From Passion to Politics: What Moves People to Take Action?

I do not change the world by myself.  yes, i started the campaign.  But had there not been thousands of people around the world who supported us, there would be no treaty today.  So thank you.

Nothing magical about campaigning.  It's making a plan, following through.  That builds trust.  They know what to expect.  That you are a straight shooter.  That's what we did.  Every time we got together was to plan future action.   Not to congratulate selves on what did last year.  The campaign is still doing that today.  I don't do that so much today because of my other jobs.

Bring together Nobel laureate women to stop violence against women.  Only Aung San Suu Kyi cannot join us because under house arrest.

When we did the treaty in 1997, I think the governments actually expected that NGOs would declare victory, go home, and leave implementation to the governments.  We did not go home.  The day the treaty was closed, we gave everyone in the room our action plan.  We're still there, working with governments to this day.

One of my worries when treaty was negotiated was that it would just be on paper, but have no real impact.  Remarkable how this country worked so many years to strengthen international instutitions, world court, to suddenly undermine it.  I don't understand in globalizing world how any country thinks it can go it alone.  

After 9/11, Laureates were asked to write comment.  Most of us against war.  Most of us believed perpetrators should be pursued and tried in international court.  I personally believe the war that was launched has made us less secure, and made another breeding ground for terror.  

I remember talking to a lot of people after 9/11 and asking them to think about 9/10. Most powerful country in the world.  Safe.  Then 19 men fly planes into buildings and what's our response.  Billions of dollars for more sophisticated weapons?  How does that solve the problem?

Darfur.  I was called about heading the mission to Darfur.  I didn't know if I could contribute all that much.  My schedule pretty full.  I ended up accepting mostly because of Sherin... she said even if you don't know anything, need the voice of civil society.  

We were not allowed into Darfur.  Khartoum is chessmaster.  Didn't like some of the people on the mission.  Didn't give us visas, hoping that we wouldn't go.  We went to Ethiopia, lots of interviews there.  Briefing by the AU mission.  Went on to Chad.  We had plenty of information.  Talked to refugees in 2 camps.   

Flew over desert to get to landing strip.  Gave me different perspective.  Get a better sense of village structure.  10-15 families in a village.  Sometimes 2-3 huts.  Often fencing from thorn tree.  I had no trouble envisioning the jamjaweed and government troops attack.  Generally come before dawn, on camels and horses, surround the village.  Start shooting.  Separate women from men.  Rape is a systematic tool of war.  I asked to meet separately with women.  When went into a room all sitting on the floor.  One woman had her head wrapped in a scarf because had been so traumatized by gang rape that she was humiliated to be seen.  Yet she was in the group.  Then as she heard people talk she became more comfortable and slowly unwrapped her face.  Four of the women were raped in Darfur.  One woman left the refugee camp and was raped by 4 Chadian men.  One of the other women started talking about her experience.  They separated 4 women.  started beating the woman with rifle butts.  took the oldest woman and burned her alive.  they raped the other women, and shot the husband before her eyes.  She had a baby in the camp.  She has not spoken since.  The baby died instantly.  This is done purposely to destroy the fabric of the village.

One woman who went back to salvage things was raped.  By the time she got back to the refugee camp her husband knew about it and divorced her on the spot.  It is a systematic attempt to destroy communities, tribes.  

The Burmese military is doing exactly the same thing in Burma.  Burned down 3000 villages.  Use rape against ethnic women.

When Mia Farrow started working on genocide issues, was working with China about their support for regimes like Burma.  South Africa is on Security council.  When resolution on Burma, with working similar to that used against apartheid government, South Africa vetoed the resolution.

Refugees said wanted protection and security more than water, more than going home.  And they are getting it from UN forces.  

Our report is hard-hitting.  Says government is responsible for crimes against humanity.  

I had a meeting with a European nation, whose ambassador tried to tell me how to write the report to make it more palatable to get the report accepted.  He said, perhaps the Human Rights council will fail.  HRC is rebirth of commission on human rights.  It's the same people. 

After genocide in Rwanda, we said "never again".  GA passed resolution saying it is responsibility of govt to protect its citizen.  And when govt can't do that it is responsibility of int'l community to intercede to protect people against war crimes and genocide.  Our conclusion is that everyone failed.  Certainly Khartoum failed.  

That's why I do the work I do.  Was born in a tiny town in Vermont.  More cows than people.  Didn't leave until 25 years old.  I didn't see another non-white until 17 or 18.  I was married at 21.  But it wasn't enough.  Went to U. of Vermont during Vietnam War.  Shattered my mythology about what the US stands for.  Floundered after graduation.  Got a couple of Masters.  Became a peace activist.  Was walking in DC and took a mimeographed leaflet.  It said "El Salvador, another Vietnam".  Went to a meeting in the basement of a church, listened to a man from El Salvador talking about what was hapening in his country.  So I started passing out leaflets in 1981.  And here I am still passing out leaflets.

The only magic about change is actually doing something.  Don't write to me and tell me you're concerned about this or that.  Write to me and tell me about what you're doing and I'll be your partner forever.  But don't write to ask me what to do about it.  Emotion without energy is a waste of time.  Don't delude yourself that it takes a lot to become an activist.  You can give an hour a month, give up one of those latte afternoons. 

I think some people think if they can't change the entire world, they won't do anything at all.  If you pick one little thing which you really care about and work on it, you can make a difference.  

If you want to do good to be recognized, don't be an activist.  My favorite activist is Jemma the beehive.  There was a little group from former Soviet states that would get together.   There was a young guy starting a campaign in Abkhazia.  Said i need your help, can't do by myself, can you help me.  Beehive immediately said, I'm fortunate, I'm a university professor, I can give a bit to get you going.  Later I wondered how much does a professor in Armenia make?  $100/month.   Yet she felt privileged to give some of it to a good cause.  That's my kind of activist.

Questions:

Q; When talking about Darfur, you made it sound like internationally we should be able to go in if their own government won't do it.  If that's true, that means our government could go in?  What about individuals, what can we do about Darfur?

Williams:  GA resolution, passed unanimously was that responsibility to protect fell upon the state and if the state can't do it.

Slaughter:  It's the "right" to go in.  Still subject to decision of Security Council and they can still find lots of reasons not to go in.  So it makes it easier to make the arguments, but still hard to go in.

Williams: When I came back on Mar 16 to present report and make a statement, the Security Council was spending all their time infighting because didn't want me to stand there and say Khartoum etc etc, because then what happens when other countries might be criticized?  

What can you do?

- be conscious of investment in Sudan.  Fidelity, for example, invests in Sudan.  Pull out your money.

- put pressure on China to put pressure on Sudan because China is involved in their oil industry.

- can support legislation on Darfur.

Q: What about underlying problems?  insurgency, counter-insurgency, problems between tribes (18 separate groups).  Seems like extremely complex problem.

Williams:  Sudan is extremely complicated in all of its wars.  Much of peace agreement has not been implemented.  BUt essence of the problem is that anything not Khartoum is marginalized.  Most of the oil is in the South.  Rank and file soldiers in Sudanese military are Darfurian.  A lot of issues between Khartoum and Darfur.  What Khartoum says all the time is that it's not between center and Darfur, but a tribal issue.  That dissimulates what it really is.  Yes there were tribal clashes, but over time, with desertification of Sahara, droughts of 80's, really started squeezing the land.  A lot of people moved from outside.  So when 2 rebel groups in 2003 started attacking police stations (SLA and GEM), Khartoum armed the Jamjaweed.  Started really recruiting an army, training them and sending them in to deal with this.  Concerned about sending Darfurian soldiers in.  One thing not often mentioned is that in spite of fact that we talk about Arab jamjaweed attacking Africans, they are all Muslim.  But now old tribal issues have become inflated.  When Khartoum and one rebel movement signed a peace agreement in May of last year, the others didn't sign.  Led to chaos.  Started fracturing.  Now about 13 separate groups.  Fighting amongst each other.  Can't bring a platform together to negotiate a peace accord with Khartoum.  Now rank criminality has broken out.  Humanitarian space continues to shrink.  

Q: was there ever a moment when you had to compromise your goals in order to bring about change, even if not 100% what you wanted?

Williams:  Not really.  I'm still amazed how that happened.  When worked in Central America - Reagan had drawn a line against communism - my office was watched, various pressures, I don't care.  I think it's a waste of taxpayer dollars.  

For me the worst was occasional burnout.  

Q: Was in Geneva and saw moving photo exhibit about landmine injuries.  My suggestion is that in countries that have not signed, can we organize similar exhibition in NY that would raise awareness in this country.  Can mobilize the world and get them some good even if US stays outside treaties like Kyoto and international court.

Williams:  US was initially in the forefront of this movement.  Patrick Leahy hoped Senate and Congressional action would lead to administration policy.  We were most concerned about getting countries on board who had huge stockpiles and were using them.  Cambodia, Afghanistan, Angola.  I have a problem with people who say if the big countries are not on board it doesn't matter.  I love this country, but it doesn't mean that the only country that matters is this one.  

Slaughter:  International court works well even though US not a part of it.  Would work better if US were, but still works

Q: Ask how gender has affected your work.  Strengthened ability to work on these issues?

Williams: I don't feel it mattered at all.  

Q: What moved you from little girl in Vermont to your first activity?

Williams:  Different answers on different days.  My oldest brother was born deaf.  I was a time when felt children should be forced into the hearing world.  Kids were mean to him because he couldn't talk,  We grew up trying to defend him.  I was afraid of authority.  I was a quiet thing.  But then in 4th grade, defended a little boy who was being prevented by older boy from playing.  Then realized that wasn't so hard.  i grew up really believing we were land of the free and home of the brave.  Then got to college and whoa, Vietnam.  Then started doing El Salvador and my world changed.

Eisenhower, when saying all nice words about shouldn't impose ourselves on other countries, I did a little research and found he was supporting all these coups.

I think an essential part of me is that I don't care if people don't like me.  I decided when I was 13 years old I wasn't going to live my life as a popularity contest.

Q:  In addition to Darfur and Burma, one of the big issues is the Iraqi refugee issue.  Millions displaced.  US has given very few opportunities for short term solutions.  What are your thoughts on how to deal with this issue?

Slaughter:  Yesterday heard psychology of why people do not respond to mass murder, and today have heard how you and others respond as keenly to what is happening around the world as what is in your hometown.  Probably base majority of us live in world of compromise, burnout, juggle many different things to respond to.  What I come away with is your passionate point about deciding what you think is right and devoting what time you have to it, knowing that if you are wiling to give it time and mobilize your friends to do likewise, have power to change government and world.