A proposal for PFPC Principles

In response to the May 1 and 3, 2003, posts of Dr. Robinson Rojas <robinson@rojas.net>, in which he solicited a "statement of principles" for the Project for the First People's Century (PFPC), I am submitting the following proposal for discussion.

On June 3, 1997 a group of self-described neo-conservatives, commonly referred to by now as "neo-cons," and some of their staunchest supporters have published online a "Statement of Principles" for their Project of the New American Century, also known as PNAC. In this statement they announced the following: "We aim to make the case and rally support for American global leadership. As the 20th century draws to a close, the United States stands as the world's preeminent power. Having led the West to victory in the Cold War, America faces an opportunity and a challenge: Does the United States have the vision to build upon the achievements of past decades? Does the United States have the resolve to shape a new century favorable to American principles and interests?"

Such "American principles and interests" were first announced on February 24, 1948, i.e., at the outset of the Cold War, by George Kennan - who was at that time head of U.S. State Department Planning, and a diplomat who authored the doctrine of "containing" the Soviet Union that determined the U.S. policy throughout the Cold War. A key passage of George Kennan's announcement is the following one (with italics added for emphasis):

"We [Americans] have about 60 per cent of the world's wealth but only 6.3 per cent of its population. Our real task in the coming period (will be) to maintain this position of disparity. We need not deceive ourselves that we can afford the luxury of altruism and world benefaction ... The day is not far off when we are going to have to deal in straight power concepts. The less we are hampered then by idealistic slogans the better."

In the intervening half-century, all the United States governments have been faithful to these "American principles and interests" by waging wars for economic and political supremacy, and by deposing via CIA subsidized coups legitimately elected leaders, under the pretext that they were bringing "freedom" and "democracy" to such countries as Guatemala and Iran in the 1950s, Congo in the 1960s, Chile in the 1970s, Nicaragua in the 1980s, and many others. However, as a rule these U.S. subsidized leaders turned out to be bloody dictators, who served well American multinational corporations, but brought only misery and suffering to their own nations.

The men who enunciated PNAC managed to install in the year 2000 their own candidate in the seat of presidential power by means of an election in which only about 40% of the American electorate voted, and of that 40% more than half voted for the opposition candidate. The neo-con candidate's brother was one of the signatories of the PNAC Statement of Principles. At the time of that election he was also the governor of the state of Florida, where thousands of voters who had voted for the opposition candidate were disenfranchised by means of the crudest methods imaginable, thus securing electoral victory for his brother.

By such means the neo-cons and their supporters assumed power in the United States of America at the beginning of the present century, and immediately started implementing the September 2000 PNAC blueprint entitled Rebuilding America's Defenses: Strategy Forces and Resources for a New Century. As the first major test of this PNAC plan, they ignored in the year 2003 both their lack of a UN mandate as well as world public opinion by invading Iraq under the pretext of searching for weapons of mass destruction, despite the fact that UN weapon inspectors were regularly reporting great progress in that direction, and even such ultra-conservative public figures as the Pope opposed that military invasion.

WE, THE UNDERSIGNED, believe that the huge majority of the world's people are by now bitterly opposed to neo-con policies, which make a total mockery of the basic principles of freedom and democracy. We, therefore, propose a framework for true freedom and democracy, called The Project for the First People's Century, or PFPC, which advocates policies meant to benefit all peoples of this world, regardless of their race, creed, nationality, religion, or any other features that still divide humankind.

PFPC does not recognize any nation as being in a position of "global leadership," but deems all nations to be equal partners, in accordance with the principles of the UN charter.

PFPC demands that all nations which possess weapons of mass destruction eliminate them under UN supervision, starting with the nation that first employed such weapons of mass destruction against helpless civilians in the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

PFPC condemns any form of terrorism - whether it be the state terrorism consisting of bombings of other nations and the murder of their civilian population, or the random terrorism of underground movements that destroy selected civilian targets; accordingly, PFPC advocates that international courts should deal with all those responsible for such inhumane acts, regardless of their military rank or political status, as terrorists who have committed crimes against humanity.

PFPC advocates that the fight against any form of terrorism be entrusted to special UN agencies, and that UN not allow any nation to appoint itself as an international policemen in order to advance its own political and economic agenda.

PFPC maintains that all men and women have the equal and inalienable right of enjoying the natural wealth offered by the planet Earth, and of enjoying the material wealth generated by the toil of countless human generations, which have brought humankind to the present technologically advanced point in its historic development.

PFPC advocates a worldwide system of participatory democracy, in which all major political and economic decisions would be made at grass-root levels, thus dispensing with corrupt politicians and business executives, as well as with other exploiters of the labor of hardworking men and women.

PFPC advocates the maximum amount of freedom of the individual as long as the exercise of that freedom does not involve harming other members of society through physical violence, psychological coercion, or economic exploitation.

PFPC anticipates a future in which all national and class distinctions shall vanish, and humankind will enjoy a better world in which every single man and woman will be able to realize his or her potential as a human being to the fullest extent possible.