Author Archives: Daniel J Gerstle 
Two 1990s War Crimes Suspects Nabbed in One Day. Mladic and Rwanda’s Munyagishari Finally Brought to Justice
Ratko Mladic was not the only high profile war criminal apprehended yesterday. Bernard Munyagishari, wanted for his role in the genocide in Rwanda, was captured by troops in the Congo just hours after the news about Mladic news hit the front pages.
Killed in Libya: Why Did Journalists Hetherington and Hondros Take the Risk?
Journalists Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros were killed in the battle for Tripoli Street in Misurata, Libya, yesterday. What motivated them to take the risks of working on the frontline?
On the Frontline of Somalia’s Embattled Women’s Rights Movement
A female Somali leader is calling for help from the diaspora and international community to support women’s local political representation in an urgent case in Somalia.
The Guatemala Documentary That Shaped a War Crimes Case
Pamela Yates, director of the new film, Granito: How to Nail a Dictator, and a documentary filmmaker with Skylight Pictures, believes taking a film about war crimes prosecution to the Academy Awards could help elevate human rights causes in the West.
Yemen Expels Journalists, Security Forces Fire on Protesters
Thirty protesters have just been killed in shootings at a pro-democracy rally in Yemen. If there was ever a case for bringing the international community together to forge a Comprehensive Peace Agreement with opposing groups in a country before a civil war, Yemen today is that case.
A New Iraq War Study Offers Potential Lessons About Reducing Killing of Civilians
Last week King’s College researchers in London published a study looking into the gory details of how people were killed during the Iraq War. Based on this research, they offer some incite about how civilian casualties might be reduced in future combat.
Mystery of Missing Lebanese Leader May Be Revealed in Libya
An incendiary political mystery which began in the Lebanese Civil War may be revealed during this month’s transformation of Libya. Many in Lebanon are aiming to find out what happened to Lebanese Shiite rebel leader Musa al-Sadr when he went missing in Libya in 1978.
Will New Egypt Tip Balance in Palestine’s Fatah-Hamas Rivalry?
How a newly formed Egyptian government may affect an inter-Palestinian political rivalry.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah Tries to Align Itself With #Jan25 Protests in Egypt
After surviving massive protests aimed at their own policies in Lebanon, the ruling coalition now led by Interim Prime Minister Najib Mikati and the militant Shiite party Hezbollah applauded protestors in Egypt and agreed President Mubarak should step down.
What Would Egypt Look Like if it is Led by the Muslim Brotherhood?
My first experience with the Muslim Brotherhood, the large, Egypt-based radical movement known in Arabic as “al Ikhwan”, was actually kind of frightening, and it led me to misunderstand what it represented.
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Iran; Syria; Internet Governance; Libya; and more
UN atomic watchdog chief Yukiya Amano and top aides will travelto Tehran on Sunday for talks with Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, a few days before Iran and world powers meet in Baghdad to discuss the broader nuclear dispute. News of the rare visit came as Western diplomats said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran were making headway towards a framework deal on how to tackle concerns about Iran’s atomic activity.
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Sudan/South Sudan; State of the World Economy debate; International Day against Homophobia; and more
The U.N. Security Council has called on Sudan and South Sudan to reach an agreement on the status of the disputed, oil-rich Abyei border region and extended the U.N. security force’s mission there by six months. The council passed a resolution Thursday calling the situation a serious security threat and demanding the creation of a jointly administered Abyei police force.
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The top United Nations refugee official today voiced his alarm at new inflows of refugees into Rwanda and Uganda, fleeing fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). More than 8,200 refugees have crossed from DRC into Rwanda since 27 April, according to staff of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). These are in addition to the 55,000 Congolese refugees that Rwanda is already hosting.
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Syria: U.N.-Arab League mediator Kofi Annan is urging Syria’s government to accept U.N. conditions for expanding the distribution of humanitarian aid to roughly 1 million Syrians in need of assistance, the United Nations said today. Meanwhile, three vehicles belonging to … Read more
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Sustainable Future Symposium; ICT for Development; IAEA/Iran; Global Financial Transaction Tax; and more
Partnerships and development cooperation among countries will play a key role in accelerating sustainable development, the Secretary-General of the UN Sustainable Development Conference (Rio+20), Sha Zukang said today, stressing that assistance will need to focus on helping developing countries find longer-term solutions to eradicate poverty and transition into a green economy.The two-day Australia High-Level Symposium, “Shaping a Sustainable Future – Partners in Development Cooperation,” which began today, seeks to facilitate an informal dialogue on development cooperation among high-level policymakers, multilateral and civil society organizations, philanthropic foundations and the private sector.
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DR Congo; South Sudan; UNHCR and OIC; and more
Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Ivan Šimonovic, today voiced concern over the human rights situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which has experienced a recent upsurge in violence. Mr. Šimonovic said he was “appalled” by the heightened levels of recent violence triggered by defections in the Congolese armed forces, including former members of certain militia groups, and welcomed joint efforts between the peacekeepers of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DR Congo (MONUSCO), humanitarian actors and the authorities to protect civilians and respond to human rights violations.
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Asia-Pacific Human Development Report; Syria; Horn of Africa; UNRWA
Countries in the Asia-Pacific region must find ways to continue to grow economically and lift millions out of poverty while also responding to climate change and environmental concerns, according to UN report released today, which stresses that new methods of production are needed to meet this goal.UNDP’s Asia-Pacific Human Development Report 2012 argues that policies and actions in the region will have a global impact as it is home to more than half of the world’s population and half of the planet’s megacities.
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SG on Rio/Post-2015 Development; Syria; Middle East; Global Fund; and more
Appealing for flexibility in reaching agreement on a final outcome document, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon today, emphasized the need for Member States to agree on launching a process to establish Sustainable Development Goals ahead of the Rio+20 conference while also announcing the appointment of three co-chairs to his High-Level Panel on Post-2015 Development Planning. We should agree on launching a process to establish Sustainable Development Goals that build on the Millennium Development Goals … find better ways to measure progress that goes beyond Gross Domestic Product …and advance action to improve people’s lives through decent work, social protection and the empowerment of women and young people,” the UN chief said in his address to the UN General Assembly.
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Syria; Guinea-Bissau; UNAIDS; Afghanistan; and more
Amid concerns from the international community over the prospects of a “full civil war” in Syria, the Joint Special Envoy Kofi Annan, said today that the ongoing levels of violence and human rights abuses in the Middle Eastern country are unacceptable and the UN observer mission is possibly the only remaining chance to stabilize it.
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Peacebuilding; South Sudan; Indigenous Issues; Rwanda
The United Nations is determined to do everything possible to assist societies torn by war from sliding back into conflict, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told an audience in the United States capital today, adding that while there have been setbacks, peacebuilding remains a crucial element of the world body’s efforts.In a speech to the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D. C., Mr. Ban highlighted the work of the UN’s 16 peacekeeping operations and 15 political missions in the area of peacebuilding – a core mandate of the Organization.
