Amidst reports of growing political and security uncertainties in Iraq, the United Nations is still tending to the crucial and monumental task of bringing international donors to the table. Part of that effort includes the International Compact for Iraq, initiated by the UN at the request of the U.S. and Iraqi governments to spur political, economic, and social development.
"George Clooney takes his plea to stop the genocide in Darfur to the United Nations Security Council on Thursday. The actor, who visited Darfur in April with his father, Nick, will address the U.N. in a briefing organized by the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity. Clooney and Wiesel will hold a press conference Thursday afternoon after the briefing." More
Last Friday, after more than a year of tense negotiations, the United Nations General Assembly formally adopted a Global Counter Terrorism Strategy. The strategy is as ambitious as it sounds, and the fact that it passed at all is a huge accomplishment.
For the better part of the year, it seemed that the Assembly would not be able to generate this kind of document as there were deep divisions among member states over how to classify terrorism and terrorist acts. But in the end, it was another feather in the cap for General Assembly President Jan Elliason who oversaw the unanimous passage of the resolution.
"Sudan insisted yesterday that there would be no security vacuum if African peacekeepers leave Darfur next month.
Kofi Annan, the United Nations secretary-general, warned on Friday that Sudan's leaders could be held responsible for atrocities in the troubled western region if the African Union force is forced to pull out and Khartoum refuses to allow their replacement by UN troops." More
Writing in The New Republic, Tim Fenholz asks whether Security Council Resolution 1706 is enough to stop the genocide in Darfur. The short answer is "no," but not because the resolution is feckless -- it is actually quite ambitious and calls for a robust peacekeeping force for Darfur. Rather, the U.S.- U.K. sponsored resolution is failing Darfur because it is currently in a holding pattern while the Security Council awaits Khartoum's consent.
Given Khartoum's intransigence, Fenholz concludes, "Only a Western-led intervention force--whether under the auspices of NATO, the United Nations, or some coalition of willing countries--can put a stop to the genocide." That may be true, but a Western-led intervention is not coming anytime soon. Even in the midst of a bloody new offensive in Darfur, there is little to suggest that the Western powers of which Fernholz speaks have the will to intervene outside United Nations auspices. This leaves the United Nations route--which requires Khartoum's consent to a peacekeeping force--as the last reasonable chance for Darfur.
"A Senate panel postponed a vote scheduled for Thursday on approving John Bolton as U.N. ambassador, a job he has held temporarily since last year when President Bush appointed him over Democratic opposition.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar, R-Ind., gave no reason for the delay and did not say when the vote would be held. Bolton had been opposed by many Democrats but was expected to be confirmed by the Republican-led panel." More
For years, American foreign policy strategists have articulated the importance of constructively engaging our allies around the world. According to a fascinating new study, this could be good politics as well.
In The Hill, pollster Mark Mellman reveals details of a new survey which shows that Americans, by a wide margin, prefer multilateral approaches to the most daunting foreign policy challenges facing the United States.