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342. UN 2030: Rebuilding Order in a Fragmenting World
- Author:
- Kevin Rudd
- Publication Date:
- 08-2016
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Asia Society
- Abstract:
- As the world faces a slew of complicated challenges and the international community comes together to select the next UN Secretary General, there is renewed debate about the role of the UN in international affairs. In UN 2030: Rebuilding Order in a Fragmenting World, Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) President Kevin Rudd argues that the UN continues to matter. The report makes the case that if the UN fails, falters, or fades away, it would fundamentally erode the stability of an already fragile global order. At the same time, Rudd contends, we tend to take the UN for granted, overlooking the reality that its continued existence is not inevitable. The UN, while not yet broken, is in trouble. The report concludes, however, that the UN is capable of reinventing itself. This requires not one-off reforms but a continual process of reinvention to ensure the institution is responding to the policy challenges of our time.
- Topic:
- United Nations, International Affairs, Political Theory, Geopolitics, and Political and institutional effectiveness
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
343. The Future of International Police Missions in the New Global Security Environment – Contribution of Western Balkans Police Forces to EU’s International Policing
- Author:
- Andreja Bogdanovski and Uros Zivkovic
- Publication Date:
- 10-2016
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP)
- Abstract:
- The existence of a police component in UN peace operations is not a novelty. It goes back half a century ago and was first introduced in the Congo in the 1960’s. Embedding police components in UN missions became more extensive at the end of the 90’s. Over the years, with the change of the context of conflicts (from interstate to intrastate) peace support operations have evolved and are now very much shaped to reflect political and security developments on the ground. International policing efforts are an extremely important factor in establishing and maintaining international security today. Although military peace support operations and national military contributions are predominant, not all security problems can have a military solution. Regardless of the security context, police functions and mechanisms are extremely necessary for a successful peace support operation.
- Topic:
- Security, United Nations, International Security, and Peacekeeping
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
344. Shifting Sands: Power, Uncertainty and the Form of International Legal Cooperation
- Author:
- Timothy Meyer
- Publication Date:
- 01-2016
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Abstract:
- This article argues that the form of international agreements – binding hard law agreements versus non-binding soft law agreements – can be partially explained by states’ interests in promoting renegotiation in the presence of uncertainty and shifting power. I make this argument in three steps. First, I explain that states regularly use unilateral non-compliance as a renegotiation strategy. Second, I argue that making an agreement soft facilitates this use of unilateral non-compliance. Third, I analyse the conditions – uncertainty characterized by common interests (but not uncertainty characterized by distributive concerns) and shifting power – under which facilitating renegotiation through soft law will appeal to states. In particular, I argue that in the presence of these conditions preventing renegotiation creates long-term costs for states that can inhibit short-term cooperation. In effect, under these conditions the shadow of the future can inhibit cooperation rather than support it, as is conventionally thought. These conditions are common to many major contemporary subjects of international cooperation in a way they were not during the latter half of the 20th century, partially explaining the increased importance of soft law to contemporary international governance.
- Topic:
- International Relations, International Law, International Trade and Finance, Treaties and Agreements, and United Nations
- Political Geography:
- Europe, United Nations, and Global Focus
345. Shifting Sands: Power, Uncertainty and the Form of International Legal Cooperation
- Author:
- Timothy Meyer
- Publication Date:
- 01-2016
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Abstract:
- This article argues that the form of international agreements – binding hard law agreements versus non-binding soft law agreements – can be partially explained by states’ interests in promoting renegotiation in the presence of uncertainty and shifting power. I make this argument in three steps. First, I explain that states regularly use unilateral non-compliance as a renegotiation strategy. Second, I argue that making an agreement soft facilitates this use of unilateral non-compliance. Third, I analyse the conditions – uncertainty characterized by common interests (but not uncertainty characterized by distributive concerns) and shifting power – under which facilitating renegotiation through soft law will appeal to states. In particular, I argue that in the presence of these conditions preventing renegotiation creates long-term costs for states that can inhibit short-term cooperation. In effect, under these conditions the shadow of the future can inhibit cooperation rather than support it, as is conventionally thought. These conditions are common to many major contemporary subjects of international cooperation in a way they were not during the latter half of the 20th century, partially explaining the increased importance of soft law to contemporary international governance.
- Topic:
- International Law, International Trade and Finance, Treaties and Agreements, and United Nations
- Political Geography:
- Europe, United Nations, and Global Focus
346. United Nations Treaty Bodies: References to sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics: Annual Report 2015
- Author:
- Helen Nolan
- Publication Date:
- 09-2016
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- ILGA World (International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association)
- Abstract:
- Every year ILGA World publishes its annual Treaty Bodies reports, a compilation and analysis of SOGIESC references made by UN Committees. This is a key tool for advocates to clearly identify what has been recommended to their State, and also to see how they can influence future recommendations to better-serve local needs. Since the first 2014 edition, the reports cover data on country-specific recommendations made, general comments issued and individual cases reviewed by UN Treaty Bodies. Each of the reports include both general analysis of trends and gaps, and information on specific Treaty Bodies, including references to (de)criminalisation and trans and intersex persons’ situations. The compilation also touches on the intersection of our movements with others, looking at sex work and HIV/AIDS references too.
- Topic:
- HIV/AIDS, Treaties and Agreements, United Nations, LGBT+, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Sex Work
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
347. 2016-2017 Guide to Women Leaders in International Affairs
- Author:
- Women's Foreign Policy Group (WFPG)
- Publication Date:
- 08-2016
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Women's Foreign Policy Group (WFPG)
- Abstract:
- WFPG's Guide to Women Leaders in International Affairs highlights women shaping foreign policy around the world and the role that they play as leaders, diplomats, and policymakers. The Guide provides an index of prominent women from across the international community, including heads of state and government, government ministers and diplomats, and leaders of international organizations and corporations.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Government, United Nations, Women, Leadership, and NGOs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
348. Why Does The International Drug-Control System Fail?
- Author:
- Behsat Ekici
- Publication Date:
- 07-2016
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- All Azimuth: A Journal of Foreign Policy and Peace
- Institution:
- Center for Foreign Policy and Peace Research
- Abstract:
- The international community has been building a drug-control system for over a century. The UN-led initiatives drafted very detailed conventions, political declarations, and plans of action. International institutions and governments have been allocating vast resources for national, regional, and global counter narcotics initiatives. Law-enforcement agents, judicial officers, diplomats, and demand-reduction experts devote enormous efforts to global drug-control efforts. However, the latest field studies clearly indicate that the global war on drugs has been lost on virtually every front. Drug consumption and drugrelated deaths have increased over the past three decades. Every year, many new psychoactive substances appear on the market. Precursor chemicals are not efficiently controlled. The drug supply consistently shifts to areas where law enforcement is weak and corrupt. Drug money has allowed the dark networks to exert an increasing influence on the governments in Latin America, Southwest Asia, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and West Africa. The drug trade undermines global security by financing terrorism and insurgency. In this context, the United Nations’ goal of a “drug-free world” is far from being reached. This paper provides an insight as to why the international efforts to control the drug supply, drug demand, and drug-driven money have failed dramatically.
- Topic:
- Crime, United Nations, Narcotics Trafficking, International Community, Drugs, and International Crime
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
349. In search of commitments: The 2016 refugee summits
- Author:
- Elizabeth Ferris
- Publication Date:
- 11-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Andrew & Renata Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law at UNSW Sydney
- Abstract:
- An extraordinary series of meetings took place in 2016 to respond to perceptions of an unprecedented global refugee crisis. This policy brief traces the context and the results of these meetings and explores the common themes that emerged over the course of the year. The meetings examined include: the Supporting Syria and the Region Conference, held in London in February; the High-Level Meeting on Global Responsibility Sharing through Pathways for Admission of Syrian Refugees, held in Geneva in March, the World Humanitarian Summit, held in Istanbul in May; the Summit on Refugees and Migrants, held in New York on 19 September; and the United States (US) Leaders’ Summit, held in New York on 20 September. Although not all these meetings were technically ‘summits’, they all sought to mobilise attendance and commitments at the highest political level, and for this reason are referred to in this policy brief as ‘the summits of 2016.’ Four specific contextual factors set the stage for the summits of 2016. First, the United Nations (UN) had scored major successes in summits focused on development, climate change and disaster risk reduction in 2015. Secondly, the growing carnage in Syria and the inability of the international community to address it was a vivid backdrop to all of the summits. A third and related trend was the dramatic increase in requests for humanitarian funding. Donors had tripled their contributions to humanitarian appeals over a decade – and yet it still was not enough. Finally, the summits took place at a time of political change. The United Nations Secretary-General’s term was coming to an end. There were nasty politics in Europe with the rise of right-wing populist parties and the United Kingdom (UK)’s decision to leave the European Union. Xenophobic politics in the United States had led to a vociferous reaction to the resettlement of Syrian refugees. These all contributed to a sense that the system itself was not fit for purpose.
- Topic:
- Migration, United Nations, Refugee Crisis, Dialogue, and Protection
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Syria, Global Focus, and United States of America
350. Global Peace Operations Review 2015: Annual Compilation
- Author:
- Jim Della-Giacoma, Richard Gowan, Alischa Kugel, Jean Arnault, W.P.S. Sidhu (ed), and Alexandra Novosseloff
- Publication Date:
- 01-2016
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Global Peace Operations Review
- Abstract:
- The Review covers more than one hundred multilateral peace operations active in the previous year including missions fielded by the UN, AU, EU, ECOWAS, OSCE, OAS and coalitions. It uses a broad definition of peace operations that includes multilateral and ad hoc military and police missions, as well as civilian led political missions. Neither type of mission has a simple definition. Alongside more straightforward peacekeeping missions, the Review, mindful of the need for peace operations to adjust to the changing nature of conflict, also includes peace enforcement operations that employ the use of force and engage in active combat. Under political missions, we include multilateral civilian-led missions that have political engagement in the form of launching and supporting political processes at their core. This includes, for example, the EU’s Special Representatives and the African Union Liaison Offices that support the implementation of peace agreements and accompany political processes. We have excluded missions, such as EU delegations and other liaison offices that may engage in political activities, but as their core function serve more as regular diplomatic or developmental presences. Along the same reasoning, we have also excluded election observer and human rights monitoring missions.
- Topic:
- Security, International Cooperation, Politics, United Nations, Peacekeeping, Women, Multilateralism, Peacebuilding, and Gender
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus