The world cries out for new thinking and creativity. Sovaida Ma'ani Ewing answers that effective, just and comprehensive collective security are within the world's grasp.
*** Awarded the 2008 "Prize for Distinguished Scholarship in the Book Category" by the Association for Baha'i Studies. ***
The world is flailing in the face of successive threats to its peace and security. It is beleaguered by a set of recurring and intensifying crises. Terrorist networks, weapons of mass destruction, religious intolerance and hatred, roving militias and insurgents, organized crime, trafficking in women and children paralyse us. We are neither able nor willing to tackle these crises effectively and efficiently. We have lost confidence in our international institutions and national governments to respond adequately. What can we do?
The world cries out for new thinking and creativity. Sovaida Ma ani Ewing answers that effective, just and comprehensive collective security are within the world's grasp. Past efforts and innovative thinking have shown some promise but have been ineffective on their own. Ms Ma ani Ewing shows how they fit as isolated pieces within a larger jigsaw puzzle of the as yet little explored principles of the Bah ' Faith. These principles suggest ways to improve past efforts and new directions for future exploration. Building on them, she offers concrete, practical and high impact recommendations for action by the international community to build a system of collective security that will ensure the peace of the world.
Ma ani Ewing's comprehensive analysis of the current threats to peace and security identifies the inadequacies of existing mechanisms to deal with these threats. Her argument for the reform of the United Nations system in these areas is powerful and valuable . . . Her proposals for the extensive reform of the Security Council are particularly worthy of attention, providing substantive food for thought and, hopefully, action by the international community.
Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury
UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative
Sovaida Ma ani Ewing is a barrister-at-law of England and Wales, an LLM graduate in International Law and European Union Law from Cambridge University and an attorney-at-law in the United States. Her legal career has included private practice with law firms in Washington DC, including her own, teaching as an adjunct professor of law and most recently service as an attorney-advisor in the Legal Advisor's Office of the US State Department.
She currently works as an independent scholar, writing, lecturing and advocating in the field of collective security. Her publications include two books, a chapter in a third and numerous articles in this field and on topics relating to the Bah ' Faith
Sovaida Ma ani Ewing was born to a Bah ' pioneer family in Kenya. She has lived in Africa, Europe, the Middle East and the United States.
To see an interview Sovaida Ma'ani Ewing had with a reporter from Radio Free Europe go to: http: //www.rferl.org/content/Bahai_faith_iran_persecution/1977789.html.