Cuba's 6th International Conference for World Balance
The Next Best Thing to Being There
In November, I received an announcement from David Swanson, co-founder of World Beyond War, about this conference in Cuba for World Balance.
I decided to go and proposed a panel on “Psychological Dimensions of the War on Gaza.” As public discourse is so politicized and hysterical, I find it most useful to go beyond right and wrong and right and left to shed light underlying psychological dynamics associated with violence, and what it means to be human. This can be presented in a way that is self-evident.
It has been one year since the death of Johan Galtung, my dear friend and mentor, the father of peace studies and co-founder of Transcend International. Inspired by his parents trained in medicine, Johan developed “The Transcend Method” which involves Analysis > Diagnosis > Prognosis > Treatment.
A proper analysis and accurate diagnosis are necessary in order to develop strategies capable of reversing cycles of violence and addressing collective trauma. We have a situation of two traumatized peoples engaged in provocative traumatic reenactment and escalating cycles of violence and retaliation.
Major psychological triggers that provoke violence include fear and humiliation. I chose to present on the significant role of humiliation.
“As a weapon of war and a tactic of torture, the power of humiliation to destroy everyone and everything in its path makes it ““the nuclear bomb of the emotions.”
Evelin Lindner, founder of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies, https://www.humiliationstudies.org from the Introduction to Making Enemies: Humiliation and International Conflict
I reached out to colleagues on a new list of peace psychologists, initiated by my friend and colleague, Roy Eidelson, president of the Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict and Violence, Division 48 of the American Psychological Association who is building our community. Roy also spearheaded this collaborative statement, released last month, “Psychologists Call for Justice and Accountability: Confronting the Atrocities Against Palestinian Lives.”
Psychologist Mona Abuhamda, active on this list, chose to join the panel. Then I invited my friend, courageous investigative reporter, Sam Husseini to join us. Sam is now a rock star, famous for being roughly manhandled and carried out of Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s farewell press conference which went viral. People from around the world recognized and admired Sam in Cuba.
The three of us bonded and became a team, along with Mona’s Palestinian husband, Eyad, a physician, who had 34 members of his family killed last year.
Over 1000 delegates from 98 countries attended the conference, with 12 simultaneous sessions each half-day. Our panel was on the last morning, January 31.
Here is an adorable clip from the opening ceremony. A warm, enthusiastic spirit pervaded the conference with commitments to work for peace, justice, equality, health, food, and the environment in the face of oppression and domination by imperialist forces.
The Cubans feel legitimate righteous indignation and offense by the US for absurdly listing them as a “state sponsor of terrorism.” They say the opposite is true. They are a state sponsor of cooperation.
There are problems with their government and many are leaving the country for the US. It is impossible to determine the extent to which their problems are exacerbated by US sanctions and to what extent these are politically exploited. Normalizing US relations with Cuba and increasing tourism and business cooperation would be a win-win for the US and Cuba.
When Obama was president he began normalizing relations with Cuba, for which they were grateful. Things improved spiritually and economically. They were looking forward to more tourism, important for their economy and dignity. Trump reversed this policy with harmful consequences including economic hardship.
They frequently invoked their hero, Jose Marti, with anti-imperialist sentiments and chants of “Viva Cuba.” Their resilient spirit is evident in their music and art as well.
January 27, before the conference began, was the annual March of the Torches, celebrating national hero Jose Marti’s (1853 – 1895) birthday. It began with a ceremony on the steps of the university, followed by marching through the streets.
Our session was on the last morning, January 31. To our surprise, the President of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, who spoke at the opening and closing plenary sessions chose to come with his staff to our session, because it was about Palestine, for which there is much sympathy in Cuba. The small room was packed and covered by press.
The President’s colleague gave a very long talk about AI, fake news, disinformation and propaganda. This was followed by a talk by Dr. Rabab Abdulhadi about the history and the situation in Gaza.
We had to shorten our presentations considerably but it was worth the energy in the room.
Here is a video of Mona’s presentation, recorded by World Beyond War Team, thanks to David Swanson 10:19
Here is the beginning of my presentation 1:50
https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNQstM3rlV9v2AdSK6_4k55HWHqDcsjqNk1yE2DEpuRFdweIrRGgUIZDo7UUO-REQ/photo/AF1QipN1OrBLqx3VGSMoxC48usSj5T5R64GedwepRG0p?key=ejFkdDZ3ZjNaQzdHM0N1X19Rc1EwVHRpdEo4ZUJn
At the last minute, I decided to include this photo in my presentation, to highlight the role of outsiders and the peace movement in standing up for the rights of people living under occupation. This is me around 1990. An organization called Women in Black organized vigils every Friday afternoon, before Shabbat, in various cities throughout Israel. This demonstration against the occupation was on a corner in Jerusalem. The signs in different languages say “Enough of the Occupation.”
To my great surprise, people spontaneously applauded when I showed this picture, which reveals how rare and meaningful it is to have a member of another group be willing to put themselves on the line for you.
Sam’s presentation 6:18 courtesy of World Beyond War
Now that we are a team, the three of us are eager to do our presentations in the US. We wish to raise consciousness about the psychological dimensions, reversing cycles of violence, solutions and strategies for healing.
Below is an article by Merriam Ansara from Massachusetts Peace Action and more photos from the conference.
Also presenting at the conference were David Swanson, World Beyond War, and Medea Benjamin, co-founder of Code Pink and Ann Wright, retired US Army colonel who resigned in protest to the 2003 US invasion of Iraq.
Sixth Conference for World Balance in Havana, Cuba:
A Better World is Possible
PEACE ADVOCATE FEBRUARY 2025
February 12, 2025 Merri Ansara Latin America
by Merriam Ansara
“I have lived in the belly of the beast and I know its entrails; mine is the sling of David…[my duty is] of preventing the United States from spreading through the Antilles as Cuba gains its independence, and from overpowering with that additional strength our lands of America.” José Martí, Cuban writer, philosopher and considered the inspiration for the Cuban Revolution, killed in the Cuban war of independence, 1895
From January 28 to 31st, I attended the Sixth Conference for World Balance in Havana, Cuba organized by the World Council of the José Martí Project with sponsorship from more than 35 international and Cuban organizations including World Beyond War, UNESCO, Progressive International, Ecocivilisation, The International Coalition for Humanity and others less well known to us. There were some 1000 attendees, from 90 plus countries, including some 70 from the United States including several of us from Massachusetts or otherwise involved with MAPA. I attended as the representative of Massachusetts Peace Action and as such was asked to speak at the panel on International Solidarity with Cuba.
The attendees were a wide range, from prominent ministers and former ministers of government, political leaders from countries covering the globe, and grassroots activists of all ages and all backgrounds. The President of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, presided over the opening and closing sessions and participated in a number of panels, wearing a Kifeyeh neck sash adorned with Palestine flags. Leaders from around the world joined him in denouncing US imperialism and the resurgence of fascism, calling for a new multipolar world, and for a shared vision of a new balance between the ecosystem and human needs.
Over the 4 days of the conference there were 12 panels each morning and each afternoon, with an incredible range of topics, on peace, the environment, the international situation, feminism, race, gender, the arts, science, the environment, social media, AI, the New Economic Order, the threat of fascism in the contemporary world, science and social justice. There was a special forum within the conference on Eco Socialism, and a Youth Forum.
There were a number of well known speakers such as Frei Betto, the Brazilian writer and liberation theologian, and Attilio Boron, the Argentine sociologist, both of whom drew large crowds. There also was a whole session on Constructing a World Beyond War, featuring World Beyond War US’ David Swanson, Medea Benjamin, Ajamu Baraka, and World Beyond War counterparts from Venezuela, Italy, Mexico, Colombia and Argentina.
There was the extraordinary Youth Forum featuring young people from at least 20 different countries, including the US, and a live video of a Puerto Rican activist in Palestine talking from in front of a tent in Gaza. The young people said: “We want to live in a world that we will build. Capitalism, Gringoism, Zionism – we must build something different. Our elders have taught us what they know and now it is our turn. Together in solidarity, united, it’s up to us the young people to build the world we want.”
To be able to report to MAPA, I tried to interview a range of participants. I caught up with as wide a variety of people as I could, focusing on those who speak English. I appreciate the help of Ignacio Estopiñan Díaz of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) and MAPA’s own Randy Wurster, who turned it into a video that hopefully captures some of the excitement and grounding and optimism for the possible that the Conference was about. It cannot possibly convey the range of people, breadth of the discussions, the array of topics, the depth of debate, and the sheer and overwhelming ideas, meet ups, expressions of solidarity, commitment to peace and to internationalism, but perhaps our video conveys a taste of what it was like.
Please watch the video we made of interviews with Conference participants:
Great article, Diane. The world needs more people like you, luckily many are waking up and we all look forward to building a better future of real fraternity, peace and prosperity for our children and grandchildren. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing this important event. Your link to your presentation however isn't working.