Because Mattarella didn’t convince me about the war
In the current situation I believe that we cannot use the word "peace" without accompanying it (as Mattarella has always done, but not on 31 December) with the adjective "right". A "just peace", however, can only be achieved through the "victory" of reason and law. Cazzola's opinion
President Sergio Mattarella's end-of-year greeting translated into a great speech, presented (exposition is always crucial) effectively and accompanied by a wide-ranging argument that was generally shareable and appreciable; in the final part even moving. But some aspects didn't convince me. From the way he addressed certain issues one might even think (God forbid!) that the head of state used a different approach than usual.
Let's start with the omissions. In my opinion Mattarella should not have neglected the topic of Europe. Some commentators have believed that this reserve depended on the choice not to take sides in view of the European elections. It would be difficult to understand the reason for such reserve on the part of a statesman who, like Mattarella, has never hesitated to take resolute and politically risky positions (until the threat of impeachment in 2019) in defense of European unity and the euro when these values were contested by the majority that emerged from the polls. There were circumstances in which Mattarella opposed certain deviations, making use of his institutional prerogatives, but in great solitude, without renouncing, however, to go all the way and overturn, with his decisive contribution, the deviations with which the XVIII had begun Legislature.
Precisely because the supra-populist forces – encouraged by some successes in the national consultations – are preparing to acquire greater weight in the new European Parliament, it would have been appropriate – in my opinion – to underline the leap in quality made by the European institutions and the need to consolidate the results.
The president then used clear words towards those responsible for open conflicts; but he didn't convince me when he said that “it is indispensable make room for the culture of peace. To the mentality of peace. Talking about peace today is not abstract do-goodism. On the contrary, it is the most urgent and concrete exercise in realism, if we want to find a way out of a crisis that can be devastating for the future of humanity." And he added: “To achieve peace it is not enough to silence the weapons. Building it means, first of all, educating for peace. Cultivate its culture in the feelings of the new generations. In the gestures of everyday life. In the language that is used. It also depends on each of us. Peace, in the sense of living well together. Respecting each other, recognizing the reasons of the other".
In the current situation, I believe that the word "peace" cannot be used without accompanying it (as Mattarella has always done, but not on 31 December) with the adjective "right": a "just peace", however, can only be achieved through “victory” of reason and law. Otherwise realism risks being confused with surrender to the strongest. Before peace, the young generations must be educated in the religion of freedom; it must be explained to them that this value comes before justice and life itself.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/sergio-mattarella-pace-giusta/ on Wed, 03 Jan 2024 10:56:01 +0000.