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A MESSAGE FROM THE
2007-2008 ATWS PRESIDENT
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Dear Friends & Colleagues: By all accounts, our grand Twenty-fifth Annual Conference of ATWS in Lima, Peru was both very festive and very productive. Every one of our conferences has been an excellent occasion to renew old friendships, to make new friends, and to share ideas and reinvigorate ourselves for the important work we pursue as an organization. It is now more than a quarter century ago that our Founder, Dr. Harold Isaacs, conceived this great association. Back then, academics and policy-makers generally paid little attention to the so-called Third World, except insofar as it represented pools of productive resources and peoples to be won over in a strategic competition for ideological supremacy. That is, before it was fashionable to study these countries, through ATWS he sought to increase awareness of the things that unite us globally as humans. Dr. Isaacs saw fellow human beings with the same needs as those of us who are more fortunate and are living in the countries of the global West/North. He imbued this association with a new spirit. Today, our members have a deep and abiding interest in the welfare of the peoples of the Developing countries, who struggle to meet their basic physical needs and who are frequently being denied fundamental rights and liberties. Moreover, we understand that their plight is linked to our own lives and lifestyles; we realize that our own fate is ultimately intertwined with the good of the many (often invisible and voiceless) peoples of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Today, we realize that what happens in the Third World does not stay in the Third World. We know that we are interconnected in a great web of spiritual as well as material being. So Dr. Isaac’s prescient vision is now rooted in the hearts and minds of hundreds of us who take an active interest in the life of ATWS. We are a diverse association, indeed, with many nations, racial and ethnic groups, religions, languages, cultures, and scholarly disciplines and interests represented. One might expect that this diversity would make us unwieldy and fractious. However, our commonalities clearly override our differences. We are brothers and sisters with a goal to focus greater attention on the needs of the neglected peoples of the Third World. We are united in our mission to promote global peace, justice, sustainability, and dignity, and in our desire to leave the world a better place for future generations. We constantly seek ways to bring this spirit to fruition by expanding awareness and finding practical applications that produce tangible benefits. In my estimation, we are bound by the recognition of our essential, shared humanity, by our faith in a better future, and by worthy goals. This year, as President of ATWS, I hope to draw more members to our association, for our mission is great and the obstacles we face are daunting. Globally, there are many problems and challenges; so we are in need of as many people of good will as we can find to help us. I ask current members to make a real effort this year to attract new members. You undoubtedly have colleagues, friends, and family who share our concerns, but who have not yet become actively engaged in the struggles for a better world. Please get them to join us. I also want to identify more practical ways to apply the skills and knowledge of our members. If you have ideas about how to put our energies to work, I want to hear from you. I urge you very sincerely, as we commence our second quarter-century, let us re-dedicate ourselves to the founding spirit and ideals of our association.
My warmest wishes to you all, |