Monitoring Policy Making at the United Nations |
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What Was New What's New
Week of April 21 - 25, 2008
Iraq Security Council Empire? Social and Economic Policy NGOs Nations and States UN Reform UN Finance Secretary General
Iraq
Letter to the Security Council on the Issue of Detainees in Iraq (April 22, 2008)
On April 28, 2008, the Security Council will discuss Iraq and receive a report from the US on the Multinational Force (MNF). In anticipation of this debate, Global Policy Forum and International Federation for Human Rights call for greater attention to the extrajudicial and arbitrary detention of large numbers of Iraqis held by the MNF, including some 20,000 held in a vast prison camp in the southern desert.US Lawmakers Invested in Iraq, Afghanistan Wars (April 7, 2008)
According to this Inter Press Service article, over 25 percent of members of the US Congress have vested financial interests in the US occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. US lawmakers received anywhere from 15.8 million to 62 million dollars by investing in corporations granted contracts to work in the occupied countries. However, not all the firms deal in arms or military equipment. Corporations like Pepsico and Johnson & Johnson make soft drinks or medical supplies.Security Council
Sudan’s Oil Industry – Facts and Analysis (April 2008)
Oil drives conflict in Sudan, according to Fatal Transactions. The report notes that the Sudanese government undermines a peace-deal signed in 2005 between the North and South of the country by failing to move troops from oil producing areas in the South, and refusing to demarcate a border between the North and South that would evenly distribution oil fields. The author argues that state-owned oil companies from China, Malaysia and India perpetuate the conflict by providing the Sudanese government with military and financial support in exchange for drilling rights.Fuel Crisis Halts Gaza Food Aid (April 24, 2008)
Israel’s blockade of fuel supplies to Gaza prevents UN agencies from delivering humanitarian assistance to Gaza, according to the BBC. The report states that Israel has prevented the delivery of petrol to Gaza since March 18, and diesel since April 2. UN Assistant Secretary General Angela Kane says that if Israel does not reinstate supplies of the fuel, the UN will reduce sewage disposal services, close hospitals and stop food assistance to 650,000 refugees in the territory.Security Council Report Update: Small Arms (April 18, 2008)
The US blocks proposed UN Security Council action on small arms and light weapons control, according to Security Council Report. The US remains one of the largest exporters of these weapons, and the small arms industry is worth an estimated US$5 billion globally per year. The report shows that small arms and light weapons account for over half a million deaths a year, primarily in Africa.The Chad-Sudan Proxy War and the “Darfurization” of Chad: Myths and Reality (April 2008)
This report by Small Arms Survey notes that France uses an EU multilateral force (EUFOR) to protect its preferred ruler in Chad, Idriss Deby. The French justify the existence of the force by claiming EUFOR provides humanitarian relief to refugees affected by the conflict in Darfur. However, the author, Jerome Tubiana argues that France’s involvement in the force undermines the legitimacy of the UN, and places humanitarian workers at risk of attack. Rather than a military intervention in the conflict, Tubiana suggests that the UN establish peace talks between opposition groups in Chad and the government, as well as between Chad and Sudan.Climate Change: A Cause of Conflict? (January 2008)
Climate change exacerbates tensions over natural resources in poorer countries, warns Global Politics Magazine. The article notes that global warming reduces rainfall, which depletes fertile agricultural land and diminishes fresh water sources. These environmental changes will heighten competition for shared natural resources between different social groups, intensifying existing tensions. Therefore, the author urges that UN member states reduce their reliance on fossil fuels, and increase aid to the countries most affected by climate change.Report of the Secretary General on the Situation Concerning Western Sahara (April 14, 2008)
Despite the presence of a UN referendum mission in Western Sahara (MINURSO), there has been little progress towards the implementation of an independence poll in the country, says Ban Ki-moon. Morocco and the pro-independence Polisario Front remain deadlocked in negotiations over rival claims for the resource-rich region. Ban recommends that the Security Council extends the mandate for the peacekeeping mission, and urges the two parties to enter intensive and substantive negotiations over the details of implementing the poll.Empire?
In their presentations to a Global Policy Forum fundraiser, Ervand Abrahamian and John Burroughs helped to demystify the Iran crisis. Abrahamian, a Distinguished Professor at the City University of New York who has written about Iranian political prisoners, is a critic of the Islamic government. And Burroughs. Executive Director of the Lawyers' Committee on Nuclear Policy, is an ardent campaigner against nuclear weapons. But both speakers focused primarily on the danger of US intervention, including air attacks, destabilization, and engineered regime change as well as the related, alarmist Western media coverage of the country. The speakers talked about a manufactured “crisis,” with false claims about Iran’s threat to regional stability and world peace.How Come Zimbabwe and Tibet Get All the Attention? (April 17, 2008)
This Guardian article looks at why the US and UK decry human rights abuses in Tibet and Zimbabwe, yet barely pay lip service to election-rigging in the Middle East and “Africa’s worst humanitarian crisis” in Somalia. Double standards explain part, but not all, of the story. The author illustrates how the US and UK governments have had an influential hand in creating the Tibetan and Zimbabwean crises, and seek to cover their tracks.In the Sweep of History (July 2007)
US policy-makers justify “American imperialism” in the name of freedom as a “cloak” for aggressive national interest, Anatol Lieven argues. Yet, great powers can dispose of this “liberal imperialist” ideology and spread genuine and equitable democracy by embracing two traditionally opposed, but compatible, values: unflinching respect for state sovereignty on the one hand; and an appreciation of states’ internal social conditions on the other. For the US, Lieven urges, this requires a foreign policy that opens US markets to poor countries and offers them generous aid for domestic reform. (Boston Review)Yoo's Memo Hints at Bush's Secrets (April 6, 2008)
The Bush administration justifies broad “secret powers,” which violate both constitutional and international human rights law, with legal arguments that a small circle of lawyers have designed. Advisors like John Yoo claim that the principle of national “self defense” justifies harsh treatment of terrorist suspects both at home and abroad. This contradicts the US Constitution’s Fourth Amendment, which should protect citizens “against unreasonable searches and seizures,” and allows the government to monitor telephone calls without a court warrant. (Consortium News)Social and Economic Policy
An international research project consisting of 900 representatives from multilateral organizations, civil society, national governments, the private sector and scientific institutions has produced a report that evaluates the “relevance, quality and effectiveness of agricultural knowledge, science and technology” (AKST) on development. This summary of the International Assessment on Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) report concludes that small-scale farmers and their traditional agricultural knowledge should play a greater role in production. Also, the report criticizes genetic modification (GM) in agriculture, pointing out that research on long-term effects of GM is lagging behind. The study warns that patenting genetic modifications undermines local farming practices and concentrates the ownership of resources. (GreenFacts)Exposed: The Great GM Crops Myth (April 20, 2008)
Studies show that genetically modified (GM) plants do not produce higher yields than conventional plants. This lower productivity is due to two factors. First, in the time it takes to genetically modify a plant, better and stronger conventional ones can develop naturally. Secondly, it seems that the process of modifying itself suppresses productivity. These conclusions are a setback for those that insist GM is the key to solving world hunger. (Independent)Face It, We All Aren't Going to Become Vegetarians (April 18, 2008)
Biofuel production and livestock are important causes of the global food crisis. Both divert huge amounts of grain away from human mouths: 100 million and 760 million tons, respectively. The author states that consumers should eat as little meat as possible. He concludes that it seems surreal that while half the world might not have anything to eat at all, those in rich countries have endless choices and barely notice the global food crisis. “It is hard to understand how two such different food economies could occupy the same planet, until you realize that they feed off each other.” (AlterNet)A Man-Made Famine (April 15, 2008)
This article is highly critical of World Bank president Robert Zoellick’s calls for further trade liberalization as a response to the global food crisis. According to the author, trade liberalization is not the solution but the cause of the food crisis. The 2007-2008 food price rises have had such a severe effect on the world’s poor because of the trade liberalization the World Bank, World Trade Organization and the International Monetary Fund propagate. These policies limit social safety nets and public sector agricultural support, push small-scale farmers out of the market, and lead to the sale of grain stockpiles to service foreign debt. Consequently, there is no “buffer between price shocks and the bellies of the poorest people on earth.” (Guardian)A Time of High Prices: An Opportunity for the Rural Poor? (April 2008)
This Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy report argues that while high commodity prices – such as those of 2007 and 2008 – can potentially benefit farmers, this is not the case in the short-term. The immediate effects of high food prices are to place extreme stress on the urban and rural poor of net-food importing, low-income countries. The IATP urges trade ministers at the UN Conference on Trade and Development in Accra, 2008 (UNCTAD XII) to review three decades of commodity market liberalization critically and to take action to rebalance power relations in agricultural markets.NGOs
Trials of Muslim Charities Likened to a Witch-Hunt (April 21, 2008)
This article argues that the US government has undermined charity work through a tactic of “guilt by association” to target NGOs it suspects finance terrorism. US law criminalizes organizations that provide support for “specially designated terrorists”; yet federal statutes do not define this term. Therefore, the government may freeze the operations of whichever organizations it chooses, and treats these NGOs as guilty until they prove their innocence. (Inter Press Service)Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOS) and Third World Development: An Alternative Approach to Development (2002)
In regions like Sub-Saharan Africa, where governments and the private sector mutually fail to provide public goods, NGOs often step in to dispense services to marginalized groups. Through this NGO-led “third approach” to development, NGOs can alleviate poverty in an immediate fashion where corrupt elites seize government policy and market operations harm the poor. (Journal of Third World Studies)Nations and States
The Farce of Iraqi Sovereignty (March 2008)
This Guernica article argues that, since the US occupation, Iraq has lost its sovereignty. Both the US and Iraqi government try to present the appearance of autonomy for the country. However, several US policy decisions, such as the building of a wall around Sunni districts, show that the US undermines Iraq’s independent decision-making. Pointing out that a country’s constitution is a key symbol of its sovereignty; the author criticizes the US controlled drafting of Iraq’s constitution in 2005. He concludes that only complete withdrawal of occupation troops will give Iraq its independence back. (Guernica)Climate Refugees in Political Pass-the-Parcel (March 13, 2008)
Climate experts warn that the Pacific island nation Tuvalu will become inhabitable and eventually disappear as a consequence of rising oceans. The island’s government has approached Australia and New Zealand for help in gradually relocating its population. However, the consequences of climate change do not solely affect small island nations. Frank Biermann, professor at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, proposes that people start already moving away from dangerous coastal zones as a preemptive measure. (Reuters)UN Reform
One UN Pilots: Aligning UN Capabilities in Support of National Development (March 2008)
Eight pilot countries are hosting the UN initiative, “Delivering as One,” which aims at a more coherent UN development strategy through better cooperation of UN agencies. This article argues that agencies need more funding to reduce their heavy reliance on voluntary contributions. The article also warns that by focusing on quick results, governments will give priority to reducing costs rather than promoting development. (Stanley Foundation)The Establishment of the Human Rights Council (April 2008)
The UN Human Rights Council, established in March 2006, will investigate the human rights record of all member states every four years through the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). This inter-state mechanism only allows country representatives to question each other. Several NGOs feel that this prevents them from participating actively in the review process. UN officials disagree with this criticism, arguing that NGOs can contribute to the process by providing recommendations as part of country’s delegations. (Center for UN Reform Education)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
Debt of 15 Largest Payers to the Peacekeeping Budget: Table 2007
Secretary General
Dag Hammarskjold: “Virtuoso of Multilateral Diplomacy” – Former United Nations Secretary General (September 1991)
This article praises the work of former UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold, “an exceptional international leader.” According to the author, his background and education, but even more his personal qualities made him a great political figure. As to his view on the future of the United Nations, he insisted on preventive action rather than “corrective action.” He wanted the UN Charter to become a political reality. (UN Chronicle)
