Monitoring Policy Making at the United Nations |
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What Was New What's New
Week of January 21 - 25, 2008
Iraq Security Council Empire? Social and Economic Policy
Globalization NGOs Nations and States UN Finance Secretary General
Iraq
Russian FM Urges Timetable for Foreign Troop Withdrawal from Iraq (January 23, 2008)
This China View article reports that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, stated that the withdrawal of the US-led coalition troops could "calm the situation down," promote national reconciliation and decrease the mortality rate.Surge to Nowhere (January 20, 2008)
Despite numerous efforts by the Bush administration to label the increased troop level a success, this Washington Post article concludes that the situation in Iraq proves worse now than ever before. Conditions in Iraq deteriorate with Iraqi households receiving only 12 hours of electricity a day. Corruption continues to rise as US officials offer bribes to Sunni insurgents, to temporarily reduce levels of violence. The US has succeeded, however, in ensuring that US troops remain in Iraq for the unforeseeable future.Iraq: Civilian Deaths Massive by Any Measure (January 11, 2008)
This Inter Press Service article highlights a joint survey by the World Health Organization and the Iraqi Ministry of Health that claims approximately 151,000 Iraqis have died between March 2003 and June 2006. Researchers found that violence was the leading cause of death for Iraqi men between 15 and 59 since the US-led invasion. The US government does not monitor Iraqi violence-related deaths and US President George Bush carelessly suggested that the Iraqi death toll was around 30,000.Security Council
Iran Sanctions Hit the Wrong Target (January 25, 2008)
Renewed Security Council sanctions against Iran will be 'ineffective' and have the potential to damage the legitimacy of the United Nations, this Asia Times article states. Questioning the 'poor logic' of the P-5 and Germany, Kaveh L Afrasiabi argues that targeted sanctions against Iranian individuals are unfair and lack rigorous enforcement mechanisms. Furthermore, toughened sanctions against Iran will accentuate the perception of the UN as an instrument of US foreign policy.Eastern Congo Peace Deal Signed (January 23, 2008)
A ceasefire has been signed in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo between armed groups led by General Laurent Nkunda and pro-government Mai Mai militia. UN peacekeepers will be deployed as part of the agreement. Africa analyst Muzong Kodi states that both the natural resources within the country and the impunity given to rival warlords as part of the peace deal could undermine the ceasefire process. (BBC)Israeli, Palestinian Envoys Trade Blame at the UN over Gaza (January 22, 2008)
UN Security Council members expressed "deep concern" over the humanitarian situation in the occupied territories. The US, however, thwarted any resolution condemning Israel for blocking food and fuel entering Gaza. While Israeli and Palestinian delegates traded blame over the crisis, Libyan Ambassador and January's Security Council President, Giadallah Ettalhi, stated that measures should be taken within the Council to protect the Palestinian civilian population from "attempts at genocide." (Haaretz)Empire?
Pentagon Vetoes Guantanamo Visit by UN Official (January 23, 2008)
The US administration will disallow a leading French human rights jurist and a UN expert on child soldiers from attending the hearing of the first child soldier ever tried for war crimes. In 2002, the US arrested the 15-year old Canadian citizen and sent him to Guantanamo Bay prison, in spite of many protests from human rights groups and child protection organizations. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child guarantees "special protection" for child soldiers, and consider them victims rather than assailants. But the US has never ratified the convention. (Canwest News Service)Intervention, Hailed as a Concept, Is Shunned in Practice (January 20, 2008)
In 2005, the UN General Assembly adopted the concept "Responsibility to Protect" (R2P). Since then, several institutions are launching research centers promoting the R2P concept and Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has created an assistant secretary general post on R2P. This New York Times article supports R2P but acknowledges that advocates have begun to discover that theory is not easily converted into practice. Moreover, some developing countries worry "that they could become targets of intervention."Social and Economic Policy
Europe, Cutting Biofuel Subsidies, Redirects Aid to Stress Greenest Options (January 22, 2008)
After the 2007 biofuels craze, European governments are rethinking their generous blanket subsidies for biofuels. Biofuels are not carbon-neutral, as the processing and fertilizing of crops for biofuels also produce carbon dioxide. An EU energy policy directive restricts imports of biofuels that place additional strain on the environment. (New York Times)One Practical Way to Improve The State of The World: Turn G8 Into G14 (January 24, 2008)
From the backdrop of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Timothy Garton Ash from the Guardian proposes that the G8 should become the G14, with China, India, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa and Indonesia as new members. The author feels that with this composition, the Group could become a representative 'concert of world powers' and an essential complement to a reformed UN.China Less Willing to Be America's Piggy Bank (December 22, 2007)
This New York Times article points out that China, a big financier of the US budget deficit, appears to be cutting back on its holdings of dollar-based securities. Since 2001, the US debt has grown by $1.7 trillion. Foreigners financed 75 percent - about $1.3 trillion - of this, with China alone holding $327 billion of the total US debt increase.World Bank Pledges to Save Trees, Then Helps Cut Down Amazon (January 17, 2008)
This Independent article reports that the World Bank vowed to halt deforestation in Bali last month, but is simultaneously funding the cattle ranching industry in the Amazon. This industry actually propels forest destruction, by cutting down large swaths of forest to make way for cattle. Research shows that the strain placed on the Amazon could wipe out the forest - the world's most important eco-system - by 2030.Save the Children's Experience with CERF in 2007 (June 2007)
Save the Children argues that excluding NGOs from direct access to CERF funding is the fund's main problem. As NGOs deliver the vast majority of humanitarian relief, exclusion from direct funding slows down the response to crises. In addition, this report proposes pre-approval procedures and project tracking systems to make the CERF more effective.Subprime: Tentacles of a Crisis (December 2007)
Senior IMF Financial Expert Randall Dodd explains in the IMF quarterly Finance and Development how problems in US subprime mortgages in 2007 led to worldwide financial turmoil. Dodd provides a historical and structural overview of the US mortgage market, showing how a blurry system of poor regulation and fraudulent practices developed in the 20th century.Follow-Up to and Implementation of the Outcome of the International Conference on Financing for Development (August 10, 2007)
This report by the Secretary General evaluates the agreements made at the International Conference on Financing for Development in Monterrey, Mexico, March 2002. The report evaluates progress on all six core areas of the conference's outcome document: the Monterrey Consensus. The areas of concern will most likely be top of the agenda at the Second Conference on Financing for Development in Doha, Qatar, 2008.Plan B - How to Stop Global Warming (January 4, 2008)
In his book - Plan B 3.0 - the President of the Earth Policy Institute Lester Brown outlines "an all-out response proportionate to the threat that global warming presents to our future." One element of Brown's plan involves a "worldwide carbon tax," modeled after cigarette taxes. This article points out that Brown's proposals make use of existing technologies, suggesting that the "real battle over climate change is now political, not technological." (Time)Europe Takes Africa's Fish and Boatloads of Migrants Follow (January 14, 2008)
This New York Times article discusses the issue of overfishing along northwest Africa's coast. Major fish populations are collapsing, though it is unclear who should take the blame; the heavily subsidized fishery fleets from the European Union or the region's own governments. This article points out that all too often the long-term benefits of protecting biodiversity take a backseat when governments stand to earn much-needed millions by allowing foreign exploitation of their natural resources.Globalization
Globalization's Positive Power (January 8, 2008)
According to Nobel laureate and economist Joseph Stiglitz, globalization can have a positive outcome, but only if developing countries are able to "take advantage of globalization, rather than be taken advantage of." He points out that India and China have resisted US pressure for neoliberal reforms such as the privatization of state assets and have created "stronger societies" by doing so. (New Statesman)NGOs
Western Humanitarianism or Neo-Slavery? (November 7, 2007)
In October 2007, Chadian authorities arrested European NGO workers for kidnapping more than 100 children they falsely claimed were Sudanese orphans. In light of this scandal, UNESCO Chair in Human Rights, Professor Amii Omara-Otunnu critically assesses "Western humanitarianism" and the role of NGOs in Africa. Omara-Otunnu argues that "little has changed since the mid nineteenth century," when Christian missionaries viewed African people as lesser human beings who needed to be saved through European colonization. (Black Star News)Accountability in Complex Organizations: World Bank Responses to Civil Society (October 2007)
For decades, NGOs have criticized the World Bank for primarily representing the interests of rich countries and obstructing development in poor countries. This Harvard Business School paper argues that NGO campaigns have succeeded in bringing some accountability to the Bank. For example, citizens can now report World Bank violations of social and environmental safeguards to a complaint mechanism. But, the report calls the reforms "cosmetic" as the Bank has not reformed its core structures and policies.Nations and States
Jersey Presses the Self-Destruct Button (October-December, 2007)
In the 1970s and 80s, politicians in the island of Jersey turned the British Chanel territory into a center for offshore financial services. The financial services industry created impressive economic growth for the last three decades. But the dark sides of this growth are now starting to show. Locals live in poverty and tourism is decreasing. (Tax Justice Network)UN Finance
US vs. Total Debt to the UN: Table: 2007
US vs. Total Debt to the UN, 1996-2007: Graph: 1996-2007
Regular Budget Payments of Largest Payers: Table: 2007
Regular Budget Assessments & Payments: Table: 2007
Payments Due to the UN for Peacekeeping Accounts: Table: 2007
Who Will Pay for UN Reform? (November 7, 2006)
This article looks at proposals to fund key UN reform initiatives to upgrade the UN's computer system and improve field staff benefits. Japan has proposed that all permanent Security Council members should pay at least 3 - 5 percent of the regular budget, which would require Russia and China to increase their contributions. As the second largest contributor to the regular budget, Japan hopes that its big purse would increase its chances of gaining a permanent seat in the Council. The EU also supports raising the contributions of China and Russia, arguing that these countries should pay a greater share. (UNA-USA)Secretary General
Needed at the UN: More Secretary, Less General (June 24, 1996)
In this article by the conservative Heritage Foundation, author James Phillips urges the Clinton administration to veto Boutros Boutros-Ghali's bid for a second term as UN Secretary General. Philips criticizes the Secretary General for his "utopian goals such as 'eradicating poverty'" and for expanding the UN's peacekeeping work. The article argues that the next Secretary General should get the UN "out of the foreign aid business altogether" and promote "free-market economic policies" and "property rights."
