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From Washington to Gaza to Belém: Setting the Global Social Agenda

This week has seen the festivities around Barak Obama's arrival in the White House which we all regard as a historic step forward and which we all load with expectations. Besides the historical dimension of the inauguration, the enthusiasm it has provoked is the translation of the hope of millions of people in the US and worldwide for a charismatic and wise leadership to build a better and more just world where the United States has a particular responsibility and must play another role than the one played over the last eight years.

What a contrast to all the enthusiasm when we look at the results of the bombing of the Gaza strip, when we see the humanitarian and political disaster. The question for a network like SOLIDAR is how we, as a civil society organisation, can not only give answers to the immediate and urgent humanitarian needs, but also how we can raise the political pressure to prevent the further use of violence, to prevent wars! And furthermore to contribute to a real civil dialogue amongst those, on both sides, who believe in the same values as we do and who do not see the use of military force and occupation as a political alternative.