There’s been an interesting thread running through the news recently. The United States issued human rights reports for a few countries, including Cambodia and China. Predictably and quickly China responded by issuing a human rights report on the United States. Fair enough, that’s easy game. Cambodia responded with some propaganda declaring that it is all false, a conspiracy thought up by certain human rights NGOs, who happen to be supported by certain foreign governments, and need to make up statements like this to justify their jobs.

 

A few days later, an article in the Cambodian news appeared highlighting that it is forty years since the United States began bombing Cambodia, illegally, during the Vietnam War. That is well documented history.

 

 

A few days later another article appeared in the Cambodian news with the headline, “PM denounces Lon Nol coup”. In this article the Cambodian Prime Minister made it clear that the 1970 coup by General Lon Nol was directly responsible for allowing the Khmer Rouge to grow in strength enabling them to take over the country in 1975 leading to a genocide in which two million people were murdered or starved to death. Once again, that is well-documented history, and what also is well documented is that General Lon Nol was supported by the United States.

 

 

And so, both China and Cambodia are quite rightly pointing out that the United States has lost the moral high ground. It’s interesting in seeing the different way they do so. China from its position of security and strength responds as one with confidence – a direct counter attack. Cambodia, from its position as a small dependant player in the global community, responds out of a lack of confidence, in a passive aggressive, non-direct, manner.

 

 

Of most interest though is the pointlessness of all this. We can go on pointing fingers until the cows come home, but that doesn’t change the fact that human rights abuses are occurring, and for the victims in Cambodia, China, United States, Iraq, or Guantanamo Bay, it doesn’t help to know that both sides are naughty. As a well known rock group have sung, “angry words don’t stop a fight. Two wrongs don’t make a right…”

 

 

Recently I have been recognising Jesus’ first principle in conflict resolution, “do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others you will be judged.” It’s so easy to see that dynamic of judging in the recent news articles, but then, as according to Jesus words, I need to turn and look at myself. What about the log in my own eye? The place we have to start in bringing about world peace is not in telling China how bad they are, or telling Obama to close Guantanamo Bay quicker, although these may be important processes. The place we must always start is with ourselves. Am I a peaceful person? Am I resisting violence non-violently? Am I seeking peace with peaceful means? And to finish off the words from that famous rock group…