Confession: It's been really hard studying for the bar exam.
Not just because it's a juggernaut of a professional licensing exam which serves as the legal profession's own Cyclops at the end of a grueling three-year long odyssey. Rather, it's been impossible to fully focus. I really should have followed the advice of one of my professors, who advised me to not only keep my nose to the proverbial grind, but to suppress my 15-year addiction for all-things international and actually stop following the news for the few months of bar prep studies. Apologies in advance professor.
Yet ignoring the news might as well be the plot of the next Mission Impossible movie, and the last few weeks in particular have featured an abundance of tragedy and scandal. The plight of Myanmar's long-persecuted Rohingya peoples finally seems to be coming to the fore of global attention. Yemen continues its slide towards turmoil as regional powers continue to cynically exploit localized issues for political reasons. Both Iraq and Syria's viciously multi-faceted wars continues to devastate entire communities and threatens to permanently alter the very fabric of both countries. And the unprecedented exposure of FIFA's long marriage with greed-based corruption seems to have forever tarnished the image of the Beautiful Game.
Exploitative Soccer vs. Humanitarian Soccer
FIFA? Sepp Blatter and Co's shenanigans may seem completely eclipsed by the dire humanitarian ramifications of the preceding crises, to the point of being trivial. Yet this scandal is not just disheartening for soccer fans everywhere as a stain on "The Beautiful Game" that unites the world. Rather, corruption in FIFA actually has critical ramifications for human rights. Not only does FIFA corruption entail executives and politicians profiting on the backs of some of the world's poorest citizenry, but fosters global economic exploitation, the subversion of the rule of law in host nations, grotesque labor practices, unprecedented human and sexual trafficking and other flagrant acts of greed-based neo-imperialism.
As the DOJ's investigation continues, more reprehensible acts of malfeasance will no doubt be unearthed; nefarious levels of graft, corruption and even arms dealing could be exposed. Yet we must not forget the incredible good that soccer has already brought to our planet, and its potential of accomplishing even more. Individual superstars have long engaged in a range of humanitarian ventures, and their actions have abundantly proven that professional athletes can be torchbearers of social justice activism. Likewise, various initiatives by professional soccer institutions and entities have emerged as models of corporate social responsibility. The NGO "Soccer Without Borders" provide athletic and academic support while promoting trans-cultural engagement around the world, while programs like DC Scores provide the same services to America's own underserved communities (full disclosure: I had the opportunity to serve as a DC Scores soccer coach during my AmeriCorps service year with City Year Washington DC). In 2013, Saudi Arabia brought together a range of European superstars with local Saudi players to hold a landmark charity soccer match supporting local orphans.
Perhaps most impressively, both FC Barcelona and Real Madrid have helped bring together Palestinians and Israelis in ways which were revolutionary for their time, and remain a model of cooperation and beacon of hope today.
The Salaam Games: Defeating Fear-based Hatred Through Forging Respect
Like the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the wars in Syria, Iraq and Yemen are not only creating untold death and suffering in the immediate term, but are also producing a toxic environment for the children of the Middle East. Indeed while ISIS's barbarism has deservedly received much of the world's attention, ISIS and Assad are but two sides of the same blood-soaked coin. The religious/sectarian, ethnic and nationalistic hatreds they are generating are already victimizing a "lost generation", which may never fully recover from its effects. The long-term solutions to reverse this disease do not lie in military actions alone (even humanitarian interventions), but will rely on fostering effective governance based on the rule of law, meaningful socio-economic development, robust education, and innovative forms of cross-generational engagement.
At the end of the unforgettable 2014 World Cup last summer -- which tragically witnessed the eruption of the latest outbreak of Palestinian-Israeli violence before the final ball was even kicked -- I outlined my proposal for "The Salaam Games", a landmark pan-Muslim-World charity soccer tournament. All proceeds be earmarked to aid Syrian, Iraqi, Palestinian and Rohingya refugees to create an immediate impact, while also featuring refugee players from these communities to put human faces to these crises and highlight the talent and tenacity of refugees around the world.
The tournament would include men's and women's games for promising youth players throughout the Muslim world as a means of not only unearthing talent, but as a powerful tool of promoting greater gender equality. Finally, a critical feature of The Salaam Games would be an "all-star" game featuring players from around the Muslim World as well as superstars based in Europe and elsewhere. Players will play in completely mixed teams without regard to nationality, religion or ethnicity. Saudis playing alongside Iranians; Turks and Arabs alongside Kurds, Chaldeans and Assyrians; Sunnis alongside Shiites, Druze, and Christians... the possibilities are endless. Children will be able to see other youth players as well as their national heroes play alongside their fellow brothers and sisters in humanity from all backgrounds and walks of life. That's an image which will haunt terrorist groups, dictatorships and sectarian militias the world over.
If properly utilized, the Beautiful Game can not only be a crucial ally of some of the most pressing humanitarian crises of our time, but can actively defeat the forces of hate and fear while forging peace, respect and understanding. As Bollywood legend Aamir Khan vividly demonstrated in his landmark show Satyamev Jayate, "
how a ball can change lives, communities and the world."
That is a legacy and power which all the Sepp Blatters and Jack Warners of the world can never take away.
Go Team USA! The fact that you and your fellow warriors at the World Cup all have to play on artificial turf is such BS (yet another transgression FIFA has to account for).