Monitoring Policy Making at the United Nations |
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What Was New What's New
Week of February 11, 2008 - February 15, 2008
Iraq Security Council Empire? Social and Economic Policy Globalization Secretary General International Justice
Iraq
Delahunt Panel Examines US-Iraq Security Agreement (February 8, 2008)
In his opening statement, US Congressman Delahunt questions the motives and validity of a proposed US-Iraq security agreement. According to the Declaration of Principles, the US may remain indefinitely in Iraq. Delahunt insists that the Bush administration explain its intentions for remaining in Iraq and consult Congress before passing any further agreements involving Iraq. This hearing marks the third attempt by Delahunt to obtain such an explanation. (House Committee on Foreign Affairs)More Bombing Creates New Enemies (February 8, 2008)
According to this Inter Press Service article, recurring attacks on Iraqi villages reflect the failure of US military and foreign policy in Iraq. Soon after encouraging Iraqi residents to return to the area, the US military bombarded the Latifiya district, south of Baghdad, using bombers, F-16 jets and Apache helicopters. Fleeing civilians were also attacked from the air. The US rationalized the bombing by claiming it “suspected militant hide-outs, storehouses and defensive positions” in the area.MPs to Az-Zaman: We Demand Referendum over Relations with US... (February 5, 2008)
Iraqi members of Parliament demanded a public referendum and a vote over a “long-term cooperation and friendship agreement with the US” in hopes of preventing the development of permanent US military bases in Iraq. Seeking to attain independence for Iraq, the MPs further called for the government to turn down any requests for permanent bases. The Iraqi MPs face opposition not only from the Bush administration, but also from the pro-US factions within the government, which claim that the new agreement would help Iraq “regain its independence and sovereignty.” (Mideast Wire)Security Council
Why Blame China? (February 14, 2008)
This article, by Jonathan Steele, argues that Sudan is a multi-faceted conflict, and that within this context the various rebel forces must share the blame in the protracted violence. China has invoked criticism for its refusal to pressure the government to stop violence in Darfur, often seen as due to its oil interests in the region. However, Steele states, “to put the blame on only one party makes no moral or political sense,” and warns that the UN cannot impose peace in a complex political environment until all parties involved in the conflict lay down arms. (Guardian)Israel to Add Homes in East Jerusalem (February 13, 2008)
Israel has announced plans to build more than 1,100 apartments in disputed East Jerusalem, “triggering a new crisis in already troubled peace talks” this Associated Press report notes. The fate of the area is one of the sticking points of the Annapolis peace negotiations. Palestine hopes to establish an independent state that includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as their capital. A Palestinian negotiator claimed that any further construction severely threatens the chances of reaching a final peace accord. Israel captured the area in the 1967 war, and has since built homes for over 180,000 Israelis on the site.Australian Troops Rush to East Timor (February 12, 2008)
Australian troops have reinforced the UN mission of support to East Timor (UNMISET) following assassination attempts on President Jose Ramos-Horta and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao. The attacks prompted fears of new waves of violence, which has plagued the country, since its independence in 2002. The Security Council urged the government of Timor-Leste to bring those responsible for the “heinous act” to justice. (International Herald Tribune)In Search of Symbiosis: The Security Council in the Humanitarian Domain (March 2007)
This article, by Aurelio Viotti, analyzes the symbiosis between international security and humanitarian action by the Security Council. The author states that the merging of these two differing concepts has effectively blurred the distinction between the doctrines of just war theory and international humanitarian law. As a result, imprecise notions such as the “Responsibility to Protect” and “human security” threaten the impartiality of humanitarian action, as well as undermine one of the salutary political achievements of the Twentieth Century, the prohibition of the use of force within international relations. (International Review of the Red Cross)Somalia is Worst Humanitarian Crisis, UN Official (January 30, 2008)
Somalia is the “most pressing humanitarian emergency in the world – even worse than Darfur”, according to UNHCR representative Guillermo Bettocchi. Ongoing fighting between allied Somali-Ethiopian troops and opposing groups has caused endemic instability within the country, with over one million people internally displaced. The violence has also limited the distribution of aid and furthered attacks on NGO workers. With over 15% of the population described as “acutely malnourished,” Bettocchi calls upon UN member states to pressure all actors in Somalia to find a political solution to the violence. (AlertNet)Report of the Secretary General on the Status and Progress of the Negotiations on Western Sahara (January 25, 2008)
This report by Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon states that Morocco and the rebel group Frente Polisario remain deadlocked over rival claims for resource-rich Western Sahara. Ban notes that their positions remain “far apart” on ways to implement proposed Security Council resolutions, which call for a negotiated political solution to provide “self-determination of the people of West Sahara.”Report of the Secretary General on Ethiopia and Eritrea (January 23, 2008)
The Secretary General concludes in this report that there is continuous militarization along the Ethiopia-Eritrean border, including renewed mining and increased numbers of troops within the demilitarized Security Zone. He adds that the Eritrean Government has “severely hampered” the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) by restricting fuel supplies, arresting staff members and imposing flight restrictions on UN helicopters. Ethiopia also refuses to accept the delimitation of the border area, claiming that the UN backed Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission demarcation of 2002 has “no validity in international law.”Empire?
Taiwan's Peaceful Independence (February 4, 2008)
This China Post article argues that Taiwan could attain “peaceful independence” through a “unification referendum.” The author suggests that China design a plan, specifying the conditions of unification, which the people of Taiwan can then vote on. Using the British Empire and the US annexation of Texas as examples, the author concludes that China could adopt Taiwan “as a dominion first” and later include Taiwan in a “Chinese commonwealth”, together with “Tibet, Mongolia, Hong Kong, Macau and Xinjiang.”This Zeal for Intervention is Imperialism in New Clothes (February 13, 2008)
This article critiques the emerging trend of “liberal interventionism” and “engaged national interest” within international relations. Arguing that intervention mirrors moral imperialism, Simon Jenkins states that there is no justification for “ramming a system of governance down the throats of others.” Jenkins concludes that “a true democrat cannot abandon Voltaire’s respect for the autonomy of disagreement, let alone seek to crush it.” (Guardian)Social and Economic Policy
EU-India Free Trade Talks: In Whose Interest? (February 4, 2008)
“Official rhetoric” praises the free trade negotiations between the EU and India as occurring between two “allies.” In reality, the EU and India are extremely unequal partners, with India standing to gain much less from a free trade deal than the EU. The EU has supported India with development aid for decades, but this agreement on trade liberalization will “undermine poverty elimination, food security and social balance.” (World Economy & Development In Brief)Globalization
Universities Rush to Set Up Outposts Abroad (February 10, 2008)
This International Herald Tribune article reports on “university globalization,” referring to the trend of US universities creating campuses overseas. For instance, students in Doha, Qatar can pursue a degree in International Affairs from Georgetown University. This development raises a number of questions. Is it merely a way for more students to access higher education? Or is it another way to export US culture?2008: The Demise of Neoliberal Globalization (February 4, 2008)
Immanuel Wallerstein argues that in the global economic system, two main ideologies have always been “cyclically in fashion”- neoliberalism and Keynesian thinking. He argues that neoliberalism and the unrestrained market system it advocates have led to global financial turmoil. Consequently, the public and economic policy makers are moving back towards Keynesian and more socialist thinking. Wallerstein asks whether this shift in ideology will be able to restore economic order despite the damage done by neoliberal policies. (Yale Global)Secretary General
Under UN Chief, Koreans in Key Posts (October 21, 2007)
After Ban Ki-Moon became Secretary General in 2007, the number of South-Korean UN staff members rose from 54 to 66. Some find Ban guilty of favoritism. Are these Korean officials really appointed for their high qualifications, like the Secretary General says in his defense? Or is this his way of thanking the Korean government and UN mission for supporting his ascent to the job? (Washington Post)International Justice
Defending the ICC (May 2007)
This article responds to the heavy criticism on the ICC’s issue of arrest warrants for the leaders of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in Northern Uganda. Though many fear the warrants obstruct peace, the author argues that the threat of international prosecution is what keeps the peace talks going. In addition, he argues that if the Ugandan government compromises with the LRA on ICC prosecutions, while upholding their obligations as a signatory to the Rome Statute, this would not be a failure, but rather a significant step forward for the ICC. (Prospect Magazine)DRC/ICC: New War Crimes Suspect Arrested (February 7, 2008)
Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui, a militia leader in the Ituri district of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is the ICC’s third suspect in custody as of the beginning of February 2008. Human Rights Watch applauds this arrest, but maintains that the three rebel leaders now in custody “did not act alone” and that the ICC should investigate senior government officials as well.
