Monitoring Policy Making at the United Nations |
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What Was New What's New
Week of August 25 - 29, 2008
Iraq Security Council Empire? Social and Economic Policy Nations & States UN Reform International Justice
Iraq
US Officers Killed Blindfolded Iraqis, Statements Say (August 27, 2008)
In March 2007, three noncommissioned US army officials blindfolded and handcuffed four Iraqi prisoners and then shot them. All three men confessed to the killings and gave evidence at an army evidentiary hearing in Germany in January 2008 but a US court has not yet charged the officers with murder. At the hearing in Germany, one soldier admitted, “"I'm ashamed of what I've done. When I did it, I thought I was doing it for my family. Now I realize that I'm hurting my family more now than if I wouldn't have done it." (International Herald Tribune)Iraqi Industrial Workers Strike and Sit-in over Pay Cuts (August 25, 2008)
The Iraqi Ministry of Finance (MOF) plans to reduce the salaries of those employed by the Ministry of Industry by 30 percent. The Federation of Workers' Councils and Unions in Iraq calls for sit-ins and strikes to protest this reduction and claims they will continue to strike until the MOF cancels the cutbacks. Iraqi labor unionists also call for an end to privatization and International Monetary Fund policies.Maliki Pushes for Troop Withdrawal Date (August 25, 2008)
Despite ongoing pressure from the Bush administration, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki has toughened his stance on a fixed date for the withdrawal of US troops. Mr. Maliki claimed the bilateral security agreement, between Iraq and the US, could not conclude unless it respects the sovereignty of Iraq and guarantees that “no foreign soldiers remain in Iraqi soil after a defined time ceiling.” US officials hope to secure immunity for US soldiers under the agreement, as well as maintain military bases within the country for the unforeseeable future. (New York Times)Security Council
Israel Pushes Ahead With Settlement Expansion (August 27, 2008)
A 2008 report by an Israeli human rights group Peace Now documents that Israel plans to expand its settlements in the West Bank, in spite of earlier promises to freeze all settlement growth. Peace Now says it has evidence that Israel plans to construct an additional 1,761 illegal housing units in the occupied east Jerusalem alone. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who normally firmly supports Israel, stated that the new settlements are negatively affecting the peace process. (Inter Press Service)Sierra Leone: Activists Cry Foul Over Mining Policy (August 26, 2008)
This Inter Press Service article states that mining deals between the government of Sierra Leone and diamond exporters are disadvantageous to local mining areas since the exporters only pay 0,75 percent of their profit to the local population. Sierra Leone set up a presidential task force in 2008 to review the country’s mining policies, but local civil society organizations argue that the task force fails to hold diamond exporters accountable for the exploitive contracts they force upon the government.Dead End in Burma for UN Envoy (August 21, 2008)
UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari visits Burma to discuss the release of political prisoners and the planned elections in 2010 with the Burmese junta government. This Mizzima article states that Gambari’s mission could fail since both the government and the detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi do not want to talk to him. Aung San Suu Kyi only wants to meet Gambari after he has spoken with a senior governmental official. However, despite this resistance Gambari remains committed to opening communication.Resolution 1831 (August 19, 2008)
The UN Security Council has unanimously decided to renew the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) for a period of six months. The resolution states that the full deployment of AMISOM will help facilitate the full withdrawal of non-African Union forces and help promote lasting peace and stability in the country. The Council has stated its willingness to consider an alternative peacekeeping force to take over from AMISOM, but this is depends on political progress and increased security.The Strategic Context: Peacekeeping in Crisis, 2006-2008 (July 22, 2008)
According to this Center on International Cooperation report, the UN has struggled with a series of crises in its peacekeeping operations because it has not been able to effectively utilize military, civilian, and financial resources. Some governments act in ways that inhibit the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations. Burundi, for example, demanded withdrawal of peacekeeping forces ahead of schedule. Also, the large number of active peacekeepers – more than 100,000 in 2008 - places a big burden on the UN.Empire?
The Russo-Georgian War and the Balance of Power (August 12, 2008)
The Russian invasion of Georgia reasserted Russia’s “great power status.” Russia was angered by the US reneging on previous agreements not to admit former Soviet republics, such as the Baltic States, into NATO. US support of the possible entry of the Ukraine and Georgia into NATO increased Russia’s fear of “Western encirclement.” In response, Russia decided to use its strengthened military to assert its influence in the region, and this Stratfor article argues that the US cannot respond militarily as it is stretched too thin in the Middle East.Social and Economic Policy
First Financing for Development Outcome Document Breaks Some New Ground But Misses Key Development Finance Issues (August 1, 2008)
World leaders will discuss the draft Doha Outcome Document on Reviewing the Implementation of the Monterrey Consensus in the run up to the November 2008 Financing for Development conference in Doha. This Eurodad article says that although the document addresses the challenges of food production and high energy prices, it fails to tackle issues of capital flight, official development aid and debt. For example, the document recognizes capital flight as a major roadblock for mobilizing domestic resources for development but, does not address tax evasions which are the main cause of the problem.An Era of Disparity (July 22, 2008)
Income inequality between the rich and the poor is accelerating. There are 500 billionaires worldwide, whereas 1.2 billion people live on less than a dollar a day. One-third of the 4.4 billion people who live in poor countries, do not have access to safe drinking water. The author says that the increasingly globalized economy unfairly allows a small percentage of the people to benefit. Instead, we should favor local workers and firms because a local economy would empower a greater majority of the world’s people. (Countercurrents.org)Reforming IMF and World Bank (July 16, 2008)
NGOs and some governments call on the IMF and World Bank to reform the conditions attached to their development aid. Instead of macroeconomic conditions, the European Commission advocates the use of outcome indicators that monitor the impact of development aid in poor countries. Governments will discuss the role of conditionality at the September 2008 High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Ghana. However, NGOs are skeptical of achieving any real breakthroughs because of the lack of response from the World Bank and IMF. (World Economy and Development in Brief)Nations & States
Indigenous People: US and Canada Guilty of Racism (August 7, 2008)
After 20 years of negotiations, the UN General Assembly passed the Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples in 2007, an act aiming to reconcile relations between states and their indigenous populations. But, the US and Canada voted against the declaration and continue to abuse indigenous rights to land claims. For example, the US exploits land belonging to the Shoshone tribe to secure gold mining. This Inter Press Service article argues that the general public needs to become more informed on these issues before real change can take effect in the lives of indigenous populations.The Death of Belgium? (July 29, 2008)
This Los Angeles Times article argues that the formation of Belgium resembled that of Britain and Italy, where leaders had to create a common national interest to promote internal unity and identity. However, as the European Union (EU) increases its political and economic strength, Belgians no longer share a national interest but rather a common regional - Flemish or Walloonian - interest. As a result, the author argues that regional language and culture matter more than national identity, and Belgium is in danger of splitting apart.UN Reform
A United Nations Parliamentary Assembly Could Drive Global Innovation (July 28, 2008)
This article calls for the creation of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA). The author claims support for the proposal is stronger than ever and advocates include former Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali. Boutros-Ghali stated that a UNPA "has become an indispensable step to achieve democratic control of globalization." The author believes the UNPA should consist of 900 elected representatives who speak for the world citizens. (Policy Innovations)International Justice
Complete Justice: Residual Functions and Potential Residual Mechanisms of the ICTY, ICTR and SCSL
The International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Rwanda (ICTR) and the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) will close by the end of 2010. The authors of this Hague Justice Journal article therefore discuss the possibilities of transferring the ongoing obligations of these courts to other institutions. These obligations include supervision of prison sentences, oversight of earlier convictions and witness protection. The writers also state that postponing the closing date of the tribunals is the best short-term option because it gives the courts extra time to assess long-term residual functions and mechanisms.Don’t Forget Yugoslavia (August 8, 2008)
Former prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia (ICTY), Carla Del Ponte, published her memoir ‘The Hunt: Me and War Criminals’ in 2008. Del Ponte argues that the US and the UK pressured her not to investigate the 1999 NATO bombing of Serbia and Kosovo. Both of these countries were worried that Del Ponte would reveal that the alleged genocide against ethnic Albanians by the Serbs, with was the underlying reason for the NATO member states to bomb Serbia and Kosovo, did not take place. (Information Clearing House)
