Understand The Differences, Act On Commonalities
Understand The Differences, Act On Commonalities
Spring 2007
Dear Friend,
This is our 25th year, and we started it off with a series of high visibility events. One benefit of having been around for so long is that we seem to be improving with age. There are now 375 of us, and, increasingly, we have the experience and skills to accomplish our mission. Nevertheless, our vision of a non-adversarial world remains elusive. We feel pummeled by violence, especially in the Middle East, but we remain optimistic that our vision will prevail and the world will become much more peaceful.
“Those who love peace must learn to organize as effectively as those who love war.”
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
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MADRID+15. The 1991 Madrid Peace Conference was a major breakthrough. For the first time ever, the key parties in the Middle East conflict - Israelis, Palestinians, Syrians, Lebanese, Egyptians, Jordanians, and Saudis - came together to negotiate peace. The conference showed that real dialogue is possible and that solutions eventually can be found. To commemorate the 15th anniversary of Madrid and to re-energize the peace process, we organized the Madrid+15 Conference, in partnership with the Toledo International Center (Spain), FAFO (Norway), the International Crisis Group (Belgium), and the Institute of Three Cultures (Spain). High-level, unofficial delegations came from all the countries that had originally participated, including Syria, which sent two official negotiators - in an unofficial capacity. At Madrid+15, the line between official and unofficial was never clear. In the chair was Felipe Gonzalez, the former Spanish Prime Minister who had welcomed delegates in 1991. The current foreign ministers of Spain, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark were present, as were the two highest foreign policy officials of the European Union - not to mention the Secretaries-General of the Arab League and the Gulf Coordinating Council. Indeed, there even was royal participation from the King and Queen of Spain who invited participants to a palace reception.
Way Forward? Madrid+15 demonstrated that, after a long hiatus, high-level Arabs and Israelis could still discuss issues frankly. The primary conclusions were that interim steps and bilateral tracks are insufficient and that a regional approach to Middle East peace is necessary. Participants agreed that the Arab League Peace Initiative provides a basis for a regional strategy and that it should be resuscitated. Former Jordanian Foreign Minister, Marwan Muasher, spoke forcefully about the potential importance of the Arab League Initiative and the care that the original drafters - including him - had taken to try to answer Israeli needs and concerns. (For more details, please see www.madrid15.org.)
“Both sides have to give up things that are sacred.”
- Dan Meridor, former Israeli Justice Minister
“I am optimistic that this conference will produce ideas and ways forward.”
- Nabil Shaath, former Palestinian Foreign Minister
“The Conference was an instrument of hope, revival, and restoration of trust in human nature.”
- Jawad Anani, former Jordanian Foreign Minister
“The moment of action has arrived.”
- Javier Solana, High Representative for Common Foreign & Security Policy, the European Union
“I am going away with much more optimism than I came with…. There really is an opening for follow-up.”
- Samuel Lewis, former US Ambassador to Israel and Chair, Search for Common Ground’s Middle East Advisory Board
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SEARCH - USA. While most of our work is international, we are also engaged in the United States to reduce polarization and solve problems collaboratively. In 2004, we launched a process to develop consensus on what can be done for the 47 million Americans who lack health insurance.
Unexpected Bedfellows. The first step was to bring together key stakeholders around a framework on which they could all agree: namely, how to find ways for most Americans to obtain health insurance coverage. More than 20 groups actively participated, reflecting broad ideological and professional diversity - including the US Chamber of Commerce, consumer and public health groups, the American Medical Association (AMA), the American Association of Retired People (AARP), pharmaceutical companies, the American Hospital Association, and several health insurance companies, including United Health and Blue Cross & Blue Shield.
Agreement. With facilitation skillfully provided by the Meridian Institute, the group met regularly for two years in intense, daylong sessions. Finally, participants reached what they termed an “historic agreement” that calls for a mix of private and public solutions. The initial phase would contain a “Kids First Initiative” that would provide Federal funds to the states to enroll up to 6 million uninsured children, most of whom are already eligible for, but are not participating in, existing programs. It also would include a new tax credit to help families cover a substantial part of the cost of providing private health insurance for their children. In addition, the Group agreed on a competitive grant program to enable states to experiment with innovative ways to extend coverage. The second phase of the agreement focuses on uninsured adults and would give funds to the states to expand Medicaid eligibility to cover adults with incomes below the poverty level, millions of whom are currently ineligible for coverage. For those with higher incomes, a tax credit would be established to defray the costs of private insurance. (For details, please see www.coalitionfortheuninsured.org).
Coalition. Once participants reached agreement, they decided they would lobby in behalf of their consensus. So, they reconstituted themselves as the Health Coverage Coalition for the Uninsured (HCCU). In January, the new coalition released its recommendations at a press conference that attracted considerable media coverage. Already, Democratic and Republican members of Congress have introduced legislation reflecting the consensus. While the new coalition has no formal connection with Search for Common Ground, we are proud to have sponsored the process from which it emerged.
“We set aside our separate agendas and worked together to find common ground…. This is the AMAs top advocacy priority over the next few years.”
- Dr. Jeremy Lazarus, American Medical Association
“This effort will save thousands of lives.”
- Stan Dorn, Urban Institute
“This has been an extraordinarily strong process. I have come to have a great appreciation for the people around the table. SFCG has done a fabulous job.”
- Mike Rodgers, Catholic Health Association
“Helping the millions of Americans who do not have health insurance is an issue that needs to transcend politics and partisanship, and that is why we worked together to give Congress a starting point that we can all support.”
- Scott P. Serota, president and CEO, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association
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IRAN. For 11 years, we have worked to improve US-Iranian relations. Our effort, which includes both discreet meetings and public exchanges, is more important then ever, given the possibility of US military action against Iran.
Polling. We have long viewed polling as an important tool for conflict prevention. Most recently, we worked in partnership with the Program for International Policy Attitudes of the University of Maryland to carry out a unique poll that asked Iranians in Iran and Americans in the US essentially the same questions. The results were widely reported. Here is a summary of the findings. (For a full report, please see www.sfcg.org/sfcg/sfcg_new_publicop.html.)
Most Iranians want the capacity to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes, but they also accept the NPT Treaty’s prohibition against nuclear weapons.
Most Americans would allow Iranians limited nuclear enrichment, provided the UN is given full access to verify that Iran is not building nuclear weapons.
Iranians and Americans believe the Moslem world and the West can find common ground.
Despite mutual antagonism, half of Iranians and most Americans favor direct US-Iranian talks and more exchanges.
Iranians overwhelmingly reject Osama Bin Laden.
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NIGERIA. We are currently producing in Nigeria a 52-part, dramatic television series, called The Station. The series, which is being broadcast on the country’s three networks and on 12 state stations, is attracting a huge audience. Each episode invites viewers to send in their reaction, and, to date, about 300,000 Nigerians have contacted us by SMS text message, email, and cell phone. Several times, so many people have tried to contact us that the text messaging system has broken down. Our Nigerian partner in this production is Academic Associates/PeaceWorks (AAPW). Series Producer Allen Scheid leads our production team, which is doing an extraordinary job under very difficult circumstances.
Transformation. To get a sense of the impact the series is having in Nigeria, please consider the following report written by our staff member, Nike Awoyinka.
I waited for over two hours at a voter registration center in the midst of a volatile group of people. As I considered leaving, a petite, middle-aged lady walked up and politely informed a group of men who had been arguing that fighting wouldn’t be tolerated. In less than 30 minutes, this lady organized a queue, issued numbers, distributed paper, and instructed us on what information was required. Thanks to her boundless energy and enthusiasm, we were all soon swapping life stories and joking with the officials, as the registration process got underway. The lady’s conviviality was so infectious that several of us volunteered to support her efforts; by 6 PM over 350 applicants were registered. As we packed up, I asked her why she stepped in. She responded, “There’s a show on TV that I try never to miss. It’s called The Station, and it talks about how we can all make a difference and do the right thing.” When she found out I work at Common Ground Productions, she hugged and thanked me, saying we are her heroes.
Film Festival. In February, we also sponsored a four-day, Common Ground Film Festival in Abuja and satellite festivals in four other Nigerian cities. 300 people attended opening night when we showed In My Country, the wonderful film about the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Credit for putting on the Festival falls to Marie Pace of the UN Development Program, which provided funding, Judy Asuni of AAPW, and Susan Koscis who ably runs our Film Festival program. (For more information on holding a Festival in your city, please contact Susan at skoscis@sfcg.org.)
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THANK YOU. All of us here at Search for Common Ground understand that our work is made possible by support from people like you. Together, we can build a better world. At the same time, please understand that more funds are needed to continue and expand our efforts. My colleagues and I ask that you make a substantial contribution, either by mail or online at https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=3923.
With best wishes,
John Marks
President
Abidjan, Brussels Bujumbura, Bukavu, Conakry, Freetown, Jakarta, Jerusalem, Kathmandu, Kiev, Kinshasa, Lagos, Luanda, Monrovia, Rabat, Skopje, Washington
email: search@sfcg.org
http://www.sfcg.org —