text:
Census COVID "Pulse" Surveys
Normative Narratives Manifesto
NYT Coronavirus Tracker
State of the Labor Market
Tax Justice Now
The Democratic Party: Areas of Potential Compromise
The Democratic Party: Red Line Issues
Trump Deregulation Tracker
Normative Narratives
Tag Archives: R2P
by bzupnick	3 Comments
Conflict Watch: RIP R2P, International Humanitarian Law
Warplanes level a hospital in the rebel-held half of Aleppo, Syria, killing one of the city's last pediatricians. A Saudi-led military coalition bombs a hospital in Yemen. In Afghanistan, American aircraft pummel a hospital mistaken for a Taliban redoubt.
The rules of war, enshrined for decades, require hospitals to be treated as sanctuaries from war — and for health workers to be left alone to do their jobs.
But on today's battlefields, attacks on hospitals and ambulances, surgeons, nurses and midwives have become common, punctuating what aid workers and United Nations officials describe as a new low in the savagery of war.
On Tuesday [5/3], the Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution to remind warring parties everywhere of the rules, demanding protection for those who provide health care and accountability for violators. The measure urged member states to conduct independent investigations and prosecute those found responsible for violations "in accordance with domestic and international law."
But the resolution also raised an awkward question: Can the world's most powerful countries be expected to enforce the rules when they and their allies are accused of flouting them?
The failure to uphold decades-old international humanitarian law stems from the failure to uphold a more recently established principle–the Responsibility to Protect (R2P)–which states:
Sovereignty no longer exclusively protects States from foreign interference; it is a charge of responsibility where States are accountable for the welfare of their people.
The State carries the primary responsibility for protecting populations from genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing, and their incitement;
The international community has a responsibility to encourage and assist States in fulfilling this responsibility;
The international community has a responsibility to use appropriate diplomatic, humanitarian and other means to protect populations from these crimes. If a State is manifestly failing to protect its populations, the international community must be prepared to take collective action to protect populations, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.
To be fair, the rise of non-state actors (terrorists) in conflict has made it harder to uphold humanitarian law–these parties do not play by the rules. But typically poor governance is a cause of terrorism, not a result of it. Regardless, the R2P is focused on the role of the state; if the R2P should be invoked when a state fails to protect its population from war crimes, how then can it not be invoked when the state is the primary perpetrator of such crimes?
Failure to uphold the R2P has enabled the current hurting stalemate in Syria, so rife with violations of international humanitarian law that we no longer bat an eye when a story comes across our news feed. You may be asking what exactly is International Humanitarian Law? What is human rights law? There is a lot of overlap, so a quick crash course:
International humanitarian law is also known as the law of war or the law of armed conflict.
It is important to differentiate between international humanitarian law and human rights law. While some of their rules are similar, these two bodies of law have developed separately and are contained in different treaties. In particular, human rights law – unlike international humanitarian law – applies in peacetime, and many of its provisions may be suspended during an armed conflict.
International humanitarian law protects those who do not take part in the fighting, such as civilians and medical and religious military personnel.
Essentially, international humanitarian law exists to protect certain human rights of non-aggressors in conflict zones. Human rights are broader (economic / social, political / civil, cultural), and are also applicable during times of peace. Upholding human rights obligations is the key to preventing conflict (positive peace), upholding humanitarian law is meant to protect people's rights when prevention fails.
It is not my contention that, absent the R2P, we would not see such blatant violations of international humanitarian law. The R2P was crafted in response to the realities of modern warfare, which is dominated by protracted social conflicts (as opposed to the interstate wars of old). The R2P is a positive, an innovation in international governance, but it has proven itself toothless. When the international community fails to adequately respond to the greatest violations of the R2P (when states themselves are the perpetrators of war crimes and violate international humanitarian law), it enables new conflicts to emerge and existing ones to fester by signaling that at the end of the day, when there are no other options but the use force, state sovereignty still trumps human rights. The R2P was just the naming of the beast–you still have to slay it.
Early detection of human rights violations through the U.N.'s Human Rights Upfront (HRuF) initiative and a greater focus on preventative peacebuiding are important advancements in international governance. But when a ruler is willing to plunge his country into civil war to hang onto his rule, the R2P must be there to counter him. The R2P should be the mechanism through which we alter the war calculus of such tyrants. Without this deterrent, the effectiveness of HRuF and preventative peacebuilding initiatives are severely curtailed.
The playbook for tyrannical rulers to resist democratic movements has been laid out by Assad–plunge your country into civil war, wait for terrorists to fill the power void of your failed state, and position yourself as the only actor who can fight the terrorists.
Then, when the international community calls for a political transition to end the fighting, the very parties that went to war to resist the will of the people (In this case Russia, Iran, and Assad himself)–parties with zero democratic credentials themselves–have the gall to invoke the idea of self-determination / respecting the will of the people.
This perversion of the concept of self-determination is particularly infuriating, given the incredible damage caused by an initial unwillingness to even engage the peoples democratic aspirations with dialogue instead of violence. Even if such calls did represent a legitimate pivot towards democratic values (which they most certainly do not), of course no meaningful election could ever take place in a war-zone.
Combined with current external realities–budget strained and war weary democracies are (for various reasons) not as committed in the fight for democracy as authoritarian regimes are against it–a tyrant will more often than not be able stay in power, at a huge cost to the people, the country, and the region.
This message–that the purported global champions of democracy and human rights cannot be counted on to support you (while the governments you oppose, which have the military advantage to begin with, will get significant external help)–is the only thing that can stem the tide of global democratization. This cannot be the message (that through our actions) the U.S and E.U. sends to people with democratic aspirations. Democratization is the only path towards modernization and sustainable development–it is truly "the worst form of government, except for all the others" as Winston Churchill famously stated.
Which is why I call for more military spending by wealthier democracies (and more evenly distributed, America should cut back) and U.N.Security Council reform. Acting preventatively is always the best option, when it is still an option. But when prevention fails, we cannot simply throw our hands up an say "oh well, prevention is not an option, guess there is nothing we can do." In the face of slaughter, words ring hollow and inaction carries a cost as well.
Categories: Blog Posts, Conflict Watch | Tags: conflict, democracy, Human Rights, Human Rights upfront, humanitarian law, ISIS, POsitive Peace, Preventative Peacebuilding, R2P, Syria, UNSC | Permalink.
by bzupnick	Leave a comment
Transparency Report: Europe's Predictable and (Partly) Self-Inflicted Refugee Crisis
The European Refugee Crisis did not come out of nowhere. In fact, for anybody who follows international affairs, it is an inevitable result of a failure of leadership, shared responsibility, and vision in global security. For the past 70 years, America has been the guarantor of global security for countries seeking to promote democracy and human rights. For many decades this strategy either worked, or we lacked the communications technologies to know that it did not.
However, the decline of the inter-state war (thanks in large part to the economic interdependence and institutions engineered by America post-WWII) and rise of civil wars / non-state (terrorist) actors have led to much more protracted conflicts. The costs of modern warfare, exemplified by America's "War on Terror", have left America war-weary and financially strained–the era of "Team America, World Police" is over. This does not mean America should pull back from its extra-territorial human rights obligations, it means that countries that share our values must begin to pull their weight.
These sentiments were recently shared in a statement by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon:
"Let us also remember: the high number of refugees and migrants are a symptom of deeper problems – endless conflict, grave violations of human rights, tangible governance failures and harsh repression. The Syrian war, for example, has just been manifested on a roadside in the heart of Europe."
Mr. Ban said that in addition to upholding responsibilities, the international community must also show greater determination in resolving conflicts and other problems that leave people little choice but to flee. Failing that, the numbers of those displaced – more than 40,000 per day – will only rise.
"This is a human tragedy that requires a determined collective political response. It is a crisis of solidarity, not a crisis of numbers," the Secretary-General declared.
Thomas Friedman, who is by no means a war hawk, had a surprisingly hawkish outlook on the wars of the Middle East and their subsequent refugee crises in his most recent NYT Op-Ed:
Since World War II, U.S. foreign policy has focused on integrating more countries into a democratic, free-market world community built on the rule of law while seeking to deter those states that resist from destabilizing the rest. This is what we know how to do.
But, argues Michael Mandelbaum, author of the forthcoming "Mission Failure: America and the World in the Post-Cold War Era": "There is nothing in our experience that has prepared us for what is going on now: the meltdown of an increasing number of states all at the same time in a globalized world
Your heart aches for the Syrian refugees flocking to Europe. And Germany's generosity in absorbing so many is amazing. We have a special obligation to Libyan and Iraqi refugees. But, with so many countries melting down, just absorbing more and more refugees is not sustainable.
If we're honest, we have only two ways to halt this refugee flood, and we don't want to choose either: build a wall and isolate these regions of disorder, or occupy them with boots on the ground, crush the bad guys and build a new order based on real citizenship, a vast project that would take two generations. We fool ourselves that there is a sustainable, easy third way: just keep taking more refugees or create "no-fly zones" here or there.
Will the ends, will the means. And right now no one wants to will the means, because all you win is a bill. So the world of disorder keeps spilling over into the world of order. And beware: The market, Mother Nature and Moore's law are just revving their engines. You haven't seen this play before, which is why we have some hard new thinking and hard choices ahead.
Obviously the first option–isolating these regions of disorder–is not really an option at all. Pursuing this option would lead to untold human suffering and stifle innovation, trade, and economic growth. Furthermore, these regions of disorder will not simply leave us alone, as evidenced by 9/11, the 2004 Madrid Train bombings, and more recent "lone wolf" terrorist attacks around the world.
One of the great challenges of the 21st century for the global community, therefore, is to establish a fair, equitable, and financially sustainable system for promoting economic development, "positive peace", and conflict prevention. The UN Security Council must be reformed, in order to allow the "Responsibility to Protect" to fulfill it's promise and respond to conflicts in a decisive and timely manner.
The Syrian civil war is a case-in-point of what happens when the international community is unwilling to dedicate the necessary resources to stemming a conflict before it gets out of control.
There are many considerations when assessing the true cost of war, aside from the obvious financial cost of intervention and casualties. Other less obvious costs include damage to the "host" country (physical damage, lost economic output, the cost of post-conflict reconstruction) and psychological and human development costs to civilians in the "host" country–surely war is not to be rushed into or taken lightly.
But despite all these costs, the use of force must remain as a deterrent; war might be costly for society as a whole, but it can still be very profitable for authoritarian governments and terrorist groups. Given Europe's relative wealth and proximity to the Middle East / North Africa, it's role in global security and defending human rights abroad has been feeble. Germany is leading the European campaign to house refugees, but as Friedman and Ban point out, treating the symptom and not the cause is not a sustainable solution.
The U.S. more than does it's part in fighting these wars, but despite good intentions our track record is far from perfect–both intervention and non-intervention in past decades have had disastrous effects. When the U.S. military is the only show in town, "debates" on the proper course of action devolve into an echo-chamber of American ideas, and any ensuing missteps–be they to act or not to act–are amplified.
Russia, China, and Saudi Arabia will not defend democratic principles. India, while democratic, is inherently non-interventionist. Japan, for it's part, is beginning to pivot towards playing a greater role in global security. However, when examining countries military capabilities and their ideologies, it is obvious that there is no substitute for Europe (led by Germany) playing a larger role in promoting democracy and human rights abroad, including through the use of force when necessary.
One would hope that the daily influx of thousands of conflict-driven refugees, in addition to a resurgent Russian military, would kick the Europe military machine into gear. Failure to do so does not promote peace or fiscal responsibility, it is a short-sighted and cowardly approach to governance, and one the world cannot afford.
Categories: Blog Posts, Conflict Watch | Tags: America, Ban Ki-moon, conflict, democracy, Europe, Global Security, Human Rights, Middle East, R2P, refugee crisis, Terrorism, UNSC, war | Permalink.
by bzupnick	1 Comment
The Evolution of the Post-WWII International Order
As representatives from the IMF, World Bank, and the G20 converged on Washington last week, there was a sense that America may be losing its position as the main guarantor of international order:
As world leaders converge here for their semiannual trek to the capital of what is still the world's most powerful economy, concern is rising in many quarters that the United States is retreating from global economic leadership just when it is needed most.
Washington's retreat is not so much by intent, Mr. Subramanian said, but a result of dysfunction and a lack of resources to project economic power the way it once did. Because of tight budgets and competing financial demands, the United States is less able to maintain its economic power, and because of political infighting, it has been unable to formally share it either.
Other experts and historians, however, say too much can be made of the moment. Walter Russell Mead, a professor of foreign affairs at Bard College, noted that the rise of China as an economic force was inevitable, and that its establishment of a rival lending institution was far different from the international behavior of the Soviet Union and communist Chinese during the Cold War.
Then, he said, America's rivals were trying to destroy and replace the economic order established by the United States and Britain after World War II. Now, emerging powers are emulating it, however imperfectly.
Sure other countries have risen in prominence since America stood as the lone super-power after the Cold War, but has this really resulted in America's decline? I would argue that building up strong allies to help promote America's vision of international order–one based on democracy, human rights, economic and defensive interdependence, and more recently environmentally sustainable economic development–was exactly why the U.S. took the lead in setting up the United Nations and the Brenton Woods Institutions (the World Bank, IMF, and GATT).
Therefore, in assessing America's influence over international order, we should consider how these institutions have evolved. While they were all conceived with the best of intentions, good intentions do not always lead to good outcomes. Have these institutions been able to learn from their mistakes and make meaningful contributions to maintaining international order? Lets consider them on a case by case basis:
The International Monetary Fund (IMF):
The IMF was originally conceived to promote currency stability and help countries overcome short-term balance of payments issues. But as technological advances made the world smaller, the IMF took on a much larger mandate, and began extending loans to help developing countries modernize. The so called "Washington Consensus" linked development loans to "ex-post" (after the fact) conditions such as hitting fiscal targets (reducing the size of government) and liberalizing trade.
While these policies by and large do promote growth in already developed countries, they ignored the historic lessons of the world's developed countries. Every advanced country relied on some degree of protectionism to cultivate its own industries and government spending to build both physical infrastructure and a skilled workforce as it modernized.
The "Washington Consensus" programs did not allow for policy space based on the historical experiences and current realities in the countries they intended to help. As I have often written, economics–particularly development economics–is highly context-sensitive; the "Washington Consensus" was simply to rigid and narrow-sighted to work.
The "Washington Consensus" was a consensus failure, and left many countries worse off than before they accepted this "help" (see "the lost decade" in Latin America). Thankfully the IMF abandoned this flawed set of policies.
The failure of the Washington Consensus led to IMF to reconsider how it does business–the "conditionality" attached to its loans. Instead of relying on a rigid set of targets a country must meet in order to continue to receive support, the IMF now focuses on pre-set "ex ante" conditionality. If a country has a sound macroeconomic position, it can tap into IMF financing while maintaining the policy space needed to address the needs of its citizens (and ultimately maintain its legitimacy).
The IMF will have to deal with the specter of the Washington Consensus for some time, but going forward it has evolved in meaningful ways.
The World Trade Organization (WTO):
The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) officially became the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1995. The WTO sets rules for global trade and provides a forum for airing grievances. With membership covering 96.4% of global trade and 96.7% of global GDP, the WTO is unquestionably an important institution.
Critics often argue the WTO is ineffective, but any organization whose stated goal is the resolve international trade disputes is by definition going to be contentious. I would argue that the WTO has helped keep trade disputes trade disputes, and that without it many of these disputes could have ended in armed conflict.
In recent years, international trade news has been dominated by two proposed regional agreements, the trans-pacific partnership (TPP) between the U.S. and Asian economies, and the trans-atlantic trade and investment partnership (TTIP) between the U.S. and Europe.
There is no consensus as to whether regional free trade agreements (FTA) such as these undermine the global free trade movement, or if they are building blocks towards this goal. But one thing is for certain–free trade agreements create winners and losers. The winners tend to be the wealthy who are positioned to benefit from greater market access; the losers tend to be wage earners.
In the context of political dysfunction and simmering class-warfare in America and beyond, it is necessary that policies to transfer some of the gains from the "winners" to protect the "losers" of any FTA are baked into the agreements themselves. The ability of governments to address the inequality and environmental impacts of any FTA will greatly affect its historical legacy.
The United Nations (UN):
The United Nations is arguably the most important of the international institutions. In addition to providing a forum for countries to address one another, the UN also serves a global policy adviser, giving it the strongest normative mandate of any of these organizations.
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are 8 specific goals whose intent is to guide the trajectory of the developing world. The successes of these goals has been uneven–some countries have a great record, while others not so much. As these goals are set to expire at the end of 2015, they are commonly viewed as beneficial but imperfect. Their successors, the Post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), aim to build on their successes while learning from their short-comings.
There are a number of ways the SDGs deviate from the MDGs. For one, they are much more inclusive and consultative. Seen as being drafted behind closed doors by the global elite, the MDGs were hampered from the start. Conversely, the SDGs are being drafted with input from numerous thematic and national consultations with the very people they are intended to benefit.
There is also greater emphasis on the roles of various stakeholders (governments, private sector, NGOs, civil society, and international organizations) with regards to both financing the agenda and being accountable for their operations in the developing world. "Who Will Be Accountable?" highlights these common but differentiated responsibilities, providing general guidelines for holding those who violate the SDGs accountable.
Between the launch of the Post-2015 Development Agenda (the SDGs) and the 2015 UN Climate Conference in Paris (which is expected to result in the first universal global climate treaty), 2015 will prove to be a pivotal year for sustainable human development initiatives.
One area the U.N. has not reformed sufficiently is in promoting global security. Given that security is a necessary precondition for sustainable human development, the significance of this shortcoming cannot be understated.
Nowhere has this problem been more acute than in the Middle East, where armed conflict has left 1 in 4 children out of school, led to immeasurable economic, physical, and psychological damage, and has completely overwhelmed the international humanitarian assistance network. The inability to protect children is especially alarming, as it plants the seeds for future conflicts.
The United Nations needs to respond more decisively against regimes that commit gross human rights violations. The concept of national sovereignty is meant to protect a country from outside invasion, not act as a shield for human rights abusers.
The Responsibility to Protect (R2P) was supposed to put peoples rights before national sovereignty, but it has proven to lack the teeth needed to provide meaningful protection. The need is clear, as I have called for in the past, for the UN General Assembly to have a mechanism for overruling UN Security Council vetoes. Such a reform would give the R2P the power it needs to fulfill its important mandate to prevent / end gross human rights violations.
The World Bank Group (WB):
The World Bank Group is responsible for financing development projects in the developing world. While its existence has been a "net benefit" for developing countries, the World Bank has had issues enforcing "good governance" standards on its projects, often resulting in adverse consequences for the worlds most vulnerable people:
The World Bank regularly fails to enforce its own rules protecting people in the path of the projects it bankrolls, with devastating consequences for some of the poorest and most vulnerable people on the planet, a new investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, The Huffington Post and more than 20 other media partners have found.
The investigation's key findings include:
Over the last decade, projects funded by the World Bank have physically or economically displaced an estimated 3.4 million people, forcing them from their homes, taking their land or damaging their livelihoods.
The World Bank has regularly failed to live up to its own policies for protecting people harmed by projects it finances.
The World Bank and its private-sector lending arm, the International Finance Corp., have financed governments and companies accused of human rights violations such as rape, murder and torture. In some cases the lenders have continued to bankroll these borrowers after evidence of abuses emerged.
Ethiopian authorities diverted millions of dollars from a World Bank-supported project to fund a violent campaign of mass evictions, according to former officials who carried out the forced resettlement program.
From 2009 to 2013, World Bank Group lenders pumped $50 billion into projects graded the highest risk for "irreversible or unprecedented" social or environmental impacts — more than twice as much as the previous five-year span.
Days after ICIJ informed the World Bank that the team's investigation had found "systemic gaps" in the bank's enforcement of its "social safeguard" rules, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim acknowledged "major problems" with the bank's resettlement policies and vowed to seek reforms.
Being a "net benefit" for the developing world is not a high enough standard for the World Bank, it must adopt a "do no harm" principle in all its projects. To achieve this goal, the World Bank should emulate the UN in consulting with those who will be affected by their projects.
The World Bank has an important role to play in promoting the SDGs, but first it must get its own house in order.
Some may point to the recent rise of parallel international organizations such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the New Development Bank (NDB) as further signs of the deterioration of an American led international order. Indeed, there are serious governance questions these institutions must address, lest they be counter-productive in the pursuits of promoting peace and eradicating extreme poverty.
It would be most constructive to have the UN promote these values (accountability, good governance, etc.) to emerging international institutions, not the US. The UN has international legitimacy; the same message coming from the UN would likely be much more well received.
US-centric international organizations are free to work with these parallel institutions or not, and their positions can evolve as these new institutions reveal their values through their actions. But as professor Walter Mead aptly points out, these institutions are not challenging America's Post WWII vision of international order, they are doubling-down on it. As the saying goes, imitation is the greatest form of flattery.
Categories: Blog Posts, Conflict Watch, Economic Outlook, Green News, Transparency Report | Tags: accountability, AIIB, brent woods, corruption, democracy, Human Rights, IMF, mdg, R2P, sdg, Sustainable Development, TPP, TTIP, UN, washington consensus, WB, WWII | Permalink.
Conflict Watch: Bringing Democracy To The U.N.S.C.
The Syrian Civil War has raged for over 3 years and claimed an estimated 150,000 lives, with no sign of abating. During this time, reports from Syria have documented every violation of humanitarian law and human rights norms imaginable, including: the targeting of civilians, including children, in armed combat; mass displacements; the use of chemical weapons / "barrel bombs" / other indiscriminate means of killing; kidnappings / torture / forced disappearances; and the reemergence of Polio to name a few. The International Community, led by the U.N., has been powerless to stop these horrific acts:
The United Nations on Tuesday rejected calls for it to deliver humanitarian aid across borders into Syria without the approval of the government in Damascus, saying such operations would be possible only under a stronger U.N. Security Council resolution.
"It's the longstanding and consistent position of the United Nations that consistent with its charter … the organization can engage in activities within the territory of a member state only with the consent of that government of that state," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday.
"The only exception is where the Security Council has adopted a binding resolution under Chapter 7 of the (U.N.)Charter, authorizing the organization to act without the government's consent," he said.
Diplomats also said Moscow would likely be opposed to a Chapter 7 resolution to allow cross-border aid deliveries without the consent of Assad's government.
Russia, supported by China, has shielded its ally Syria on the Security Council during the war. They vetoed three resolutions that would have condemned Syria's government and threatened it with possible sanctions.
The purpose of this blog is not to assign blame for the situation in Syria–I have been very straightforward about my beliefs on this issue. Instead, I would like to turn attention on the inability of the U.N., in its current framework, to uphold international law in general.
In instances where governments are either ineffective in dealing with, or are themselves perpetrating gross human rights violations, the responsibility to protect (R2P) is supposed to give the U.N. authority to intervene. With the vast majority of today's wars occurring within country borders, the R2P was a necessary modernization of U.N. peacekeeping initiatives. But R2P has not been as effective as its supporters may have hoped; [apparently] the U.N. still needs a Security Council authorized Chapter 7 approval whenever it enters a country without government approval, rendering R2P useless without unanimous Security Council support.
As a proud American, a student of the political economy of development, and a former UNDP Democratic Governance Group Intern, it is fair to say I believe in the importance of effective democratic governance from both an ideological and practical stance; I believe there is no alternative path towards sustainable human development. Democratic governance is not only a "means" to important "ends", it is also an important "end" itself, providing and protecting the political freedoms people needed for self-determination and a life of dignity.
Under the current U.N. framework, permanent members of the Security Council (China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States) each hold veto power. Two of these members, China and Russia, are decided opposed to concepts of democratic governance. These two countries find themselves in a position where they do not vote on individual issues (such as whether to invoke the R2P in Syria), but rather on ideological issues (should anything trump "national sovereignty"). China and Russia are engaged in an existential battle, fighting for an authoritarian identity in an increasingly democratic world; they will NEVER vote against a national government, afraid of the precedent it may set. All the while, the actual issue at hand goes unaddressed, leading the U.N. to abandon the very people who risk their lives championing U.N. principles.
"Democracy is one of the universal and indivisible core values and principles of the United Nations." It seems antithetical that an organization dedicated to the principles of democracy, human rights, peace and international law, would leave its most important decisions to such a decidedly undemocratic process.
It is time for the U.N. to bring the democratic process to the U.N.S.C. In the event of a Security Council veto, the U.N. General Assembly should have a vote as to whether it should uphold the veto or not. This vote could either require 3/4 of member states (there are currently 193 states) to vote to overturn (an abstention could be viewed as a vote in favor of the veto; if the issue is important enough to veto, a representative will be present to vote), or it could be weighted based on member state population (similarly to many legislative branches, like the U.S. Congress).
The details at this point are unimportant, what's important is the concept that no one nation should be able to veto the will of the vast majority of the international community. Such a resolution (which would require an amendment to the U.N. Charter, a process which itself is subject to the unanimous will of the Security Council) would cost all permanent U.N.S.C. members (including the United States) some power in U.N.S.C. decision making. The Permanent members of the Security Council must accept the necessity of such an amendment. The alternative is an ineffective U.N., leading to the eventual breakdown of the international norms which made the second half of the 20th century the most peaceful and prosperous era in history.
Categories: Blog Posts, Conflict Watch | Tags: authoritarianism, China, democracy, Human Rights, International community, peacekeeping, R2P, responsibility to protect, Russia, UN, UN Charter, UNSC, USA | Permalink.
by bzupnick	16 Comments
Conflict Watch: In the Push for Liberal Democracy in the Middle East, Time May be the Greatest Enemy
Well that might be a bit of an overstatement, but the passage of time continues to undermine the goals of the "Arab Spring". Protracted Social Conflict theory identifies "grievances" or human rights abuses, as the root cause of social conflicts. Paul Collier takes the theory one step further, arguing that over time legitimate grievances are hijacked by opportunistic forces seeking wealth and/or power.
These theories have almost perfectly explained what has transpired over the past 2+ years in both Syria and Egypt:
Syria:
In Syria, peaceful protests for basic freedoms and liberal democracy (starting in March 2011) were met with violence from the Assad regime, sparking a civil-war. Over time, legitimate grievances were hijacked by opportunistic Islamic extremists who wish to setup an Islamic Syrian state.
Even internationally recognized factions of the Syrian opposition have become fractured. The Syrian National Coalition (SNC), the political arm of the Syrian opposition, has agreed to attend the "Geneva 2" peace talks, while the Free Syrian Army (FSA), the military arm of the Syrian opposition has refused to attend.
All the while, the moderate opposition has become increasingly marginalized and disillusioned:
"The ones who fight now are from the side of the regime or the side of the thieves," he said in a recent interview via Skype. "I was stupid and naïve," he added. "We were all stupid."
Even as President Bashar al-Assad of Syria racks up modest battlefield victories, this may well be his greatest success to date: wearing down the resolve of some who were committed to his downfall. People have turned their backs on the opposition for many different reasons after two and a half years of fighting, some disillusioned with the growing power of Islamists among rebels, some complaining of corruption, others just exhausted with a conflict that shows no signs of abating.
"It's undeniable that a lot of your early activists are disillusioned," said Emile Hokayem, a Syria analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, adding that in revolutions, it is often "your most constructive, positive people who are engaged early on who find themselves sidelined."
Disillusioned activists say that early on, euphoric at being able to protest at all, they neglected to build bridges to fence-sitters, or did not know how. Homegrown fighters desperate for help welcomed foreign jihadists, and many grew more religious or sectarian in tone, alarming Mr. Assad's supporters, dividing his opponents and frightening the West out of substantially supporting them.
With a ruthless foresight, following the playbook of his father and predecessor, Hafez al-Assad, Mr. Assad's forces cracked down early and hard on the civilian, educated opposition, erasing the space where a middle ground could have emerged. They used heavy weaponry on rebel supporters to an extent that shocked even their foes, while pursuing a deliberate and increasingly successful strategy of persuading Syrians and the world that their opponents were a greater danger.
The fracturing of the opposition has played into Assad hands (the regime still enjoys political and military unity). Assad's narrative of fighting "terrorism" has become a self-fulfilling prophecy; as Western aid has lagged, the opposition has become increasingly unorganized and radicalized. Moderate Syrians who favor liberal democracy represent a decreasing proportion of the Syrian opposition. The Syrian humanitarian crisis has become an after-though of the violent civil war.
Egypt:
The Egyptian revolution began in January of 2011 with protests which toppled former dictator Hosni Mubarak. Who you believe "hijacked" the Egyptian revolution depends on your take of what transpired this past July. Was the military takeover a coup or did it represent the will of the people? Are these two answers mutually exclusive, or is there some middle ground in which both arguments have merit? The world many never come to consensus answers to these loaded questions.
One thing, however, is certain; as in Syria, Egyptian moderates who revolted for liberal democracy have become increasingly marginalized. The power players in Egypt are Islamic extremists (who have become more violent since the ouster of Morsi) and Mubarak-era loyalists:
A leading Egyptian social democrat fears the elite that thrived under former President Hosni Mubarak will once again dominate politics in elections promised by the army after it overthrew Islamist President Mohamed Mursi.
The 2011 popular revolt against Mubarak raised hopes for an end to decades of corruption and nepotism, but political turmoil since then has dimmed aspirations for genuine democracy.
The Muslim Brotherhood, which came out on top in every national vote in Egypt after Mubarak's fall, may yet be allowed to contest next year's parliamentary election via its Freedom and Justice Party, or by running candidates as individuals.
But even if the Brotherhood chose to take part, its electoral dominance might be over in a reshaped political landscape, where both state and private media condemn it as a terrorist organization – and lionise the police and military.
Liberals have failed to build popular new parties and look ill-placed to exploit the Brotherhood's plight. This could allow a comeback by the "felool", or Mubarak-era remnants.
"The terrorist attacks going on make the situation more difficult," Abul Ghar [Liberal Activist] said, adding that the violence made it easy for any government to take anti-democratic actions.
These anti-democratic actions include a crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood, restrictions on protests, as well as further entrenching the Egyptian army's role in politics (which is enshrined in a draft of Egypt's new constitution).
Both of these situations are eerily similar. In both cases, revolution started as a legitimate push for rights, freedoms, and liberal democracy. In both cases, the party in power (the Assad regime in Syria, the "deep state" in Egypt) have claimed the opposition are "terrorists" (and used this claim as a justification to strengthen their grip on power in the name of security). In both cases, these claims have become self-fulfilling; over time, those favoring liberal democracy have become marginalized as those who seek power dominate the fight over the future of their respective countries.
The implications for global governance are clear. In the future, we cannot afford to allow the combination of the passage of time and power-grabs to marginalize those who seek basic human rights and a dignified life. We must instead–as a global community–muster the political will and economic / military resources to support legitimate factions before it is too late.
Failure to do so entrenches the wrong ideas–that the international community cares more power-politics/national sovereignty than about people/human rights (concerns the R2P was supposed to address), and that democracy simply cannot work in certain regions of the world.
Hopefully it is not to late to achieve the goals of the Arab Spring in Egypt and Syria, although admittedly I see no end in sight to these particular conflicts. Going forward, we must do all we can to prevent similar situations from arising in the first place.
Categories: Blog Posts, Conflict Watch | Tags: Arab Spring, Assad, edward azar, Egypt, extremists, FSA, geneva 2, Human Rights, Humanitarian crisis, liberal democracy, militants, Morsi, paul collier, Preventative Peacebuilding, protracted social conflict, R2P, Sisi, SNC, Syria | Permalink.
Transparency Report: In Response to the Vladimir Putin NYT Op-Ed, and the Future of the International Community
A few of my responses / comments on Vladimir Putin's NYT Op-Ed seemed to form a blog that I felt compelled to share (and expand upon without character limits) with the NN community:
The United Nations' founders understood that decisions affecting war and peace should happen only by consensus, and with America's consent the veto by Security Council permanent members was enshrined in the United Nations Charter. The profound wisdom of this has underpinned the stability of international relations for decades.
No one wants the United Nations to suffer the fate of the League of Nations, which collapsed because it lacked real leverage. This is possible if influential countries bypass the United Nations and take military action without Security Council authorization.
The potential strike by the United States against Syria, despite strong opposition from many countries and major political and religious leaders, including the pope, will result in more innocent victims and escalation, potentially spreading the conflict far beyond Syria's borders. A strike would increase violence and unleash a new wave of terrorism. It could undermine multilateral efforts to resolve the Iranian nuclear problem and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and further destabilize the Middle East and North Africa. It could throw the entire system of international law and order out of balance.
I had this to say in response:
Mr. Putin is using the UNSC, like he has the concept of national sovereignty, as a shield for human rights violators, and evoking the specter of past wars to paralyze the international community into inaction. Don't trust Vladamir Putin because he writes an op-ed in the NYT. Do not trust Assad; while no one's hands are clean in the Syrian Civil War, Assad has committed human rights violations on a drastically larger scale than have extremist elements of the Syrian opposition (perhaps supporting the argument that a legitimate Syrian opposition is still in control on the ground despite reports of increased extremist influence).
Syria's civil war is a fight for democracy; it started as peaceful protests for basic human rights and dignity. The longer the international community is paralyzed, the further legitimate grievances are highjacked by extremists in the Syrian opposition. If Syria and Russia can hold out for long enough, there will truly be no champions of democracy in Syria–as time goes on, Assad's assertions become self-fulfilling, explaining this desperate attempt to buy time. Assad continues to receive help from Russia, Iran and Hezbollah; the opposition receives only broken promises from the West and support from extremists.
Political Islam and democracy are reconcilable, the wrong message is currently being sent in the ME (in both Egypt and now Syria). The "responsibility to protect" (R2P) is about holding governments accountable for human rights obligations, and intervening in the case the government is unable to stop human rights violations, or even worse is perpetuating those violations themselves (as is clearly the case in Syria, and has been since before chemical weapon usage). In this sense, R2P supersedes national sovereignty in certain instances The future of R2P and modernization in the Middle-East and Africa are closely tied.
This is not the end failed of the Arab spring–democratization and modernization are time consuming and non-linear processes–the freedoms, human dignity, economic empowerment and security it bestows are well worth it.The time has come when global powers must be willing to use more than words in support of their ideals. Vested interests play by their own rules in trying to secure their hold on power–this is no accountability. The forces of democratization and modernization should recognize this, and know when to work within international mechanisms (such as the UNSC) and know when such mechanisms are being used to shield for violators of the very international laws they are meant to uphold!
The international community can't say we can't afford to intervene due to fiscal constraints at home–FIND A WAY through joint action! Currently, autocratic regimes in the M-E are weakened and peoples' latent desire for effective democratic governance is well cited through social media / ICT usage, and reinforced through the results of the UN "My World 2015 Survey" and the Post-2015 Global Consultation on Governance. If we do not seize this opportunity now autocracy will take deeper root, and advocates for democracy will face another era of historic precedent reinforcing the inevitability of autocratic rule / democratic failure in the Middle-East and Africa. Simply put, if the international community does not find a way to protect the interests of civil societies in the M-E and Africa now, it may not get the opportunity again for decades to come.
Ultimately, it comes down to ideological differences within the international community. The G20 leaders summit reinforced the idea that we can all agree on the need to cooperate to grow in a sustainable economic fashion–the ideological split is no longer capitalism vs. communism, but human rights v. national sovereignty. How to make capitalism work for sustainable development remains the point of contention. The growing body of both empirical and theoretical evidence pointing to the merits of a human rights based approach for sustainable human development. The UN, the foremost organization for international relations, has adopted a human-rights based approach to development. However, Russia clearly is not committed to human rights, and despite soft rhetoric and better relations between the US-China in recent months, it appears the Communist Party–like the Kremlin–is more concerned with its own survival than the sustainable human development / desires of its' civil society.
It would appear that the ideologies of major global powers a diverging, not converging, even as advancements in the social and physical sciences point alarmingly to the need for concerted global efforts to embrace sustainable human development.
I must call into question the merits of the U.N.S.C. veto system, a system in which an individual country can hand-tie the whole international community into inaction. A resolution could be a 3/4 veto-overrule by the UN General Assembly–such a high veto threshold would ensure the U.N.S.C. is only overruled in times of strong international consensus. Permanent Security Council members, including the U.S., would likely oppose such an amendment to the UN Charter. However, if the ultimate result is a more democratic and effective UN System, this is a power the U.S. should willingly give up and a reform we should advocate for.
I also wanted to share a response to a well thought out comment in response to the Op-Ed: jfx from Chicago writes: Well written. I appreciate hearing Putin's thoughts directly, and hopefully his open letter to the US can be reciprocated, allowing Obama to directly address the Russian people on important topics.
I wanted to share my response because this seemed like a rational and logical response; the hope that Obama could prepare a similar address to the Russian people to enhance communications between the two countries and possible effect Russian national consensus. 441 people recommended the response, and the NYT shared it as a "top response"–so clearly many support this notion. Unfortunately, this is not a realistic possibility (my response):
Due to media restrictions, Obama couldn't do it; whenever a U.S. official tries to address an issue in Russia they are accused of conspiracy. Even if he could, the Kremlin is insulated from such unimportant things (/sarcasm) as the "will of the people".
This was a smart move by Putin, he is a very calculating man. He knows the value Americans place on the freedom of speech and press, and is playing on that knowledge. This is a move that cannot be reciprocated, and even in the special circumstances it was allowed to happen, it would not have nearly the same effect on policy.
The international community will explore a diplomatic chemical weapons deal because it is our collective duty to attempt to destroy these WMDs. However, we must continue to assert our willingness to strike militarily should Russia / Assad appear to be stalling for time and / or restricting access to potential storage sites. Furthermore, Assad must commit to isolated cease-fires within a reasonable time period in order for intentional inspectors and chemical weapons disarmament experts to do their work in relative safety (if we can keep non-extremists from the opposition out of these areas too, and provide security against extremists in the opposition, the Syrian government would be the only remaining party capability of shelling these areas). Russia must also commit to cancelling all military contracts with Assad.
Assad and Russia have a lot of social capital to make-up if they want to be able to negotiate in good faith with the international community / the Syrian opposition; agreeing to these terms are where they must start. These terms should not be preconditions for diplomatic talks, but failure to agree to any of them could be considered "red-lines" in negotiations (I know we are all sick of that saying but they are a necessary component of any negotiation) and trigger a house vote on military strikes and serve as a signal for the international community to sanction military intervention (if not through the paralyzed UNSC, then individually / through regional blocs). Failure to push for these concessions would represent a failure by the intentional community to properly leverage the likelihood of military strikes against Assad.
Categories: Blog Posts, Conflict Watch, Transparency Report | Tags: Assad, chemical weapons, G20, Human Rights, national sovereignity, NYT, Obama, op-ed, Putin, R2P, social capital, UNSC, WMD | Permalink.
Conflict Watch: Weighing in on Prospective U.S. Military Strikes in Syria
Up until this point, chemical attack allegations in Syria have been a "blame-game" dominated by circumstantial evidence, hypothetical questions / appeals to logic, murky details, and classified information. The Assad regime has blamed "terrorists", as they have for the duration of the civil war, for launching chemical attacks. Why would we launch these attacks when UN investigators were in the country, they argue? Western powers do not believe the opposition has the capacity to launch such attacks, and blames the Assad regime of offering too little too late when it came to international investigations (this argument has been refuted by chemical weapons experts, which alongside congressional uncertainty, further complicates U.S. military intervention).
The UK dropping out of military strikes, as well as the lack of NATO, Arab League, or U.N.S.C. authorization, makes it difficult to frame a military strike as part of a global coalition. President Obama has assured war-weary Americans there will be "no boots on the ground", and that a strike will not lead to another long-term entanglement in the region. However, direct military strikes–particularly without broad international support–will naturally lead to further engagement, particularly if Western / American / Israeli interests are targeted in retaliation.
I actually agree with Speaker Boehner; we need more information on what intelligence the administration has and how strikes fit into Americas long term geopolitical strategy in the Middle-East. In the face of the sequester and looming budget / debt ceiling debates, how will these strikes be financed? The constraints that military spending impose on other fiscal policies affect all American's; the citizens of this great country deserve more conclusive evidence the Assad regime used chemical weapons. Basing strikes on classified "knowledge" from unknown (to regular people) sources should not satisfy anyone's need for a transparent and inclusive debate / decision making process leading up to possible military intervention.
Common sense tells us to wait a few days, in order to drum up more international support and get more intelligence from U.N. investigators. There is no sense rushing into action that–despite President Obama's words and wishes–has inherent long term implications on U.S. military, foreign and fiscal policies. It seems clear that either the Assad regime or more radical segments of the opposition as responsible for the chemical attacks in Syria. We must determine conclusively who committed this crime against humanity and hold them accountable.
There has been a lot of talk about precedents being set; if we do not respond to the use of chemical weapons, then international laws banning their use carry very little weight. I agree with this argument, but military decisions should not be made hastily or emotionally. There is no question Bashar al-Assad is a thug who has mercilessly killed tens of thousands of his countrymen and driven well over 1 million Syrians into other countries as refugees, imposing the myriad costs of Syria's Civil War on the region in an attempt to retain his families 4 decade rule in Syria. I also do not believe a political solution is possible, as Assad believes his rule in Syria is based on something resembling the mandate of heaven.
But the question still remains–did Assad carry out these chemical strikes? If we cannot rule out the possibility that opposition forces used chemical weapons, then a much more dangerous precedent may inadvertently be set–that extremist's can solicit a military response by using chemical weapons on the very people they are supposed to be fighting for. While this is not what I think happened, we must be certain before making decisions with long term and unforeseeable ramifications.
Financial considerations should ultimately be secondary once conclusive evidence is presented implicating who is responsible for these attacks. "We cannot afford to hold perpetrators of crimes humanity accountable" is not an acceptable excuse for inaction from the international community. Once conclusive evidence implicating Assad in chemical weapons attacks circulates (or at very least exonerating extremist factions within the Syrian opposition of involvement in said attacks), international intervention can be justified on any number of international law / treaty violations and/or R2P.
In an attempt to isolate these radical segments of the Syrian opposition, plans for creating a national Syrian rebel army have circulated, angering Islamist factions in the opposition:
Syria's Western-backed political opposition plans to create the nucleus of a national army to bring order to the disparate rebel forces battling President Bashar al-Assad and counter the strength of al Qaeda-linked rebel brigades.
The latest attempt to unite the rebels coincides with fierce debates in Washington and other Western capitals over whether and how to boost support for Assad's opponents after an alleged chemical weapons attack by government forces on Wednesday.
Chaos among opposition forces and al-Qaeda's growing role are barriers to any intervention.
Plans for an army are still under wraps but details began emerging earlier this month before the gas attack. It has the blessing of the rebels' patronSaudi Arabia, which took over as the main regional backer of Assad's foes earlier this year.
Momentum behind the new force comes from Saudi Arabia and Western nations who, alarmed by the growth of radical Islamists in rebel-held areas, have thrown their weight behind the Syrian Coalition, hoping it could help stem their power.
"Once we get the (battle)field organized, then everything will be organized," he said. "This will be the army of the new Syria. We want to integrate its ranks and unify the sources of funding and arms," the Syrian National Coalition member said.
Western-backed rebels say the new structure might be modeled on U.S.-backed militias, known as "Awakening Councils", which drove al Qaeda from Iraq's Anbar region six years ago.
The leader of one moderate Islamist brigade, which operates in several parts of the country, said he supported the proposal, but would not say if his fighters would join.
Leaders of more radical groups see it as a Western-backed plot to fight them. "They are undermining the work of all of us. They want to throw it in the bin, as if it never happened," said a senior commander in Homs province.
Opposition political sources were careful not to portray the new army as a challenge to Islamists, but a senior official said it would only welcome them if they left their brigades.
"This will be an army like any other army in the world. When you join it you leave your beliefs outside. Islamists can join as individuals, not as Islamists."
The new body is not an alliance of brigades, as in previous attempts to unify insurgency groups; individual fighters will be expected to leave their units to sign up.
Many Syrians initially welcomed the Islamists for bringing order to the chaos of rebel-held territories, but growing resentment of their puritanical rule could win popular sympathy for any new force that challenges them.
Activists in the northern, rebel-held provinces, where Islamists are most powerful, say those criticizing the Islamists are threatened or imprisoned.
"We have challenged Assad when he was strong, and now we are being bullied by radicals who are not even Syrians in our Syria," said an activist in Aleppo who declined to be named.
With weapons and money flooding into the country, a class of warlords has emerged, including Islamists, who have grown powerful on arms deals and oil smuggling. Activists in the north complain of high levels of theft, bullying and thuggery.
"With this army the Coalition will have a military force on the ground, one that is composed of the best Syrian fighters," said a Syrian rebel commander in a powerful brigade that has fighters across Syria.
In the meantime, most agree that the disparate groups should work together, at least in temporary alliances against Assad's troops. But they share a skepticism that the new group will ever see the light of day, or have much impact if it does.
"During this revolution we have seen many great ideas and many great attempts destroyed because of mismanagement. The Free Syrian Army is an example of this. As long as the roots of the problems are not solved, then nothing will change."
"They are all failed projects; there is no awareness among those leading this revolution and also there is no clear strategy. In addition to this you have got the hesitation from the West. As long as this continues, this will be a failed project."
A national Syrian rebel army is a good idea for overcoming extremist's influence–who are often not of Syrian origins themselves–that have tried to hijack the legitimate grievances which originally spurred the Syrian revolution . This Army will require adequate financing and training from Western backers if it is to fulfill its goals.
However, one must be suspicious of Saudi Arabia's intentions in funding this army. Despite being "pro-Western", Saudi Arabia and many other Middle-Eastern monarchies are fundamentally opposed to the ideas of political Islam, as highlighted by support for the Egyptian Military Coup and it's "interim government". It must be made crystal clear in the rebel army's enabling legislation that the army exists to uphold the will of all Syrian people, is accountable to the Syrian people and it's future democratic government, and is committed to a pluralistic democratic Syria and international human rights norms. Any Islamist in favor of these goals is free to join the national Syrian rebel army, provided they renounce ties and allegiances to other groups–a precondition for joining any effective and unified army.
The last thing we need is another military backed authoritarian regime posing as democracy. These "democracies" ultimately undermine the ability for effective democracy to take root, by reinforcing the misconception that democracy and political Islam are irreconcilable.
It would be tactically advantageous to have this rebel army armed and ready to capitalize after any U.S. led military strikes should such strikes ever occur. It seems like the timing is not right for these two military strategies to synergize, unless this army has been in the works for some time now under-wraps and is almost ready to be rolled out (which is unlikely). It makes sense now for Obama to wait at least a week before taking any action, in order to rally international support for military strikes at the upcoming G-20 talks in Moscow.
Categories: Blog Posts, Conflict Watch | Tags: Assad, chemical weapons, crimes against humanity, human rights violations, Iran, Kerry, Middle East, military intervention, NATO, Obama, R2P, refugees, responsibility to protect, Syrian Civil War, United Nations, United Nations Security Council | Permalink.
Conflict Watch: Two Very Different Approaches to Global Security
President Obama had a very productive trip to the Middle-East this week. Say what you will about Obama's domestic policy (I for one like his ideas, and believe he inherited a terrible situation and has been handicapped by the ineptitude of the U.S. Congress, but that's another matter entirely and not the topic of this blog), but Obama has certainly been a very effective President in terms of diplomatic relations.
One area of diplomacy that the Obama administration has not historically been very effective is the Middle-East. Obama muddle relations with Israel early in his presidency when he condemned Israeli housing development in dispute lands in the West Bank. The territory in question has been seen as vital to a potential two-state solution between Israel and Palestine—Israeli development undermines the ability to potentially return the land to Palestinians as part of a negotiated settlement.
But in his most recent trip, Obama made headway in the contentious geopolitical arena that is the Middle-East. He renewed calls for a two-state solution, calling on the younger generation of Israelis and Palestinians to pressure their governments for a peaceful resolution. It may be cliché to say "the youth is the future", but it is also accurate, and seeing as any durable two-state solution is at least years (if not decades) away, calling on the youth is an appropriate measure.
Obama fell short of calling for Israel to halt construction in the disputed land. He did call the construction "inappropriate", but stated that halting construction should not be a precondition for negotiations.
Obama also visited Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority, as a two-state solution requires two willing negotiation partners. Obama's visit with Abbas was mainly symbolic—showing the U.S. stands with the Palestinian Authority, and that the government has an alternative other than aligning itself with extremists groups. The closer ties the Palestinian Authority has with the U.S., the better the chances of a two-state solution. The closer the ties with extremist factions within Hamas, the less likely such a solution will occur.
Perhaps most notably was the restoration of full diplomatic ties between Israel and Turkey. Turkey and Israel had a history of close relations which stopped in 2010 after Israel boarded a Turkish ship attempting to bring supplies into disputed lands. The stand-off resulted in the deaths of 9 Turkish citizens and a suspension of diplomatic ties between Israel and Turkey.
Obama was able to convince Prime Minister Netanyahu to apologize and offer compensation to the families who lost loved ones in the dispute. The apology was accepted, and full diplomatic ties were restored.
Turkey is an important geopolitical ally of the U.S., as is Israel. It can only be beneficial for regional and global security to have these two important partners on the same page.
President Obama also visited Jordan, another regional ally. During this visit, he pledged further financial support to Jordan, who receives thousands of Syrian refugees a day as civil war continues to envelop the country. This is the latest measure by the Obama administration to diminish Assad's prospects by strengthening regional opposition, while still officially keeping the U.S. out of armed conflict.
Contrasting Obama's proactive foreign policy agenda was Xi Jinping's (the new Chinese President) speech in Moscow. Xi stated:
"We must respect the right of each country in the world to independently choose its path of development and oppose interference in the internal affairs of other countries,"
These words mirrored a similar ideology of Vladimir Putin, Russia longtime President:
"Putin, who began a six-year term last May, has often criticized foreign interference in sovereign states.
Russia and China have resisted Western calls to pressure Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over the two-year-old civil conflict that has killed more than 70,000 people.
They both criticized the NATO bombing that helped rebels overthrow Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and stood together in the Security Council in votes on the Iranian and North Korean nuclear programs.
Both China and Russia have bristled at U.S. and European criticism of their human rights records.
Putin said in a foreign policy decree issued at the start of his new term that Russia would counter attempts to use human rights as a pretext for interference, and his government has cracked down on foreign-funded non-governmental organizations."
I have often condemned Chinese and Russian position of national sovereignty above all else. Surely national sovereignty is an important safeguard for good governments against malicious foreign intervention, but it should not be a tool for corrupt and disingenuous leaders to stay in power.
This is an unfortunate if not unexpected position for the Chinese President to take. Recent actions implied that Xi may be more open to protection of human rights, as evidenced by his call to support a higher standard of living for Chinese citizens over economic growth. After this most recent trip to Moscow, it appears Xi is taking 2 steps forward and 1 step back on human rights.
This position held by Russia and China also directly undermines the Responsibility To Protect initiative of the United Nations:
"The Responsibility to Protect has three "pillars".
A state has a responsibility to protect its population from mass atrocities;
The international community has a responsibility to assist the state to fulfill its primary responsibility;
If the state fails to protect its citizens from mass atrocities and peaceful measures have failed, the international community has the responsibility to intervene through coercive measures such as economic sanctions. Military intervention is considered the last resort.[3][4]"
R2P safeguards national sovereignty without compromising individual human rights. It states that it is the responsibility of a state to protect its citizen's rights and in a case where a state cannot protect these rights, the international community will lend assistance.
In a case where the state refuses help or itself perpetuates human rights violations, the international community can impose sanctions and other means to deter such actions. As a last resort, the international community can use military intervention to stop "mass atrocities".
It is not surprising that China and Russia fear an undermining of national sovereignty, as both nations have strong autocratic regimes (in practice, despite what formal democratic structures they may have).
However, China and Russia must abandon this slippery slope argument and realize there are different degrees of national sovereignty. The international community has no interest in interfering in Chinese and Russian affairs, but it does have an interest in intervening in state perpetuated human rights violations.
Not only are human rights violations deplorable on moral and ethical grounds, they also compromise regional and global security. Protracted Social Conflict theory places humanitarian grievances at the root of most of today's armed conflicts—and this theory is overwhelmingly supported by both qualitative and quantitative analysis.
Human rights violations lead to instability, which can create a breeding ground for terrorism. The inability to evoke R2P in Syria has led the opposition to be hijacked by extremist groups, confusing the legitimate humanitarian roots of the conflict with an opportunistic power grab. This has made assisting the Syrian opposition much more difficult than it otherwise could have been.
Ultimately, China and Russia have the same goals as the U.S. and Europe—prosperity and peace through an open international system. This is not the Cold War, where the two sides were so ideologically opposed that only one could survive (capitalism v. communism). Eventually, China and Russia will have to learn that in order to protect their interests, limits must be placed on national sovereignty.
A useful mechanism for checking national sovereignty already exists in R2P; the next great challenge will be getting China and Russia on board with this initiative.
Hopefully it does not take a large terrorist attack in Russia or China to open these countries eyes to the interrelation of human rights violations and global insecurity, but for the time being it seems that these two countries have (unsurprisingly) not changed their positions on national sovereignty and R2P.
Categories: Blog Posts, Conflict Watch | Tags: Barack Obama, Bashar al-Assad, Global Security, Human Rights, Israel, Mahmoud Abbas, Middle East, national sovereignity, Obama, PSC, R2P, regional insecurity, Russia, Syrian Civil War, Terrorism, Vladimir Putin | Permalink.
Follow Normative Narratives on WordPress.com
Condemning Trump Isn't Enough, Impeaching Him Isn't Enough, Only Addressing the Roots of Trumpism Is Enough January 20, 2021
Now is the Time For Unapologetic, Pragmatic Progressivism December 5, 2020
Debunking the "Trump is Better Suited to Lead the Economic Recovery" Myth October 11, 2020
"The Beast" Has Been Starved, Long Live The Beast! August 16, 2020
When "Race Blind" Policies are Progressive, and When They Aren't June 7, 2020
Normative Narratives Community


Electric dog fence collars are 100% safe when used properly. However, they should never be left on for extended periods of time. Ideally the dog fence collar should not be kept on for more than 10-12 hours at a time. Breaking this rule may cause your dog to develop an unsightly condition, called pressure necrosis.
Pressure necrosis is very similar to bedsores in humans. Basically what happens is the contact points rub the same spot on the dog's skin, over and over again, when the collar is not removed.
This potential problem can also be remedied by moving the receiver to different locations on the dog's neck throughout the day.
If the dog fence collar is too tight or even too loose, it can cause problems. The receiver must be properly fitted to the dog's neck.
If the receiver is so tight on the dog's neck that it doesn't move at all, the blood flow underneath the contact points becomes restricted. In turn, the skin tissue begins to break down and deteriorate. This is the same situation that happens with bedsores.
On the other hand, if the collar is too loose, the collar can easily spin around the dog's neck, or vertically move when the dog lowers and raises his head. Friction happens as a result, and can damage the skin. Continual exposure to friction is a lot like taking your fingernail and scratching the same spot on your skin over and over. This would cause micro tears in the skin. The same thing happens on a dog when he is wearing the collar too loose.
In combination with collar fit, wearing the collar for too long makes the situation worse. If you have seen pictures of pressure necrosis, you know how awful they can look. No one wants their dog to have to go through having this condition. The horrible pictures you may have seen are a result of a neglectful owner, keeping their dog's collar on for weeks at a time.
These sores that develop with pressure necrosis are NOT BURNS. An electric fence collar only produces 2% of the heat output needed to create a burn.
In 1983, the inventor of Invisible Fence® partnered with the prestigious University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine to determine if there were any short or long-term effects on a dog using this type of fence. The results of this study determined that there were no ill effects, either short or long term from using this type of device.
The best thing you can do is pay attention to your dog's neck when you are using an electric dog fence collar. Throughout the day, take a look and see how the skin looks. Make sure the collar is fitted correctly, every day. Notice if there are any signs of redness. If there is, move the receiver to the opposite side of the neck, or take the collar off for a time, so that airflow and circulation to the skin can improve.


text:
Health and Safety - Refuse and Garbage
Regulatory Provisions Concerning Public Health
CHAPTER 17. Refuse and Garbage
§ 1701 Bringing garbage or household refuse into State; permit and bond.
No person shall bring into the State from any place without the State, garbage or household refuse for the purpose of feeding it to hogs or for any other purpose, unless there has first been obtained from the Department of Health and Social Services a permit naming the area within which such garbage or household refuse shall be disposed of, and unless there has been deposited with the Department of Health and Social Services a bond for the sum of $500 which shall be forfeitable if the disposal of such garbage is not provided for in such a manner as meets the requirements of the Department of Health and Social Services.
38 Del. Laws, c. 46, § 1; Code 1935, § 890; 16 Del. C. 1953, § 1701; 70 Del. Laws, c. 149, §§ 115, 116.;
§ 1702 Prohibited areas for garbage disposal; revocation of permit.
The Department of Health and Social Services may at any time determine the limits of areas within which garbage under no circumstances shall be disposed of or deposited and shall at any time revoke any permit given if the disposal of any garbage is conducted in such a way as to constitute a nuisance or a menace to the public health.
38 Del. Laws, c. 46, § 2; Code 1935, § 890; 16 Del. C. 1953, § 1702; 70 Del. Laws, c. 149, § 117.;
§ 1703 Nuisance.
The bringing in of garbage from any place without the State without a permit, the depositing of garbage in any area not named by the Department of Health and Social Services as an area suitable for the disposal of such garbage, and the disposal of any garbage in an unsanitary manner shall be deemed a nuisance under § 310 of this title and subject to the penalties provided in § 317 of this title.
§ 1704 Dumping refuse or other material upon property; penalty.
(a) No person, by agent or otherwise, shall cast, throw, fell or deposit or in any manner cause to be felled or deposited on or upon any public or private real property anywhere in this State, without first obtaining the consent of the legal owner or custodian of such property or premises first obtained for that purpose in the case of private property or from the legal authority having control, management or administration thereof in the case of such public property, any refuse, debris, waste, dirt, trash, brush, tree or part thereof, offal or any other material, matter or substance of any kind whatsoever. No such refuse, etc., shall be dumped or deposited within 50 feet of any highway, whether or not the consent required has been obtained, except where any authorized dumping is to fill a low place to a level not higher than the adjacent roadway shoulder and a sign has been erected designating such place for dumping.
(b) Whoever violates subsection (a) of this section shall be fined not less than $15 nor more than $100.
20 Del. Laws, c. 123; Code 1915, § 3488; Code 1935, § 3963; 47 Del. Laws, c. 127, § 1; 16 Del. C. 1953, § 1704.;
§ 1705 Refuse from fowl and poultry dressing — Dumping.
No person shall dump or otherwise deposit any blood, garbage, carrion, offal, filth or other refuse derived or resulting from the dressing of fowl and poultry of all kinds in an obnoxious or noisome state upon any land or in any stream or other body of water within this State.
43 Del. Laws, c. 94, § 1; 16 Del. C. 1953, § 1705.;
§ 1706 Refuse from fowl and poultry dressing — Treatment.
(a) The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, by rules and regulations, shall prescribe the methods and means of treating any blood, garbage, carrion, offal, filth or other refuse from the dressing of fowl and poultry so as to remove the noisome or obnoxious nature thereof.
(b) Whoever dumps or otherwise deposits any blood, garbage, carrion, offal, filth or other refuse from the dressing of fowl and poultry upon any land or in any stream or other body of water within this State without first having treated the same in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, pursuant to the authority contained in subsection (a) of this section, shall be fined not less than $10 nor more than $50, with cost of suit, or imprisoned until the same be paid or until discharged by law.
(c) Any person convicted of violating this section, who shall not immediately remove the blood, garbage, carrion, offal, filth or other refuse from the dressing of fowl and poultry from the place where the same has been by that person dumped or otherwise deposited, is guilty of a separate and distinct offense for each day thereafter that the same has not been removed from the place where it has been so dumped or deposited by that person.
43 Del. Laws, c. 94, § 2; 16 Del. C. 1953, § 1706; 55 Del. Laws, c. 442, § 10; 57 Del. Laws, c. 739, § 221; 70 Del. Laws, c. 186, § 1.;
§ 1707 Burning of refuse and garbage in certain residential areas; penalty.
(a) In any residential area consisting of homes on lots of 1 acre or less no outdoor fire shall be fueled by any material other than wood, wood by-products, limited to paper, leaves, twigs, clippings and grass cuttings and coke for barbecues.
(b) Any violation of this section shall be punishable by a fine not to exceed $25.
16 Del. C. 1953, § 1707; 54 Del. Laws, c. 320.;
§ 1708 Storage of refuse and garbage in multi-family buildings; penalty.
(a) Multi-family houses and apartment complexes shall provide adequate storage areas outside the principal structure of such multi-family houses and apartment complexes for the temporary storage of trash and garbage and shall provide covered metal containers in such areas for the temporary storage of refuse classed as garbage.
(b) Any person who violates this section shall upon the first conviction thereof be fined $10 and upon each subsequent conviction thereof shall be fined not less than $25 nor more than $500 or shall be imprisoned not more than 90 days, or both.
§ 1709 Trash containers on highways; penalty.
(a) A person, by agent or otherwise, may not cause a trash container having a capacity of 2 cubic yards or greater to be placed in this State anywhere upon a highway, which means the entire width between the boundary lines, including parking spaces, berms, and shoulders, of any way or place of whatever nature open to the use of the public as a matter of right for purposes of vehicular travel, but not including a road or driveway upon grounds owned by private persons, colleges, universities, or other private institutions, unless:
(1) The container, at a minimum, has a strip of 4-inch, red and white, high-intensity, reflective conspicuity adhesive tape wrapped fully around it at its midpoint, between the bottom of the container and the opening at the top; and
(2) The container clearly displays in letters and numbers at least 3 inches high the name and phone number of the owner of the container, or the owner's agent.
(b) A violation of this section is punishable by a fine of not less than $50 nor more than $500. Justice of the Peace Court has jurisdiction over violations of this section.
74 Del. Laws, c. 286, § 1.;

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


There was some controversy today in Novak Djokovic's win over Andy Murray in the Miami quarterfinals.
Rafael Nadal wins the Laureus World Comeback of the Year.
It's men's quarterfinal day at the Miami Tennis Masters.


text:
What is the Pence Effect?
Category: Global Human Rights
Published: - Dec 24, 2018
United States	Discrimination	Women rights	Mike Pence (ES)	Mike Pence
Listen this article
The Vice President of the USA, Mike Pence, has unleashed a controversy around the #MeToo movement, leading to the creation of the Pence Effect
The vice president of the United States, Mike Pence, has made headlines on the streets of Wall Street due to his controversial statements that misinterpret the #MeToo movement.
Leer en español: ¿De qué se trata el efecto Pence?
Measures pro women or against them?
The #MeToo movement has had a great reception worldwide since thousands of women have reported suffering some type of harassment in their different work environments. However, as the newspaper La Silla Rota points out, some United States executives have taken the interpretation of this movement very far, to the point of distorting it.
For example, this warns that characters like Mike Pence have decided to take measures such as:
"Choose separate seats on flights if traveling with a colleague, if you are staying in the same hotel as the rooms are on different floors and avoid private meetings alone"
Well, in fact, the decisions of this prominent politician have led to the so-called Pence Effect, which is to avoid any contact in public or private places with women other than those promised or wives, as stated in the financial magazine Bloomberg.
These restrictions are taking the ideals of the #MeToo movement too far, and the fear of being involved in sex scandals is causing indirect discrimination against women. What does this mean?
@Mar31134037 Martina ya esta sucediendo en https://t.co/WN5zLnvold llama el efecto Pence.Las Grandes Compañias en puestos gerenciales,directores y presidentes prefieren a Hombres por sobre las mujeres para evitar verse envueltos en futuros juicios.
— Sebastien (@eddy_menyou) 16 de diciembre de 2018
Read also: Cyber Abuse: how is it being handle?
Discrimination in high positions
It is clear that the Pence Effect is designed to avoid gender abuse, but it can possibly lead to discrimination in the workplace.
For example, the Argentine portal Notife stated that: "Given the prevalence of men in higher positions, an immediate consequence seems to be the reaffirmation of the trend, since executives do not want to be mentors of women"
But these "preventive" measures is going way beyond. This means that one of the areas with the most men, and at the same time the narrowest for women, is the financial system.
In addition, Notife regarding the financial item reported that: "For a long time the culture of maintaining the complaints of harassment away from the courts and the public eye was nurtured, and until now has avoided a mega-scandal like the one that devoured Harvey Weinstein "
On the other hand, the Executive Director of La Salle Security, Lisa Kaufman, declared that the so-called Pence Effect is generating a negative effect for the executive women of the future, due to the barriers that are being placed in the workplace; and also this official indicated that men should not be carried away by fear, according to the interview conducted by Bloomberg.
Segregation following #MeToo
Businessmen fear being falsely accused of committing sexual assaults, but it is convenient to clarify that, in many cases, women are the victims and not the victimizers.
This vision is shared by some entrepreneurs, for example, one of the managers interviewed by Bloomberg He said that at the beginning he avoided having meetings with young people, he tried to keep the door open or to be in the presence of third parties to avoid inconveniences.
At the end of the interview, this person argued that these positions were stupid and all men had to do was respect their employees.
Given this, the actions of the workers of Wall Street generate a significant restriction to women, because the little access they had in the financial sector could be endangered by reducing the recruitment of women and prefer men in these positions. Therefore, the solution is not to segregate a genre, but on the contrary, to respect it as a pair.
LatinAmerican Post | Miguel Diaz
Translated from "¿De qué se trata el Efecto Pence?"


text:
(CIA Stock Photo, Inc. © 2014)
Four Burning Questions at the Sprint Unlimited: Aero Package Excitement & Jeff Gordon's Last Speedweeks
November 9, 2022 February 12, 2015 Frontstretch Archives
We did it! We're back! We made it through the offseason, and damn, this one seemed extra long, no? It did for me at least, but I'm also a racing-obsessed lunatic. No matter, as the Sprint Unlimited, the glitzy exhibition race at Daytona that kicks off every NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, is finally upon us, and with it brings a list of talking points that doesn't involve best-of lists or sponsor announcements. Indeed, we have a real, actual race to talk about for the first time in months, and this one figures to be a thrilling one.
Twenty-five cars, $200,000 on the line and four burning questions. Let's begin, shall we?
Can this edition of the Unlimited match last year's in terms of excitement?
Historically, the Sprint Unlimited (neé Shootout) usually ends up being one of the three or four most exciting races of the season from an on-track racing standpoint. The superspeedway aero package introduced before the 2014 season ended up being something of a success, as every superspeedway race in 2014 was blindingly competitive and featured a great deal of passing.
That aero package is making a return for tomorrow night's race and figures to put on an exciting show given the fact that the teams have had many months now to science out and improve upon the already rock-solid platform that this package offers. Much like last year's races at Daytona, expect side-drafting to be the story of the night, as the reduced field in tomorrow night's race (25 vs. a traditional 43) will offer more track space for drivers to utilize and create speed off of the air bubble that the Gen-6 car generates on superspeedway tracks. This should mean lots of passing and a high number of hair-raising moments as drivers test the limits of what the still-improving aero platform is capable of in a non-points-paying race.
My guess is that we will see more lead changes in the race than this event has seen in six years. This is the first time since 2010 (!!!) that the teams will be going into the race with the same basic aero package as the year prior, which should ultimately make for a competitive night of racing.
What kind of Daytona will we see tonight?
One of the more under-the-radar stories entering this year's edition of Speedweeks is the status of Daytona's track surface. If you recall, Daytona was repaved in late 2010, and ever since then, handling issues and tire wear (both of which were always big factors at Daytona prior to the repave) have been mostly nonexistent at the facility.
However, over the past year and a half or so, Daytona has begun to show some signs of returning to its former self, so to speak. Harsh winters and dry, sandy summers have already taken a toll on the race track, and the once smooth as glass surface now reportedly is a bit rougher and bumpier. The track surface is still nowhere even close to what it was prior to the repave, but for the first time in at least half a decade, it is possible that Daytona's continually aging surface could bring meaningful handling issues and tire wear into a Cup race at the facility. I say "meaningful" because handling issues have in fact been cropping up at Daytona now for the past year and a half due to the aero package being used in Cup, but this could be the first race in a while when said handling issues actually have a visibly noteworthy effect on the race.
Which Daytona will pop up at the Sprint Unlimited? (Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography)
All told, I think this is something that should definitely bear watching tonight and throughout the rest of Speedweeks, as although temperatures figure to be very cold (which will lead to increased grip), the surface may in fact be worn-in enough to start yielding handling problems. We'll just have to wait and see.
Will Jeff Gordon make any noise in the first race of his farewell season?
Jeff Gordon has made it abundantly clear over the past half-decade or so that he has grown to dislike restrictor plate racing recently. It makes sense when you think about it; the man has seemingly been caught up in more Big Ones in recent years than any other driver I can think of save for maybe Ryan Newman. But of course, anyone who follows my writing with regularity knows my stance on this: drivers who dislike plate racing tend not to put forth their best effort on such tracks (*COUGH RYAN NEWMAN COUGH*), which usually results in said drivers being mid-pack during points of the race when a Big One is most likely to strike. It's a vicious feedback loop, but it's also oddly fair in a twisted sort of way: the drivers who dislike/disrespect plate racing the most tend to be the ones who get bitten by it the worst.
So, where am I going with all of this? Considering the fact that this is presumably Gordon's last Speedweeks ever, I think it will be interesting to see what kind of superspeedway racer shows up in the No. 24 machine in all of the races at Daytona this month. Will it be the jaded, timid, conservative superspeedway-Jeff Gordon that has shown up to plate races over the past five years? Or will we see the superspeedway-Jeff Gordon of old, the one who was an absolute shark in the draft and a constant threat for wins? Whichever one shows up on tomorrow night will probably be the one who shows up to the 500 the week after, and if the jaded one shows up, I can promise you that Gordon's last Daytona 500 will be largely forgettable. However, if Gordon comes out tomorrow night swinging for the fences, it could be the start of what may end up being a massive, massive story once Speedweeks concludes, as a victory in the 500 by Gordon would be a transcendent story for the ages.
Will Danica Patrick finally show something?
I probably shouldn't even have to say this, but I'll say it anyway: it's put up or shut up time for Danica Patrick. We're now entering year three of the Danica to NASCAR experiment, and so far, she doesn't have much to show for it. That was understandable throughout the first two years of her Cup tenure as she continued her adjustment to Cup cars, but now in her third full year, results are the expectation, not a fun surprise. Danicamania has slowed to a screeching halt, and if she doesn't rekindle the hype by delivering some results soon, the hype may never come back.
Enter the Sprint Unlimited, a 75-lap no-holds-barred shootout with a field that is a half the size of a traditional race lineup. It's a fresh start for all drivers participating in the event and the first opportunity to demonstrate performance during the new season. This is Danica's best chance to make a mark and silence some critics before the wave of Daytona 500 media attention grows too large to stave off; the field is short, the race is being held at one of her best race tracks and she has proven to be a competent superspeedway racer. She needs to make some noise tomorrow night, because if Ms. Patrick comes out of the box stumbling once again, all it will do is provide more ammunition to critics who think it's time to give the whole NASCAR experiment up.
I think she'll be an intriguing driver to watch tomorrow night. On paper, she has all the tools necessary to get it done. A good run would go a long way in getting her season started on the right foot.
Categories 4 Burning Questions, Cup Series, Featured Content, Matt Stallknecht Tags Danica Patrick, Jeff Gordon
Eyes on XFINITY: Chase, Bubba & the Exciting 2015 XFINITY Series Field
Friday Faceoff: 2015 NASCAR Season Preview
What sticks in my mind about Gordon is that this tiny little man gets mad and shoves people. So funny!!!
Thanks though regarding your Danica comments. She has diminished the sport of racing in my opinion yet has successfully sold her ass to Pimp Daddy and the media in general. Are uncompetitive people in Football or Baseball even noticed?
GinaV24
Ha, Steven, right on! Uncompetitive people in other sports don't play in the big leagues.
Gordon is not the only one who hates RP racing. Getting caught up in someone else's mess which is almost always a given at one of these races or having to play whatever stupid game NASCAR has dreamed up each year has gotten old.
I'm sure it's easy for you to talk about Gordon being a "timid" driver – you aren't out there in all that mayhem.
Lastlap
These questions are so burning they set my keyboard aflame.


JONA's Healthcare Law, Ethics, and Regulation. 15(4):121-122, October/December 2013.
JONA's Healthcare Law, Ethics, and Regulation. 15(4):123-134, October/December 2013.
JONA's Healthcare Law, Ethics, and Regulation. 15(4):135-139, October/December 2013.
JONA's Healthcare Law, Ethics, and Regulation. 15(4):145-146, October/December 2013.