Text conference: "Disasters of War"

This Wednesday, at the Instituto Cervantes in New Delhi, I was given the opportunity to share a table with journalists Alberto Masegosa (EFE) and Tarun Basu (IANS) to discuss the disasters of the war , taking advantage of the center houses these days a Goya exhibition. I'm not a war journalist and do not know if that term can apply to someone who really is, but in any case it is true that we work in South Asia, sooner or later, we have contacts with the conflict.

I roll it up more. The thing is that as I get nervous when speaking in public, what I did was to prepare a text, then hang up if someone was interested in the case that he could not attend. A greeting.

WAR IN SOUTH ASIA

A well-known chief of the twentieth century once said: "One death is a tragedy, a million is a statistic."

South Asia has been the scene of many conflicts in this century ends: some of them, like the Indian struggle for independence, peace settled over violence, others solved with more violence than peace. Some have been avoided (eg, the last transition Maldivian). Others are still there: this great space remains the scene of wars, armed conflicts and confrontations about latent or obvious.

We have, for listing faster, and from west to east, the war in Afghanistan, Pakistan and separatist tensions in its operations against fundamentalism in most of its tribal areas. Within India, Kashmir conflict somewhat appeased and northeastern areas, and one that seems to smoke, that is the challenge state model by the Maoist guerrillas. In Nepal peace was signed between the Maoists and the government in 2006, but the transition to peace only moves forward. And what they call the tear of Indian, Sri Lanka, its civil war ended nearly three decades, two years ago, in exchange for a horrific killings that are still awaiting collection.

After a few years here, I still think that South Asia is a fascinating and complex space. Part of that complexity, unfortunately, because it is a place where there is still war. Nobody here will want Joszef compared with Stalin, and his quote about the million dead statistic. However, based on self-criticism, I confess to a little frustration: I'm trying to say is that journalists who work here as we do not have the capacity to enter into the human drama dripping from every war causes.

More than X-ray, sampled, as in a survey. What we do is take players here and there that we think sum up the voice of the rest. Every day in our country, and I know that in the rest, rule out many, many news war dead, precisely because in places like Afghanistan over eight times daily deaths are no longer news.

WHAT WE DO

The first photojournalist was a painter, a man before Goya. His name is Willem van de Velde the old. In 1653, Van de Velde jumped into the sea in a boat to witness a naval battle between Dutch and British navies. He made many sketches of the ships in his boat and they developed a great picture he sent to the Dutch authorities.

From the operational point of view, things have not changed much since then: to be in a place where conflict is like take to the sea by boat. One of the first effects of a war over territory is the subversion of the rule of law. The weapons state may benefit a few, some well-placed, the others lose their guarantees and individual autonomy. Decide required. The bulk of the population is endless.

So war is, along with poverty, the most totalitarian systems, it invades all areas of a person's decision.

Guns kill or create orphans, it shows. But they are also a yoke and a threat to those who live, because they tend to be placed on the law and most often operate with impunity subtle or overt: to reveal that impunity remains one of the key challenges for journalists.

One journalist alone can not change a war, but do understand that those in power to change it. In general, our mission, I believe, is to summarize the conflict, act as a catalyst for public about hundreds or thousands of miles away in a mental universe away, can understand:

- First, the characteristics of a war which mark her as unique and allow judge in his own dimension, which is what gives, sometimes, politicians and citizens to form an informed opinion. For this, we need a laborious documentation and tracing of sources, which is a very conscientious and very quiet, of course. We must read, understand how to weave the interests, provide clues about the future course of events.

-Second, but not least, its effects on all dimensions of life, also in day to day. This is common to all wars, and is what allows a master of Cáceres identify with a poor peasant Tamil who lost their children in the last bombing. For this, it is necessary to contact the field. This is where photojournalists play it as much as the soldiers.

The second point receives much more public attention than the first. But I think that approach can not work without the other. Only with the documentation we would dissertations, and news. And limit the testimony of suffering, would not get to be able to explain its causes.

POWER CHALLENGE

He said things had not changed much since the war paintings of van de Velde and that journalists go through the sea by boat. A great sea we do not control: we often have to settle for projecting versions of a power that can be stormy and act as spokesmen for agendas that actually know.

(This is not a criticism of anyone in particular, eye navigate between multiple power centers. And none escapes the temptation of trying to mold the press to their interests)

An example is the vision of Islamic terrorism, considered acceptable by the West a few decades ago and today in the heart of their war strategies. Jalaludin Haqqani, the leader of the insurgent network that bears his name in the Afpak, was considered by the U.S. in the 80 "goodness personified." We all agree today to introduce to Haqqani as one of the "terrorists" most wanted.

That the newspaper account changes following the passage of one or other power is a fact. The debate is, should it?

PARADIGM OF PEACE

I make a point to finish. Yesterday, before this conference, I walked for the valuable Goya exhibition here in the Cervantes and thought about how art is a determining influence in the rare aesthetic fascination exerted by the war.

Think for a moment in Guernica, for instance own. Our dilemma in an aesthetic pleasure to feel that was a horror.

The war paradigm examples has filled the world of cinema, but also traditional poetry and other literary forms. The painting has collected beautiful and delicious revolutions killings; abound military sculptures and hymns to the heraldry seeks beauty.

War correspondents do not escape the fascination of the public, perhaps because it is impossible to contemplate a picture without an aesthetic reading, or read a story that does not have some literary grounds like doing best. But it is a mistake to regard the action of the journalist as heroic service. No one is fearless; it is professional.

As I said the other day a co-writing, Pau Miranda, "there is no war journalism, there is only journalism." We are not heroes or when we go by boat. Still debated passionately in the power we are able to stick to objectivity. Perhaps the minimum requirement is the professionalism, honesty and consistency.

And of course, we must recognize that the interest does not always follow journalistic ethics a channel. To begin with, because we act as links at the end of our audience, and we plan to do a story forevers what those demands.

In this, it is conceivable that we act with the prospect of peace. In Spain and many other European countries is deeply rooted pacifism, perhaps because of the pain that still cause our own scars (in Europe, the twentieth century was the deadliest). But beware: there is no guarantee a permanent cure (still approving war missions).

In my opinion, no country or society predestined. I think history is becoming, which is why no one is saved for ever from the war so that our mission can be further exposing the cracks of violence, threats to come.

Finally, recognize that the profession of journalist is a profession that is no stranger to error. Not the best edition is immune to failures and inaccuracies. Regularly make mistakes and our blunders sonrojantes shelves are full and pages.

But from that humble, today I want to say that fortunately, sometimes, peace owe us.

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