"The global community must look beyond the war on
terrorism - and deal once and for all with the remaining inequities in the
global order."
This was one of the main ideas discussed by former
Philippine President Fidel R. Ramos during his lecture on November 13 at the
London School of Economics and Political Science, organized by the Foreign
Policy Center, a prestigious think tank based in London.
FVR, as he is popularly known, was a recent visitor to the
United Kingdom in the course of a 12-day international speaking engagement
that also brought him to Hongkong and France. The main purpose of his trip was
to promote the Philippines as a world-class partner for foreign investments,
trade and tourism, and to speak on the need for level playing fields for
developing countries in the global market, in his capacity as chairman of the
Ramos Peace and Development Foundation or RPDEV.
While in London, he held meetings with Donald McKinnon,
Commonwealth Secretary General, and Sir Peter Wakefield and other officials of
the Asia House, of which he is an honorary International Council Member. A
highlight of his visit was the lecture delivered at the Clement House of LSE.
The topic of his well-attended presentation was "Implications of the
September 11 Attacks for Asia and the World".
The former Philippine chief executive said that the
terrorist attacks in New York have inflicted the worst "collateral
damage" on the export-oriented developing countries. However, he said
that to combat terrorism, the US-led global coalition must not simply rely on
waging war against terrorist organisations, but must once and for all deal
with the remaining social, political, and economic inequities in the global
order which breed discontent and terrorism. He then pushed his advocacy for a
philosophy of Caring, Sharing, and Daring - whereby individuals and societies
are willing to make sacrifices and to take collective actions for the
betterment of humanity.
After his lecture, President Ramos was interviewed by the East
Asia programme of BBC World Service radio, the Asia Today programme
of BBC World Television, and by Tony Tassell of the Financial Times.
Fidel V. Ramos addresses forum sponsored by the Foreign Policy Center at
the LSE
FVR engaged BBC radio presenter Chris Gunness in a
twenty-minute lively exchange of views