dedication and work. They don’t appear to be profitable right away. That is why people turn to simple mental processes and violent acts that seem to provide exact direction while momentarily eradicating dread. In an emergency, it may appear pointless to carefully examine issues and comprehend their origins and ways. It is believed that the very democratic processes, the legal protections brought about by the hardships and sacrifices of our forefathers, impede the ability to take effective action. These are the grounds of the success of the political forces that have turned into entrepreneurs preying on the confusion and anxieties of the populace in the face of abrupt and atypical changes. It is evident that dread stifles all other thoughts and feelings. It fills the entire space it spreads through, much like a gas. It is tough to neutralize. It can find a damaging escape more readily.
Scapegoating, an old practice, is brought back with a few changes.
He confirms the gypsies’ constant annoyance and difficulty while renaming the immigration group that appears to be the greatest threat. Without a question, Islam has the negative palm when it comes to religion. The memory of the polis, or the location where people exercised their right to self-government, is no longer even present in the city. Vote for the best sheriff on a regular basis to let the people (hard to call them that anymore) to focus on their various endeavors as aristocrats, artisans, helots, slaves, barbarians, immigrants, etc.
This model has been widely circulated and is entrenched in certain regions.
The intense agony of politics is exposed. Our nation is not the only one affected by this calamity; its consequences are being measured daily. Here, federalism, the lofty term, is used to disguise it. It is unrelated to Rossi, Spinelli, or Cattaneo. Contrary to their assumptions, it involves the unification of several ethnic groups. In order to come together in a higher dimension in every manner, we begin with the city, the region, and the nearest and most tangible experience. Shutting oneself up in one’s place, in one’s fabricated ethnicity, is sacrilege these days. Populist and xenophobic sentiments are spreading to other nations because they emerge during a crisis in the European experience and in the concept of Europe itself, they are all the more unsettling.
The European internal market, as noted by English historian Sassoon, is bigger than the American one, yet it is divided into dozens of states, with the Dutchman Kohstamm claiming that the small states are separated from the ones that are unaware of their modest size. The dominance of the Old Continent was overthrown by the Great European Civil War, which took place in two periods, World Wars I and II. Reborn from the ashes and abandoning its military aspirations, Europe has set out on the greatest regional integration experiment in history. It is presently experiencing a severe crisis. Europe still has to decide whether to create a truly federal state or just continue as a free trade region.
This uncertainty is very burdensome. Therefore, even while international law is gradually progressing in a favorable way, the UN’s shortcomings are nevertheless quite apparent and felt more so in the so-called globalized world. Law looks to be under attack from economic, political, and military entities that seek to break free from all standards, whether in its objective (universal norms) and subjective (individuals’ rights) forms.
