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Thailand-Cambodia: Urgent Ceasefire Needed

In Asia, Being a World Citizen, Conflict Resolution, Cultural Bridges, Current Events, International Justice, NGOs, Nonviolence, Peacebuilding, Solidarity, Spirituality, The Search for Peace, Track II, United Nations, United States, World Law on December 10, 2025 at 7:00 PM

By René Wadlow

The Association of World Citizens (AWC) calls for an urgent ceasefire in the renewed armed conflict between Thailand and Cambodia which flared up again on December 8, 2025 with the Thai military launching airstrikes on Cambodia.

A ceasefire had been agreed to in July 2025 in negotiations led by U.S. mediators. There is a 500-mile frontier between the two countries. The frontier was drawn when Cambodia was under French rule. Thailand contests the frontier lines.

Prasat Preah Vihear, the temple claimed by both Thailand and Cambodia (C) PsamatheM

The decades-long dispute has already displaced many persons on both sides of the frontier. The frontier area on both sides has a large number of landmines planted making the whole area unsafe. The disputed area contains a Buddhist temple which should be a symbol of peace and harmony but is now a factor in the dispute.

The AWC stresses that urgent measures of conflict resolution should be undertaken. Nongovernmental Organizations may be able to play a positive role in such efforts. Contacts should be undertaken now.

Prof. René Wadlow is President of the Association of World Citizens.

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BOOK REVIEW: Eileen Flanagan, “Common Ground”

In Being a World Citizen, Book Review, Conflict Resolution, Environmental protection, Human Development, Nonviolence, Peacebuilding, Solidarity, The Search for Peace on December 7, 2025 at 6:50 PM

By René Wadlow

Eileen Flanagan, Common Ground.

New York: Seven Stories Press, 2025, 326pp.

Common Ground tackles the consequences of climate change and the need for cooperative action by looking at issues of power, particularly the way power holders maintain control by deliberately and effectively dividing people. The events featured illustrate how the fossil fuel industry benefits from racial and class divisions. However, the emphasis is on examples of people joining forces across differences to protect water, air, and the environment.

Eileen Flanagan has been the Campaign Director of the Philadelphia-based Quaker Earth Action Team. She stresses that, today, we need to draw upon the wisdom of those who have navigated the “divide and conquer” tactics of those opposed to ecologically-sound policies. The Quaker Earth Action Team was founded in 2010 in part by George Lakey, the non-violent activist who gave examples of Quakers throughout history who put their bodies in the way of injustice, such as those who sailed across the Pacific in the 1950s to interrupt nuclear testing.

Today, we need to bring more people into action coalitions in order to make truly transformative change. This requires developing a sense of common purpose and overcoming a sentiment of separation. There is a need to stress a life-sustaining civilization based on an understanding of the interconnection of all life. As Eileen Flanagan writes, “Just as the crisis of the Earth has the potential to help us overcome our illusion of the separation from other species and other communities, it also has the potential to help us transcend the boundaries of nation-states. No one country can solve the climate crisis on its own.”

She shares her personal journey and her relations with community activists to form coalitions that make a difference – a useful book!

Prof. René Wadlow is President of the Association of World Citizens.

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BOOK REVIEW: Namrata Sharma, “Education for Sustainability and Global Citizenship”

In Uncategorized on December 7, 2025 at 6:36 PM

By René Wadlow

Namrata Sharma, Education for Sustainability and Global Citizenship.

London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2025, 233pp.

As Namrata Sharma highlights in her preface, “We stand at a critical moment in Earth’s history, a time when humanity must choose its future. As the world becomes increasingly interdependent and fragile, the future at once holds great peril and great promise … We must join together to bring forth a sustainable global society founded on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace.”

In order to understand better the world and its complexities, new approaches to education must be made, both formal and informal education. Much of the book is devoted to setting out guidelines for teachers and for curriculum developers. There is a strong emphasis on the efforts of the Brazilian scholar, Paulo Freire (1921-1997). I worked closely with Paulo Freire during his years of exile in Geneva, when the military were in power in Brazil. He would come to lead seminars at the Geneva Development Institute where I was teaching. There is also an emphasis on the writings of Daisaku Ikeda (1928-2023), the Japanese leader of the Soka Gakkai movement with his highlighting Trust, Aspiration and Courage.

A central theme of the book is focused on the question, “How can education be reframed in the light of the world environmental crisis and the consequences of climate change?” Thus, the efforts of UNESCO to develop an earth-centered education is stressed. There are many bibliographic references to UNESCO studies and UNESCO work on transformative learning. There are also a good number of references to the work of the University for Peace in Costa Rica and its promotion of the Earth Charter.

Namrata Sharma highlights the need for world citizenship. Her many bibliographic references to publications and websites make the book an important tool for developing positive approaches to education through dialogic learning.

Prof. René Wadlow is President of the Association of World Citizens.

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