The Athena Solution

Long ago in a civilization that had flourished like no other before and perhaps no other since, society was structured in a different fashion. Nations may have existed, but not in this civilization. No, here it was the city that ruled. The city was the center for everything.

The greatest of all these cities was Athens.

I mention Athens because the other day I thought of a way we can take lessons from the past and apply them to today.

We have two cities -- possibly more -- that are hot beds for terror and war. Both cities have long histories to be proud of, they are centerpoints for humankind. Unfortunately, the very thing that makes them ao important is what has made them so vulnerable.

The cities I mention are Baghdad and Jerusalem.

In both, fighting is going on right now over whose city it is. In Baghdad, the Sunnis Kurds and Shiites are battling, with American troops caught in the middle and not making things better. In Jerusalem, a two thousand year old battle over claims to the city has no end in sight.

So why not make them city-states?

Why not make them cities for all people?

Think about this: Jerusalem is a religious center for three major religions. There will always be some kind of fighting over it because of that. History has shown that humans are incapable of choosing peace when it comes to religion. So why not make the city of God truly a city of God?

Have no one own Jerusalem. Not Israel. Not Palestine. Not anyone else. Open the doors to everyone. And all its city residents can benefit. They can profit from the tourism. And, since a city-state is likely too small to defend itself from potential enemies that surround them, the United Nations will have a permanent station there -- a Swiss guard with M-16s and the backing of every nation on the planet to insure Palestine, Israel or others do not interfere with the city.

Can it work? Who knows? The residents can certainly profit and nothing seems to heal old wounds like comfort. Besides, is there a better solution?

Now, Baghdad is a city with a rich history as well. For centuries it was a center for learning. Why can't that happen again? There is Oxford in England, Cambridge in Massachusetts -- why not have Baghdad be the world's center for knowledge?

It only makes sense. The land that the city stands on was once the gateway for trade between East and West. Spices and silks came from India and China through the Middle East and on to the Mediterranean. Venetians and others traded for it with valuables from the European world. Because of this, places like Baghdad had a unique perspective of both worlds.

A cultural center for the world. Knowledge. Exploration. All in one city that sits along the famed waters of the Tigris River.

Like Jerusalem, make it a city-state. Take the power out of the hands of the religious enemies and put it into the hands of the residents. This will take more time than Jerusalem, as the city is war-torn and there are still elements within it that make it far more dangerous a place to begin such a lofty undertaking. But it can be done. And again, the residents can profit. And eventually students from all over the world can come to study there.

Maybe I'm just a dreamer. But I have yet to hear a better solution.

Maybe the citizens of Athens had it right.