LUIS ALBERTO LACALLE: Mr. President of the World Jewish Congress - PDF document

LUIS ALBERTO LACALLE: Mr. President of the World Jewish Congress Ronald Lauder, Mr. Chairman of the Governing Board Eduardo Elzstain. Let me also recognize our regional head Jack Terpins, and his wife, from the Latin American Jewish Congress. Let me also recognize, being an honorary doctorate of the Hebrew University, Mr. Lior Herman, the department of International Relations – thank you, I always keep that honour of the Jewish Hebrew University very close to my heart. And of course our Ambassador, Bernardo Grevier, cannot be here but he sent the best part of his family - his beautiful wife Karin. Thank you Karin for your presence. Her husband is in New York now, working there. And of course Alberto Rodrigues, our counsel in Israel, they are the representatives of my county in Israel so I am am very happy to have them here in this room. Thank you then for the opportunity of sharing some comments and remarks on the situation we are living in this region and in the world. Coming from a faraway region offers me a perspective of distance, and belonging to a small country born, in spite of the neighbours sometimes, in a situation my country has in South America – you remember we are the smallest country in South America – gives me the sense of being born in a small country. So we are very near, but of course in a different dimension. We always remember that we were among those that promoted the decision of 1947 of the recognition of the State of Israel and that has been an honor for our country through all these years. Two critical issues appear in the horizon of Israel and the Jewish people and I would try to comment on them. The first are the latest events in this region that began at the beginning of this year – and haven‟t finished yet. They have shaken the region and they will go on shaking the region and perhaps the world. And the other is the bid by the Palestinian Authority for getting the recognition of the United Nations of the so-called statehood of Palestine. But, sadly enough, these are not only, are not the only difficult events we are living through. Just remember that we are in the middle of a tremendous crisis in Europe and perhaps in other parts of the important world. Let me tell you and remember you that we are in the beginning of an electoral campaign in the United States, which affects the policy of that country. It is no mean event the struggle for the Presidency in the United States - so early always - but has an influence on the international affairs. And, of course, the election in Turkey and the change of direction that we expect or will see in that important country that will have to decide one of the most historically important decisions – Europe or Asia. This is a turning point of the history of this part of the world – the Ottoman Empire, now personified in Republic of Turkey. Will it become a European power? Will it be rejected by Europe? That can be a very major turning point of the history of this region. But we are focused on these two events. The first and by far, from my point of view, the first of these problems, the turmoil or the events that are developing in the countries of this region, is the most complex and unknown in its final consequences. I dare say that the turmoil, the uprisings or revolutions, you name them, we have witnessed in the Middle East countries are a novelty, do not have a precedent. This time it is not the process of transition from Sadat to Mubarak, it is not the succession of one Assad by another, it is not

even what happened long time ago in Libya – King Idris substituted by the young colonel, who is now the known dictator of the neighborhood. These events are completely different. The forces, unleashed by the social networks, are mostly unknown to us, the world over. No scientist or scholar has yet devised a system of thought to at least obtain a partial explanation how this network of power works, because it is the ultimate anarchy, it is an ultimate empowerment of each and every person. We have seen in modern times mobilization of masses, we have seen upheavals of many kind, promoted by charismatic leaders or well-organized parties – that is the common fair of politics. And we could say that those kinds of events were very typical of the Arab world, we have seen every model of them, but what is afoot now has no kin in these past experiences. Indeed, the world has never experienced something of this kind. The power, unleashed by the cell phone, by the computer, by the million instant connections between each and every individual is a force nobody can rule or nobody can guess about its final decision or final – how can I say it – final end. It is like opening the Pandora box - and it has been opened in this part of the world. Not only here. We have seen similar situations in Europe and I will comment immediately on them. It is the dream of the anarchist, it is the nightmare of us all. Where or when could we see a link of such force that unites human beings with common thread that cannot be countered by the police or by the army, by the political leaders or religious leaders. Nobody can control nor direct this kind of power that has been opened in the world for the first time. No secret service can keep an eye on every message, going with the speed of light from one telephone to the other, from one computer to the other. No riot police can curb one and everyone to submission, because everyone is on the march. Let me mention as an example of how difficult it is to analyze this kind of events with what has happening in Spain. For many days young people, the „ Indignados ‟ , the mad, were camping in La Puerta del Sol. There they placed their demands, finally they decided to leave. They had elections for the local and regional authorities and we have elections very soon for the national government. But these people don‟t want to vote. So, this tremendous force that we had the illusion that in democracies could be channeled through the normal existing parties or founding new parties – “we don‟t want to vote”. But they are a power! So you can see how dangerous this situation is and if in the normally democratic countries they don‟ t want to participate, what is left for these imperfect democracies we know in this region? So, I do think that we are in the beginning of a time, in which the political process can – and I may say, will – reproduce in many different parts of the world, especially where the channels of democracy are not to be found and even – as I was commenting – in those countries this current, this force doesn‟t want to be channeled through the civilized way of gaining power and legitimacy in democracy. How can these upheavals, rioting, revolutions that – I must add once again – have not finished, have just began, how can they affect the position of Israel – once again, the only really working democracy in the region?