Friendships without Borders, Inc. (FWB) - founded in the United States in 1997 - is a socio-economic affirmative action program for areas of conflict and social deprivation. It incorporates twin goals - a partnership to recruit and inspire the social factor - to provide and restore a viable economic community through regional business investment and development - through education and inter-community affiliation, to re-empower the rural resource. An enterprise to recruit new markets and new ideas from the United States to the European market, and with new partnerships in the Asian markets - to Hong Kong and China. With new technologies, time and distance are no problem - computerized, immediate access.

Friendships Without Borders is presently sited in Ireland, north to south - across a political division imposed more than seventy years ago, a meandering 350 mile "border", east to west, sea to sea - this covering a less than 150 miles distance, as the "crow flies". The rural communities - families and neighbors divided in conflict and an unequaled economic disparity, despite the fact that "a number of dodges and devices were invented to keep the 'separated' northern six counties from coming on the dole." (Richard Hopkins, Treasury's controller to 1931). Shortly after its founding - the yearly budget for the North of Ireland political division was in increasing debt - now, a greater than six billion pound deficit - this, paid annually by the E.U. and other U.K. taxpayers - as a so called subvention. The yearly budget in the southern part of the island, this year, showed a more than five billion surplus, with a G.D.P. of almost 10%, the highest in the E.U. This well illustrates the original political miscalculation, the present logical option - the only sensible socio-economic goals - restore the inalienable rights of the next generations of the whole island - to share the almost unlimited resources of the whole island economy.

Now is the time for conciliation in areas of conflict across the world, Ireland to lead the way! History of prejudices and discrimination hinders our progress. Forgive and forget - time to move on. As in the new EU - a new Ireland - a new England, in a devolving "Britain" - each struggles with a new identity. Conquest of time and space bring us together. One world, one family - global markets - borders irrelevant. Cultural or sectarian differences viewed only as a rich resource.

Ireland, the outer island of Europe - is first stop to all the EU markets - 350 million customers. From the United States and the Asian market - investors, partners, alliances - offering strategic opportunities in a highly competitive market. Through Ireland, access to the EU market is facilitated by lower costs - increased sales, decreased overhead, increased growth. Benefits include a highly trained, lower cost work force - cheaper assembly, transport - tariff free. Return from investment in Ireland was 24% in 1994 - four times the world average. Ireland's GNP 106% - is the highest in Europe - inflation less than 2%. In 1994, Ireland's trade with China and Hong Kong totaled three million pounds - in 1998, greater than 30 million pounds!

At a time when more than fifty areas of conflict escalate worldwide - where dis-employment and disparity in wealth prevail - from the 70's to the 90's worldwide, manufacturing sales grew from 700 billion to 60 trillion in the 90's, with a decrease in the labor force required - a reflection of the high technology, low labor intensive market that provides bull markets - with increasing loss of jobs. A Celtic Tiger for some - for others not so lucky! 1 in 5 are in poverty worldwide. We have created a world of surplus goods and surplus people. The Darwinian or Malthusian predictions realized - the debris - increasing violence, increasing wars, drug abuse, spread of AIDS and other diseases, increasing jail population - an increase in the "dependent population". This is the scenario - unless urgent steps are taken, a world at risk for yet another of the genocidal agendas of history.

Urgent among our priorities is FWB's investment in the Social Factor. In Ireland, the under 20 age group comprises more than 40% of the population - the highest in Europe. Their participation is encouraged through the mechanism of the Community Development Youth Corps - to realize their unique role in the community, with the voluntary assistance of the senior corps members. A cross border and inter-community imperative, with tutorial input and guidance - a shared commitment to combining the civic and economic factors in re-empowering their communities.

FWB's priorities - recruiting the regional community and school facilities from all communities - a consensus of caring and sharing - to assist in creating new resources, a new wealth and the empowerment it generates for all the people - a new market focus in the rural community - to increase self reliance, self respect and pride - to redistribute opportunity - to promote the Irish business agenda south to north - to share opportunity and careers from successful market enterprise - the "Clinton - Mitchell - Irish and British peace agenda".

FWB's "team USA" is first class - sometime consultants to the UN in Africa and in the Balkans - members specialized in Sociology - in Education - in Conflict Resolution - in Health Care - among them, consultant in Economics, Amartya Sen, Professor at Harvard and Cambridge and winner of Nobel prize in '98. "Team Ireland" has also shown its imagination and dedication - with introduction of the regional media voice for young people - publication of a local newspaper and submission for film equipment funding - this, part of a response to an increase in teen suicides and urban migration..

New generations must be given a peaceful resolution. No alternative - together, all equal, all different. We must free ourselves of the chains of bigotry. As in South Africa, honest confrontation without recrimination. The children must not share the blame. To share the wealth of ideas we must assist in realizing them. Equal opportunity maximized - no one excluded. Neither migrant labor, nor rural exodus the solution - these only magnify and postpone the commitment to a shared prosperity for all.

The present Northern Ireland economy, a socio-economic disaster - described by the eminent Cambridge economist, Bob Rowthorn, Northern Ireland - the Political Economy of Conflict. 1989 - "decline to decay - a branch plant, Poor House, Civil Service economy"... a sectarian-gap, social support service society - in a war no one can win. The will of the majority of the people of the whole island marginalized for the sake of a favored minority - transformed by the "enforced Treaty" of 1921 into a "majority" in a suitably downsized portion of the community. Rowthorn's further words - "A state which should never have been created, which cannot be saved - the cost, economically burdensome, morally unacceptable. In summary, for Britain, the only viable, forthright alternative, to announce a public timetable for withdrawal and stick to it!"

In the words of the New Ireland Forum in 1983 - "Partition and its failure to provide political stability, have inhibited the socio-economic development of Ireland, especially in the North. Division has had an adverse effect on the general ethos of society and has contributed to a limiting of perspective, North and South. Had the division not taken place, or had the nationalist and unionist traditions in Ireland been encouraged to bring it to an end by reaching a mutual accomodation, the people of the whole island would be in a much better position to benefit from its resources and to meet the common challenges that face Irish society, North and South toward the end of the 20th century."

Niall P. Mac Allister MD FACA (President and Founder FWB)

References:
• New Ireland Forum, The Economic Consequences of the Division of Ireland 1920, 1983.
  
• Bob Rowthorn, Northern Ireland - The Political Economy of Conflict, 1989
  

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