Monitoring Policy Making at the United Nations |
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What Was New What's New
Week of March 17 - 21, 2008
Iraq Security Council Empire? Social and Economic Policy NGOs Nations and States Secretary General
Iraq
US/Iraq: "I Saw the Interrogator Waterboarding Him" (March 18, 2008)
This Inter Press Service article describes the Winter Soldier conference. Following a similar format to its 1971 Vietnam War predecessor, former soldiers recounted their horrific experiences in Iraq. The organizers, Iraq Veterans Against the War stated “The troops on the ground know this is an impossible task. Their commanders know this is an impossible task. This is not a war that can be won. It is an occupation that can only be ended."Five Years Later, a Hidden Crisis: Report of the IRC Commission on Iraqi Refugees (March 2008)
This report by International Rescue Committee (IRC) details the dire humanitarian crisis within Iraq and the very large number of refugees residing in neighboring countries. According to the report, Syria has one million Iraqi refugees and Jordan has over 750,000. IRC calls upon the international community, especially the US, to offer sufficient funding to these host countries and to ease the crisis by increasing resettlement, including within the US. IRC suggests the US government increase its proposed number of Iraqi admissions from 12,000 to 30,000 per year over the next four years.Iraq: Five Years and Counting (March 18, 2008)
As the war in Iraq enters into its sixth year, this Inter Press Service article describes the realities of life in Baghdad and disputes the claims by the Bush administration that the 2003 invasion has been a “successful endeavor.” The average Iraqi home has less than five hours of electricity a day, 70 percent of the population does not have access to safe drinking water and according to Oxfam four million Iraqis need emergency assistance. Over 4,000 US soldiers have died and thousands more are chronically injured. Despite all this chaos, the US continues to build an embassy in Baghdad “the size of the Vatican,” suggesting the US will remain for some time to come.Iraq: No Let Up in Humanitarian Crisis (March 8, 2008)
According to this report by the International Committee of the Red Cross, the occupation has created a critical healthcare crisis and divided families in Iraq. International humanitarian law requires that those involved in conflict “do everything possible to ensure that civilians, medical staff and medical facilities are not harmed.” Yet, the occupying forces have installed checkpoints, established curfews and contributed to a lack of safety, which cuts off Iraqi civilians from even the most basic healthcare.Iraq Opinion Poll (March 2008)
This poll by D3 Systems and KA Research Ltd. concludes that Iraqi citizens feel that the situation in their country remains dire and there is little hope for improvement. The most pressing problems facing Iraqi citizens are “poor electricity supply and unemployment.” The poll argues that the “the lack of security and safety” remains the largest threat and a majority of Iraqis blame the US military as the main cause of the deteriorated security situation.UN Assistance Mission for Iraq: Human Rights Report (July 1 – December 31, 2007)
This UNAMI human rights report addresses the increased problem of internally displaced persons and refugees in Iraq resulting from continued violence within the country. “As of December 2007, there were over 4.4 million displaced Iraqis worldwide, including some 2.5 million inside Iraq and about 1.9 million in neighboring countries.” Furthermore, multinational forces (MNF) refuse to release juvenile detainees even after the dismissal of their cases and forbid humanitarian agencies, including UNAMI, from gaining access to MNF detention facilities.Security Council
Updated Peacekeeping Tables and Charts for February
GPF’s updated tables and charts show peacekeeping data including; countries’ troop contributions, size of individual missions and the top ten troop contributors to UN peacekeeping operations.Countries' Troop and Other Personnel Contributions to Peacekeeping Operations - According to Size of Contributions: 2008
Countries' Troop and Other Personnel Contributions to Peacekeeping Operations - Listing Countries Alphabetically: 2008
Top Ten Contributors: 2005-2007
Size of Individual Peacekeeping Operations: 2008 Total Size of UN Peacekeeping Operations (Monthly Figures): 1993 - 2008
Beyond Sudan’s Latest North-South Crisis (March 13, 2008)
The United Nations remains “dangerously disengaged” in solidifying a North-South peace agreement in Sudan due to its preoccupation with the conflict in Darfur. In 2005, opposing factions the Sudan Liberation People’s Movement (SLPM) and the National Congress Party (NCP) signed a peace deal that ended civil war in Sudan. Yet, as the International Crisis Group reports, the UN has failed to follow up on this deal. As a result, the NCP refuses to move its troops from oil-producing areas of Sudan, and the SLPM has rearmed in protest. The report urges the UN to “re-engage robustly” to support the failing peace plan.Resolution 1804 (March 13, 2008)
The Security Council adopted Resolution 1804 regarding the continued presence of Rwandan armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Groups such as the Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda and the Interahamwe perpetuate violence in Eastern Congo to exploit the rich natural resources. The Resolution demands that the Rwandan armed groups lay down their arms, release all child soldiers and put an end to gender based violence.Burma’s Sham Constitution (March 12, 2008)
Despite claiming to accept a UN “road map to democracy”, the Burmese junta has created a draft constitution barring opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from standing for office. The document also allows the junta to appoint 110 out of 440 delegates in parliament. The article notes that the regime is able to ignore an international outcry against its human rights record due to political and financial support from China, India and Malaysia; and lucrative oil deals from companies in the US and France. (Guardian)The Gaza Strip: A Humanitarian Implosion (March 6, 2008)
This joint NGO report urges Israel to lift its blockade on Gaza. Describing the occupied territory as a “humanitarian implosion,” the article demonstrates that Gaza lacks basic health services and that 80 percent of its inhabitants rely on international aid for their livelihood. The report concludes that Israel’s blockade constitutes collective punishment of ordinary men, women and children, which is illegal under international law.Empire?
Evidence Doctored to Implicate Child Detainee: Lawyer (March 14, 2008)
In 2002, 15-year old Omar Khadr was arrested for allegedly throwing a grenade that killed a US soldier. Now 21, the US government is still detaining Omar at Guantanamo Bay. Preliminary hearings for Khadr’s trial before the US military commission began in February 2008 but his official trial will start in May 2008. During one pre-trial hearing, the defense revealed documents that show the US government has “manufactured evidence.” One report on the incident states that the person responsible for the killing was dead. This would rule out Omar Khadr as a suspect. An almost identical report, with the same date as the first, yet written two months later, stated that the grenade thrower did not die. (Toronto Star)The Rise of China’s Neocons (March 17, 2008)
This Newsweek article warns of a future bellicose China that will embrace Mao-influenced neocons as it becomes richer and more powerful. In the opposing camp, “liberal internationalists” hold the upper hand in Beijing as proponents of a China that respects international law and supports a benevolent “Chinese Dream.” The author argues, as China grows, an attack from the neocons – or “neocomms” – is mounting, which include key thinkers allied with the Ministry of Security who have the goal of “remaking the entire international order in China's image.” These hardliners have taken up the idea of multilateralism as a tool to project Chinese power and isolate the US.Is Iran Winning the Iraq War? (February 21, 2008)
The fall of Saddam has, paradoxically, established a regime closer to Iran than the US. This article from The Nation exposes the strategic role of Iranian political and economic influence in Iraq. Iran has poured money into Iraq on two fronts: first, to rebuild business and infrastructure; second, to finance Shiite militants like Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army. Tehran’s influence on sectarian violence has forced the US into a de facto alliance, acknowledging that “Iran has legitimate economic, political and diplomatic interests in Iraq.”Social and Economic Policy
Measuring Wealth by the Foot (March 16, 2008)
Many fear for a global recession, but the world’s billionaires are not worried. This New York Times article reports that billionaires are continuing a game of “one-upmanship” around who has the longest, most sophisticated yacht.High Food and Oil Prices Swelling Ranks of Hungry: WFP (March 6, 2008)
Due to a 40 percent price increase in the price of fuel and grain since mid-2007, the World Food Programme (WFP) has a $500 million budget shortfall. Josette Sheeran, head of the WFP, points to increases in oil and food commodity prices, the booming economies of China and India, bad harvests and droughts, and a shift to biofuels as the main causes of the budget deficit. She argues that governments must take swift action before the crisis leads to social unrest and malnutrition, pointing out that there have already been food riots in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Senegal and Morocco. (Associated Press)Women and the Right to Food: International Law and State Practice (2008)
This report concludes that there is a lack of clarity on women’s rights and women’s right to food. For instance, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is the main legal instrument for protecting women’s rights, yet it omits the issue of food security for women. Overall, many governments have improved the legal framework to uphold women’s Right to Food, but they have failed to translate this formal legal provision into real, substantive results. The report argues that Millennium Development Goals one (eradicate extreme poverty and hunger) and two (promote gender equality and empower women) go hand in hand. (Food and Agriculture Organization)NGOs
Resistance Is Futile - Or Is It? (March 19, 2008)
In 2003, peace activists made protest history with 100,000 people marching in San Francisco, 1 million in London and 3 million in Rome. But the US, UK and Italy still went to war. On the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq, this article concludes that the prophecies from the street were correct. War in Iraq has been nasty, brutish and long: “Iraq after the invasion isn’t a stable democracy or shining beacon to anyone in the new generation of jihadis Bush created.” The anti-war movement has succeeded in mobilizing a disenchanted public on a scale comparable to Vietnam War protests. (San Francisco Bay Guardian)Swindling by Fake NGOs (March 15, 2008)
Legitimate NGOs in Bangladesh struggle to preserve a pristine image whilst corrupt law enforcement agencies register fake NGOs as fronts for illegal operations. This Daily Star article identifies thirty illicit NGOs who swindle the poor in remote Bangladeshi villages and misappropriate foreign funds. Transparency International Bangladesh recommends that the government swiftly establishes an independent NGO commission.NGOs in China: Development Dynamics and Challenges (April 2007)
Chinese law bans social groups like migrant laborers and laid-off workers from forming NGOs. Government officials also disband NGOs they claim duplicate the work of others. Disabled people, for example, cannot form NGOs because of a government-initiated Disabled Persons’ Federation, even though a number of families in this study feel the Federation does not represent their interests. When individuals criticize restrictions on NGOs, the government appeases them with pay or silences them with threats. This paper argues that the state-society relationship in China wrecks the social utility of NGOs. (University of Nottingham China Policy Institute)The Global Links Initiative Story (March 11, 2008)
There are numerous NGOs in urban areas in China, but none can acquire non-profit status due to the lack of a legal framework. Without access to domestic funding, Chinese NGOs must rely on international aid. But as the Chinese economy develops, donor countries and foundations are decreasing their financial support. The absence of NGO help during the heavy 2008 snow storms in Southern China is a tragic consequence. This article by the executive director of Global Links Initiative looks to the emerging class of “new rich” Chinese philanthropists to remedy the domestic funding dilemma. (Policy Innovations)Nations and States
The Failure and Collapse of the African State: On the Example of Nigeria (September 2007)
J.E. Akuda, associate researcher at FRIDE, discusses how African states can avoid failure and collapse. European nation-building took centuries, but African countries gained independence only a few decades ago and will need more time to “mature.” More importantly, they will have to increase their internal revenues and reduce their reliance on external aid to create economic development. According to the author, this includes mainly raising taxes to create dependence of the government on the population instead of reliance on foreign donors.For Foreign Investors, Profit Isn’t Only Goal (March 16, 2008)
Thanks to 35 foreign investors, Jay Park ski resort in Vermont will get a new hotel in the fall of 2008. What is in it for these overseas funders, besides two weeks of free skiing? The US EB-5 program will grant them permanent green cards because they invest in a “job-creating business.” The program requires $500,000 and a two year commitment to the project. In contrast to the heavy restrictions on ordinary immigrants, the US government generously hands out green cards to those prepared to pay a lot of money for them. (New York Times)Secretary General
The New Face of Hunger (March 12, 2008)
In this article for the Washington Post, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon addresses the problem of high food prices. He identifies climate change and the increasing use of biofuels as the main causes. Ban also offers solutions to the food crisis, insisting that UN members increase funding for the World Food Programme and strengthen other UN agencies that work on hunger. As a longterm solution to world hunger he points out that “we must boost agricultural production.”
