UN LIVRE UTILE 53

Le lundi 24 janvier 2005

Nous sommes à trois jours de la Conférence. L’organisation va bien, tout semble vouloir prendre un ordre naturel. Je commence à être un peu anxieux de la présentation que je devrai faire en tant que président de Student World Asssembly McGill. Je suis de plus en plus inquiet des dessous de cette organisation. J’ai parfois l’impression de me jeter dans le vide, ne sachant pas ce qui m’attend au sol. Par contre, si j’avais refusé, je crois que j’aurais eu des remords pendant longtemps, ne sachant trop quelle opportunité j’aurais manqué. J’aurai peut-être des remarques intéressantes à faire lors de mon retour ou encore du souper réception que j’ai organisé au restaurant ‘ Le ?’. Je le saurai bientôt.
Lo

SPEAKER PREVIEW: Professor urges nuclear disarmament

Global politics requires concern for humanity

Charlton R. Dwight

Issue date: 1/25/05 Section:

Dr. Mohammad-Reza Fakhari, an International Relations professor at LaGuardia Community College of the City University of New York, will discuss the issue of nuclear disarmament and proliferation at a Student World Assembly-McGill panel on Thursday.

SWA is a non-governmental and non-partisan organization-comprising 261 colleges and universities around the world and representing 103 nationalities-designed to give students a voice on issues of global significance.

Fakhari, the principal advisor to SWA, is currently researching globalization and its consequences.

He said he is eager to come to McGill to educate students about the need for nuclear disarmament and the dangers of nuclear proliferation.

"Having nuclear weapons is against the policy of globalization, where everyone is a stakeholder," he said. "It is not beneficial for our global society to have nuclear weapons."

Fakhari emphasized the immediate importance of nuclear disarmament, adding that US Vice-President Dick Cheney has recently identified Iran as the country's next possible military target because of Iran's reported development of nuclear weapons.

"If you have an invasion of Iran it could really create chaos in the Middle East," Fakhari said. "This is urgent."

The professor's doctoral dissertation dealt with the rise of former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the USSR and his key role in ending the Cold War.

According to Fakhari, what global politics requires today is a mindset like Gorbachev's-one concerned with human interest. Such a mindset helped end the Cold War between the USSR and the US.

"Gorbachev wanted all nuclear weapons to be disarmed by 2000," he said. "He thought that they would destroy humankind."

Fakhari said he encourages students to learn about and voice their opinions on important global issues such as nuclear disarmament.

"Students are future leaders," he said. "We should start educating them that nuclear weapons can destroy the world."



The panel discussion will take place on Thursday at 5:40pm in Otto Maass 112.

http://www.mcgill.ca/reporter/37/10/swa/
http://www.studentworldassembly.org/annual_conventions.htm