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1012. Some remarks on Trans-Atlantic Convergences and Divergences
- Author:
- Bronislaw Geremek
- Publication Date:
- 11-2003
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Center for Transatlantic Relations
- Abstract:
- Only a few short years have passed since we bade farewell to the 20th century and ushered in a new millennium. Generalised assessments always include the question of whether the glass is half empty or half full; and so there have been differing evaluations put forth on the outcomes of the passing century and the prospects of the new one. However, we can quite safely say that we bid farewell to the 20th century - the century of two world conflicts, totalitarian ideologies and systems, of the holocaust, concentration camps, the gulag-with a sense of relief. The cold war came to an end, the Soviet empire collapsed, and the spread of democracy and freedom around the globe seemed to justify proclamations of the advent of a Hegelian "end of history". The United Nations Millennium Declaration announced the undertaking of new and effective action that would liberate the world's population from the plagues of hunger, poverty and fear.
- Topic:
- International Relations, NATO, and United Nations
- Political Geography:
- United States and Europe
1013. The United States, the European Union, and International Human Rights Issues
- Author:
- Esther Brimmer
- Publication Date:
- 05-2003
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Center for Transatlantic Relations
- Abstract:
- As pillars of the transatlantic community, the United States and the European Union often talk about their shared values derived from their common heritage in the western liberal democratic tradition. Both claim to base their domestic and external policies on their values; and both play a role in international affairs. Their common values suggest that they would support similar policies on international human rights issues. Yet on the international stage they have surprisingly different approaches. This paper will analyze areas of commonality and divergence in United States and European Union policies on international human rights and examine the implications of these differences for human rights and for transatlantic relations.
- Topic:
- Human Rights, Human Welfare, and United Nations
- Political Geography:
- United States and Europe
1014. UNDP: Conference on Justice and Security Sector Reform: Coherence, Cooperation, and Comparative Strengths
- Author:
- Chris Ferguson
- Publication Date:
- 05-2003
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Global Facilitation Network for Security Sector Reform
- Abstract:
- The UNDP's Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR) has established a Justice and Security Sector Reform (JSSR) team to provide technical support and assistance to regional Bureaux and Country Offices. This Oslo conference, attended by international donors and Senior NGOs, was organised in association with the Oslo Governance Center, UNDP's Bureau for Development Policy, and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The conference allowed donors to share their own experiences in the pursuit of JSSR around the world via five structured sessions including a "breakout" session dividing the conference participants into four smaller groups for closer discussion on separate topics. It also enabled informal exchanges between the key global actors in the area of JSSR.
- Topic:
- Security, Development, Non-Governmental Organization, and United Nations
- Political Geography:
- Africa
1015. The GFN-SSR's Report on - A Framework for Lasting Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration of Former Combatants in Crisis Situations
- Author:
- Ann M. Fitz-Gerald
- Publication Date:
- 01-2003
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Global Facilitation Network for Security Sector Reform
- Abstract:
- The meeting was held at German House and hosted by the Germany's Permanent Mission to the UN. The agenda for the meeting and the guiding questions for each panel are attached. David Malone (IPA) and Julia Taft (UNDP) gave opening remarks with UNDP in particular stressing the need to assess whether or not the UN was correctly balancing the three components of DDR. Julia Taft also stated that significant sums of money had been promised for DDR in the DRC but had not come through. For this reason, she was anxious to hear from the donors in the group to see if they could discuss their intentions for future funding. Lastly, both the IPA and UNDP were interested in developing standards and guidelines for DDR programmes if, during the seminar, it became clear that a demand existed for the production of such materials.
- Topic:
- Conflict Prevention, Development, Regional Cooperation, and United Nations
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Germany
1016. War in Iraq: Managing Humanitarian Relief
- Publication Date:
- 03-2003
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- International Crisis Group
- Abstract:
- The impassioned controversy that surrounded the decision to invade Iraq had the unfortunate consequence of impeding coordination of humanitarian relief operations. Now that the war has begun, it is important to deal with the urgent task of meeting the needs of the Iraqi people. That will require steps by those who were opposed to the war, in particular European governments and NGOs, to agree to work in close coordination with the United States and put their plans and their funding on the table. And it will require steps by the United States to eschew a dominant role in the post-conflict humanitarian effort and hand coordination over to the United Nations.
- Topic:
- Conflict Prevention, Human Welfare, Non-Governmental Organization, Politics, and United Nations
- Political Geography:
- United States, Iraq, Europe, and Arabia
1017. Iraq Policy Briefing: Is There An Alternative To War?
- Publication Date:
- 02-2003
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- International Crisis Group
- Abstract:
- The policy dilemmas posed by the Iraqi crisis are much more acute, and the issues much more finely balanced, than most of those publicly supporting or opposing war are prepared to acknowledge. There is still broad international agreement about the objectives to be pursued: ensuring that Iraq does not constitute a threat, disarming it of the weapons of mass destruction it still retains (as demanded by Security Council Resolution 1441), and improving the condition of the Iraqi people (as demanded both by common decency and the Iraqi people themselves). But following the inspectors' reports to the UN Security Council on 14 February 2003 and the extraordinary scale of the worldwide anti-war demonstrations over the following days, achieving international consensus on how to achieve these objectives appears as difficult as ever.
- Topic:
- Conflict Prevention, Foreign Policy, United Nations, and War
- Political Geography:
- United States, Iraq, and Arabia
1018. Sudan: Towards an Incomplete Peace
- Publication Date:
- 12-2003
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- International Crisis Group
- Abstract:
- With the signing on 25 September 2003 of a framework agreement on security arrangements, the Sudanese government and the insurgent Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLA) are closer to peace than at any time in the past twenty years. However, considerable hurdles remain before any final deal is signed, and a separate, intensifying war in the west already threatens to undermine it. As the parties press forward with the last phases of negotiation, the international community's engagement should intensify in support of the final deal, in preparation for helping with implementation if successful, and in ensuring coordination between the main peace process and the conflict in the west.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Security, Ethnic Conflict, Treaties and Agreements, and United Nations
- Political Geography:
- South Asia, Sudan, and North Africa
1019. Two To Tango: An Agenda For The New Kosovo SRSG
- Publication Date:
- 09-2003
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- International Crisis Group
- Abstract:
- A new Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG), former Finnish Prime Minister Harri Holkeri, has taken up his post at the helm of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). While UNMIK is in its fourth year, the current period is one of the most sensitive since the war. The province's elected Provisional Institutions of Self-Government (PISG) are gradually gaining more responsibility, and final status discussions are approaching. However, recent security incidents, including the killings of a UN police officer and two Kosovo Serb teenagers in August 2003, are a stark reminder that stability is not yet deep-rooted. Frustration is growing with the poor state of the economy and the delay of the international community in addressing status. In the midst of these challenges, the crucial relationship between UNMIK and the PISG has become dangerously strained. Holkeri will need to come quickly to terms with the legacy of confrontation and tension left by his predecessor, Michael Steiner, and instil in his team a new attitude of respect for PISG and a reflex for consultation rather than unilateral action.
- Topic:
- Security, Ethnic Conflict, Politics, and United Nations
- Political Geography:
- Eastern Europe and Kosovo
1020. Tribunal Penal International Pour Le Rwanda: Pragmatisme De Rigueur
- Publication Date:
- 09-2003
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- International Crisis Group
- Abstract:
- Il y a un an, le Tribunal pénal international pour le Rwanda (TPIR) traversait une période de grande tension. En même temps que s'imposaient à lui des échéances claires quant à la fin de son mandat, le TPIR faisait face à trois défis essentiels: fixer un programme réaliste des poursuites lui permettant d'achever ses travaux d'ici 2008, date fixée pour l'achèvement des procès en première instance, établir un calendrier judiciaire reflétant ses priorités et la nécessité d'améliorer sa productivité, résister à la pression d'un gouvernement rwandais déterminé à empêcher toute poursuite contre des membres de son armée. Sur ces trois fronts, l'année qui vient de s'écouler aura marqué l'entrée du TPIR dans une phase de pragmatisme.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Ethnic Conflict, International Law, Treaties and Agreements, and United Nations