Rule by the ruled
Never before has Warsaw hosted such a number of internationally renowned policy makers, power brokers and diplomats as it did during the Conference Towards a Community of Democracy held in Warsaw last week.
The conference brought together U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, United Nations' (U.N.) Secretary General Kofi Annan and more than 100 foreign affairs ministers to discuss the condition of rule by the ruled throughout the world.
The government conference took place in tandem with a historical first a "civil" World Forum on Democracy attended by 300 scholars, civic and religious leaders and former government officials. High-profile forum participants included historian Francis Fukuyama; Timorese independence fighter and 1996 Nobel Prize winner Jose Ramos-Horta; Hungarian-born philanthropist George Soros; and Chinese dissident Wei Jingsheng.
Boguslaw Stanislawski, the president of Amnesty International in Poland (see "Sign of the Times" June 19-25), didn't take part in either conference, but was an interested and supportive observer.
"Each initiative to strengthen democracy is a valuable initiative," Stanislawski said, adding that events such as the conferences create a kind of "stream" of ideas that influences public opinion.
"It is great that such an initiative came from Foreign Affairs Minister Bronislaw Geremek," he said. The conference crowned Geremek's ministerial term, which ended last Friday when Wladyslaw Bartoszewski officially took over the post.
Stanislawski said that as a "regular Pole" the events of last week had a symbolic meaning. The country's hosting and participation in a conference on democracy as a NATO member was an emphatic sign of how far Poland has come from its days as a Warsaw Pact member alongside the Czech Republic, East Germany and other Soviet dependents.
Senator Zbigniew Romaszewski, who had been active in the anticommunist underground, was especially impressed by the conference. "I am deeply convinced that the ministerial conference was important," Romaszewski said. "It was important because it was stated that certain standards exist," not only during discussions but also through the omission of countries such as China and Belarus. "It said that inviting certain countries is in bad taste," he added. In his opinion, such a lesson wouldn't be possible on the level of an international organization, where diplomatic rules dictate inclusion.
Romaszewski was also pleased that "the ministerial conference took a very important decision on Chechnya." In addition to the Warsaw Declaration, the conference led to a resolution that condemned the Russian war against Chechnya.
"We have to say that Geremek really cares for a Polish presence in international politics, and is focusing attention on the matter of human rights," he said.
Romaszewski added the move toward democracy has been tremendous, and Poland has something to be proud of. "I have a positive opinion on what happened in Warsaw last week," he said. "As compared to other countries in Central and Eastern Europe, Poland can afford to organize such a conference."
However, he said he was a little disappointed by the forum on democracy. "It was too correct and not as significant (as the ministerial one)," Romaszewski said. "And it repeated commonplaces, but I was happy to meet plenty of interesting celebrities."
Marek Nowicki, head of the Helsinki Foundation in Poland, disagreed. "The non-governmental forum was very strong," he said. "A lot of very important people took part who influence the governments of democratic countries."
Nowicki considered it especially important that the two conferences took place at the same time and in the same place. "On one hand, both sides observe (each other) and on the other hand they influence each other," he said.
Diplomatic ceremonies and posturing aside, Nowicki has no doubts that the events of the ministerial conference were profound and important. "This conference started the official discussion on the crisis of the international order and international organizations," Nowicki said. While he thinks the European Union is doing pretty well, the UN is another issue. Set up after World War II, the UN was established for a Cold War world.
"The whole system of (international) organizations was built for a different world," Nowicki said. "Looking for a new system is a must."
