Dear friends of peace,
At our first meeting with MSC Director Ambassador Christoph Heusgen in March 2022, it became clear that he – especially as a former representative of Germany on the UN Security Council – is greatly concerned with the norms of international law and a value-oriented international policy.
Richard David Precht addresses the question of how a value-led foreign policy can be effective in his current book “Century of Tolerance.” He joins the appeals of scientists that preventing climate catastrophe must become the main topic of politics so that people can still lead a life worth living on Earth in the 22nd century. This requires a joint effort by humanity, which is existentially necessary. We can no longer afford another century of escalation, armaments, and world wars! It would be the end of human life.
Precht questions the claims of a “systemic rivalry” between the West and China and the “struggle of democracies against autocracies.” He points out how easily we fall into friend-enemy thinking – us, the good guys, against the evil others – and how selectively we evaluate autocratic regimes, depending on whether they cooperate with us, the West. And Precht emphasizes how little the preaching of “Western values” can convince, especially in the Global South, when this West itself has so often not adhered to these norms – and does not adhere to them! All too often, the West pretends to have values where it is really about its own interests. Instead, a look at the common value foundation of cultures – e.g. “Global Ethos” according to Hans Küng – and global cooperation on an equal footing would be necessary.
I believe that with his theses – only touched upon here – Precht could make an important contribution on the stage of the MSC next February. I would like to inform Mr. Heusgen of this during our online meeting next week.
What do you think of this proposal?
Sincerely,
Thomas Mohr
Chairman Project Group “Changing the Munich Security Conference” e.V.
Chairman gewaltfrei grün e.V.