Abantu Bangalithola Yini Ikhambi?
EMUVA LÉ njengoba umlando ubonisa, izivumelwano ziye zaphulwa njalo ngenxa yezithakazelo zobuzwe zobugovu. Ngalé kwalokho, azizange ziyivimbele impi.
“Kusukela abantu bazihlela baba amaqembu ezinhlanga,” kubhala uLaurence W. Beilenson encwadini yakhe iThe Treaty Trap, “izivumelwano zokuthula ziye zahambisana nempi. Ithonya lamaphepha ezivumelwano lingelokuthi izivumelwano zokuthula ngokungaqondi kahle zihlanganiswa nokuthula kanti ukungabibikho kwazo kuhlanganiswa nempi. Lokhu kuye kwaholela abanye abahlaziyi ekugomeleni ngokuthi njengoba impi iye yaba ukuzibulala ngalendlela, umqondo ovamile uwukuba kuthenjelwe ezivumelwaneni ukuze ivinjelwe. Nokho, isiphetho asinjalo. Impi yenyukliya ingaba inhlekele, kodwa okuhlangenwe nakho okungokomlando kuphela okuwumqondisi ekutheni izivumelwano ziyoyivimbela impi noma cha.”
Ingabe Izivumelwano Zihlala Njalo?
Umlando ubonisa ukuthi izivumelwano aziyivimbeli impi. “Zonke izizwe ziye zaba abaphuli-bezivumelwano abathembekile,” kusho uBeilenson. Futhi nakuba izakhamuzi zingathola ukuphoqelelwa ngesahlulelo senkantolo ngokwephula isivumelwano ngaphakathi kwesizwe sazo, akunjalo uma kwephulwa izivumelwano phakathi kwezizwe. Kungaze kuphendukelwe nasempini njengekhambi eliphumelelayo.
Ngisho nezinkantolo zezwe lonke azikwazanga ukulungisa izingxabano futhi zigcine ukuthula kwezwe lonke. Inkantolo yeZwe Lonke (inxusa lokwahlulela leZizwe eZihlangene, ngokuvamile okubhekiselwa kulo njengeNkantolo Yomhlaba), ngokwesibonelo, ayikwazi ukuphoqelela izinqumo zayo. Kunalokho, incika embonweni wezwe nasethonyeni lokuziphatha. Izizwe eziningi ziye zenqaba ukwemukela igunya leNkantolo njengeliphoqelelayo ekulungiseni izingxabano. Futhi ngokwemithetho yayo siqu iNkantolo Yomhlaba, isizwe singenqaba ukwahlulelwa yiyo ngokusho kanjalo ngaphambi kokuba icala elithile liyiswe eNkantolo.
Okwandisa inkinga yiqiniso lokuthi izizwe zinozwela ngokukhethekile maqondana nezindaba ezingase zithinte ubukhosi bazo. Ngenxa yalokho, ziqapha kakhulu lapho ziloba izivumelwano, ngokuvamile zenza kanjalo ngenkulumo ezivumela ukuba zizikhiphe enkingeni noma nini uma ubukhosi bazo bungase bucindezelwe. “Izivumelwano ngaso sonke isikhathi zilotshwa ngolimi olungacacile,” kusho iThe Encyclopedia Americana. “Imithetho yokuchazwa kwazo miningi . . . kanti akukho ndlela emukelwa yibo bonke ngokuqondene nokusebenza okuqondile kwanoma yisiphi sazo. . . . Ngakho ukungavumelani mayelana nencazelo eqondile kuyaphakama, futhi ukubekana amacala okwephulwa kwezivumelwano kuvamile.” Kunjengoba uCharles de Gaulle, owayengumongameli waseFrance, ake wakubeka: “Izivumelwano zifana nabesifazane abasha nezimbali. Azihlali isikhathi eside.” Khona-ke, ecaphuna kwekaVictor Hugo iLes Orientales, wanezela: “Yeka ukuthi ziningi kanjani izintombi engiye ngazibona zifa.”
Isimo Sezikhathi Zethu Ezinzima
Ukuthi isikhathi sethu sasiyobuswa abantu abaqhoshayo, abanobugovu abangathandi ukuvuma noma ukuhambisana nezwi labo kwabikezelwa esikhathini eside esidlule eBhayibhelini. Kweyesi-2 Thimothewu 3:1-5 siyafunda: “Yazi lokhu ukuthi ezinsukwini zokugcina kuzakuvela izikhathi ezinzima; ngokuba abantu bazakuba-ngabazithandayo, nabathandimali, nabazidlayo, nabazigabisayo, nabahlambalazayo, nabangalaleli abazali, nabangabongiyo, nabahlazisayo, nabangenaluthando, nabahlebi, nabangazithibi, nabangenabumnene, nabangathandi okuhle, nabakhapheli, nabanamawala, nabakhukhumele, nabathanda injabulo kunokuthanda uNkulunkulu, nabanesimo sokumesaba uNkulunkulu, kepha amandla akho bewaphika; labo-ke wobagwema.”
‘Lezinsuku zokugcina’ zaqala kulelikhulu leminyaka—ngo-1914, ngempi yezwe yokuqala—futhi ziye zaqhubeka kwehle kuze kube manje. Ukuba yiqiniso kwalesiprofetho seBhayibheli kuye kwafakazelwa ngokuqinile umlando. Zishaqiswe ubunzima beMpi eNkulu, njengoba yayibizwa kanjalo, izizwe zazama ukwenza izivumelwano ezaziyovimbela enye impi yobukhulu obufanayo. Ngaphambi kwempi, kwakungekho sivumelwano esasivimbela impi ngokomthetho emhlabeni wonke, kungekho ngisho nenhlangano yenjongo yokubhekela ukuthula. Ngakho abaholi bezizwe bafuna ukuklama izivumelwano phakathi kwezizwe ukuba kwenziwe khona lokho noku-qinisekisa ukuthula kwezwe.
ISivumelwano seNhlangano yeZizwe kwakuyisithembiso sokuthi izizwe ezingamalungu ziyosekelana futhi zivikelane futhi zingayi nasempini, ngaphandle kokuzivikela, nalapho futhi kuphela ngemva kokuletha ukungezwani eMkhandlwini weNhlangano ukuze kulungiswe futhi kuvunyelwe isikhathi esiyizinyanga ezintathu sokuthula. Saqala ukusebenza ngo-1920. Izivumelwano zaseLovarno, ezaqala ukusebenza ngo-1926, zahalaliswa ‘njengokunqoba kokuthula nokulondeka’ phakathi kwezizwe zaseYurophu. ISivumelwano saseParis, esaziwa futhi ngokuthi iSivumelwano sikaKellog noBriand, sanqabela “ukubalekela empini.” Kwakuzoba isivumelwano sezizwe eziningi esasiyovulekela ekuvunyelweni yizo zonke izizwe. Ngemva kokumenyezelwa ngokomthetho ngo-1929, ekugcineni sasayinwa yizizwe ezingama-63 ezavuma ukulungisa ukungezwani kwazo “ngezindlela zokuthula” kuphela. Ezinye izivumelwano eziningana zamiswa phakathi naleyonkathi, okwaholela abaningi ukuba bacabange ukuthi impi kwakuyoba yinto yesikhathi esidlule. Kodwa kungakapholi namaseko nje eziningi zalezozizwe zase zizigaxe kwenye impi yezwe.
Ngakho-ke, ingabe abantu bangalithola ikhambi lokuthula? Umlando nezehlakalo zezwe namuhla kuphendula ngokuthi CHA! Kunjengoba umlobi uBeilenson ekubeka kafushane: “Ngemva kokubhubhisa kweMpi yeZwe I, abezombangazwe benza isu lokuthula elinamandla kakhulu kunamasu ake aklanywa. Alizange livimbele ukunganakwa kwezivumelwano njenganoma isiphi isikhathi somlando, noma ukubhubhisa okukhulu kweMpi yeZwe II, noma ezinye izimpi ezincane kusukela lapho. Naphezu kwesivumelwano seZizwe eZihlangene, izizwe zazilokhu zingenabo ubunye.”
Namuhla, njengoba isintu ‘singathandi okuhle’ njengoba iBhayibheli labikezela, asikho isivumelwano sokuthula kwezwe futhi izwe liphila enkathini yokwesaba. Ingabe lokho kusho ukuthi akukho themba ngezikhathi zethu ezinzima? Uma kunekhambi, likuphi?
[Isithombe ekhasini 5]
“Izivumelwano . . . azihlali isikhathi eside”