Socialist International: DECLARATION of PRINCIPLES Cheat Sheet (DRAFT) by [deleted]

1. The idea of Socialism has caught the imagin­ation of people across the world, promoted successful political movements, decisively improved the lives of working men and women, and contri­buted to shaping the 20th century.
However, justified satisf­action about the realis­ation of many of our goals should not prevent us from clearly recogn­ising present dangers and problems. We are aware that essential tasks still lie ahead which we can master only through common action, since human survival increa­singly depends upon the joint efforts of people around the world.
2. Current economic, techno­log­ical, political and social changes reflect a profound transf­orm­ation of our world. The fundam­ental issue we now face is not whether there will be change in future years, but rather who is going to control it and how. The socialist answer is unequi­vocal. It is the people of the world who should exercise control by means of a more advanced democracy in all aspects of life: political, social, and economic. Political democracy, for social­ists, is the necessary framework and precon­dition for other rights and liberties.
**3. All the peoples of the world should be involved in the process of transf­orming our societies and promoting new hope for humankind. The Socialist Intern­ational calls on all men and women committed to peace and progress to work together in order to translate this hope into reality.
4. The challenge of global change opens up enormous possib­ili­ties:
- The intern­ati­ona­lis­ation of the economy and wide-s­pread access to inform­ation and new techno­logies can, if brought under democratic control, provide a basis for a world society better suited to cooper­ation. It is obvious that a world family is no longer a utopian dream, but, increa­singly, a practical necessity.
- The techno­logical revolution can and should be used to preserve the enviro­nment, create new employment and provide the means to liberate people from routine work rather than ruthlessly impose unwanted idleness.
- On the basis of suitable and humane democratic struct­ures, freedom, equality, security and prosperity can be achieved within the framework of a democratic world society.
**5. However, many current trends also give rise to unprec­edented threats:=
- Prolif­eration of the techno­logies of destru­ction promote a precarious balance of terror where there are inadequate guarantees for the security of humankind.
- The physical conditions for life on the planet are threatened by an uncont­rolled urban and industrial expansion, the degrad­ation of the biosphere, and the irrational exploi­tation of vital resources.
- Hunger, famine and death threaten whole regions and commun­ities in the South, even though the world has enough natural and technical resources to feed itself.
6. This transf­orm­ation of social and economic structures is at least as dramatic and far-re­aching as the transition from laisse­z-faire to the corporate capitalism and coloni­alism of pre-World War I days. The social cost of these transf­orm­ations - unempl­oyment, regional decline, destru­ction of commun­ities - has affected not only the very poor but also working people in general.
7. The rapid process of intern­ati­ona­lis­ation and interd­epe­ndence in the world economy has given rise to contra­dic­tions within existing political, social and national instit­utions. This growing gap between an intern­ational economy and inadequate intern­ational political structures has been a contri­butory factor to the poverty and underd­eve­lopment of the South, as well as to mass unempl­oyment and new forms of poverty in many areas of the North.
8. Real progress has been made since World War II in vital areas such as decolo­nis­ation, the growth of the Welfare State and, more recently, disarm­ament, where the first hopeful steps have been taken. However, age-old injustices remain. Human rights are still violated, racial and sex discri­min­ation are rife, and individual opport­unities in life are still determined by the region and class in which people are born.
9. Faced with such crucial issues, the Socialist Intern­ational reaffirms its fundam­ental beliefs. It is committed, as ever, to the democr­ati­sation on a global scale of economic, social and political power struct­ures. The same principles and political commit­ments which socialism has always held have to be attained in a world that has changed radically since the Frankfurt Declar­ation of 1951.
10. The Socialist Intern­ational was founded a hundred years ago in order to coordinate the worldwide struggle of democratic socialist movements for social justice, human dignity and democracy. It brought together parties and organi­sations from different traditions which shared a common goal: democratic socialism. Throughout their history, socialist, social democratic and labour parties have stood for the same values and princi­ples.
11. Today the Socialist Intern­ational combines its tradit­ional struggle for freedom, justice and solidarity with a deep commitment to peace, the protection of the enviro­nment, and the develo­pment of the South. All these issues require common answers. To this end, the Socialist Intern­ational seeks the support of all those who share its values and commit­ment.

12. Democratic socialism is an intern­ational movement for freedom, social justice and solida­rity. Its goal is to achieve a peaceful world where these basic values can be enhanced and where each individual can live a meaningful life with the full develo­pment of his or her person­ality and talents and with the guarantee of human and civil rights in a democratic framework of society.
13. Freedom is the product of both individual and cooper­ative efforts - the two aspects are parts of a single process. Each person has the right to be free of political coercion and also to the greatest chance to act in pursuit of individual goals and to fulfil personal potential. But that is only possible if humanity as a whole succeeds in its long-s­tanding struggle to master its history and to ensure that no person, class, sex, religion or race becomes the servant of another.
14. Justice and Equality. Justice means the end of all discri­min­ation against indivi­duals, and the equality of rights and opport­uni­ties. It demands compen­sation for physical, mental and social inequa­lities, and freedom from dependence on either the owners of the means of production or the holders of political power.
-Equality is the expression of the equal value of all human beings and the precon­dition for the free develo­pment of the human person­ality. Basic economic, social and cultural equality is essential for individual diversity and social progress.
- Freedom and equality are not contra­dic­tory. Equality is the condition for the develo­pment of individual person­ality. Equality and personal freedom are indivi­sible.
15. Solidarity is all-en­com­passing and global. It is the practical expression of common humanity and of the sense of compassion with the victims of injustice. Solidarity is rightly stressed and celebrated by all major humanist tradit­ions. In the present era of unprec­edented interd­epe­ndence between indivi­duals and nations, solidarity gains an enhanced signif­icance since it is imperative for human survival.
16. Democratic socialists attach equal importance to these fundam­ental princi­ples. They are interd­epe­ndent. Each is a prereq­uisite of the other. As opposed to this position, Liberals and Conser­vatives have placed the main emphasis on individual liberty at the expense of justice and solidarity while Communists have claimed to achieve equality and solida­rity, but at the expense of freedom.

17. The idea of democracy is based on the principles of freedom and equality. Therefore, equal rights for men and women - not only in theory, but also in practice, at work, in the family and in all areas of social life - are part of the socialist concept of society.
18. Democratic socialists strive to achieve equal rights for all races, ethnic groups, nations and denomi­nat­ions. These rights are seriously in question in many regions of the world today.
19. Forms of democracy of course may vary. However, it is only possible to speak of democracy if people have a free choice between various political altern­atives in the framework of free elections; if there is a possib­ility for a change of government by peaceful means based on the free will of the people; if individual and minority rights are guaran­teed; and, if there is an indepe­ndent judicial system based on the rule of law impart­ially applied to all citizens. Political democracy is an indisp­ensable element of a socialist society. Democratic socialism is a continuing process of social and economic democr­ati­sation and of increasing social justice.
20. Individual rights are fundam­ental to the values of socialism. Democracy and human rights are also the substance of popular power, and the indisp­ensable mechanism whereby people can control the economic structures which have so long dominated them. Without democracy, social policies cannot disguise the dictat­orial character of a govern­ment.
21. There can be no doubt that different cultures will develop their own instit­utional forms of democracy. But whatever form democracy assumes - nationally or intern­ati­onally - it must provide full rights for indivi­duals and for organised minority opinions. For social­ists, democracy is of its very nature pluralist, and this pluralism provides the best guarantee of its vitality and creati­vity.
22. Freedom from arbitrary and dictat­orial government is essential. It consti­tutes the precon­dition whereby peoples and societies can create a new and better world of peace and intern­ational cooper­ation - a world in which political, economic and social destinies will be democr­ati­cally determ­ined.

23. Democratic socialists have arrived at the definition of these values in many different ways. They originate in the labour movement, popular liberation movements, cultural traditions of mutual assist­ance, and communal solidarity in many parts of the world. They have also gained from the various humanist traditions of the world.
- But although there are differ­ences in their cultures and ideolo­gies, all socialists are united in their vision of a peaceful and democratic world society combining freedom, justice and solida­rity.
24. The national struggles for democratic socialism in the years to come will show differ­ences in policy and diverg­ences on legisl­ative provis­ions. These will reflect different histories and the pluralism of varied societies. Socialists do not claim to possess the blueprint for some final and fixed society which cannot be changed, reformed or further developed. In a movement committed to democratic self-d­ete­rmi­nation there will always be room for creativity since each people and every generation must set its own goals.
25. In addition to the principles which guide all democratic social­ists, there is a clear consensus among socialists on fundam­ental values. Despite all diversity, it is common ground that democracy and human rights are not simply political means to socialist ends but the very substance of those ends - a democratic economy and society.
26. Individual freedom and basic rights in society are the precon­ditions of human dignity for all. These rights cannot replace one another, nor can they be played off against each other. Socialists protect the inalie­nable right to life and to physical safety, to freedom of belief and free expression of opinion, to freedom of associ­ation and to protection from torture and degrad­ation. Socialists are committed to achieve freedom from hunger and want, genuine social security, and the right to work.
27. Democratic socialism also means cultural democracy. There must be equal rights and opport­unities for the different cultures within each society as well as equal access for everyone to the national and global cultural heritage.

28. Peace is the precon­dition of all our hopes. It is a basic value of common interest to all political systems and necessary for human society. War destroys human life and the basis for social develo­pment. A nuclear holocaust could spell the end of human life as we know it.
29. A lasting peace cannot be guaranteed through nuclear deterrence nor through an arms race with conven­tional forces. Therefore disarm­ament and new models of common security are impera­tive.
30. What is now essential is the achiev­ement, not merely of military stability at the lowest possible level of defensive weapon systems, but also a climate of mutual political confid­ence. This can be developed through cooper­ation on projects for our common future and a new emphasis on peaceful compet­ition between societies with different political, economic and social struct­ures.
31. Peace is more than the absence of war. It cannot be based on fear or on ephemeral goodwill between the Superp­owers. The fundam­ental economic and social causes of intern­ational conflict must be abolished by the achiev­ement of global justice and by the creation of new instit­utions for the peaceful resolution of conflicts around the world.
32. The establ­ishment of a New Intern­ational Economic and Political Order is an essential contri­bution to peace. This should involve respect for national sovere­ignty and the right to national self-g­ove­rnment, negotiated settlement of conflict, and suspension of arms supplies to the parties in conflict. There must be both global and regional systems for cooper­ation and peaceful conflict resolution in all parts of the world. These could be brought about through the action of the UN, comple­menting agreements between the Superp­owers.
33. Peace is equally a necessity within nations. Violent ways of handling conflicts destroy opport­unities for develo­pment and human rights. Education for peace and disarm­ament must be intens­ified.
34. The milita­ris­ation of relations between nations of the South has become a serious threat to the future of humanity, as are the tensions between East and West. In some cases the major powers, with their tendency to globalise conflict, have engaged in proxy struggles in countries of the South. In others, the arms merchants of both East and West have contri­buted to raising the level of violence in the South as they sought political advantage or profit. It is undeniable that every war in the past four decades has been fought in those regions of the world. Social, economic and other causes of conflict in the South must be elimin­ated.