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652. Nuclear Terrorism Fact Sheet
- Publication Date:
- 04-2010
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
- Abstract:
- In 1998, Osama bin Laden issued a statement, “The Nuclear Bomb of Islam,” declaring that “It is the duty of Muslims to prepare as much force as possible to terrorize the enemies of God.” Means With 25 kg of HEU, terrorists could make an improvised nuclear device (IND). Opportunity An IND can be delivered to its target along the same routes that bring drugs, illegal immigrants, and legal goods to major cities of the world.
- Topic:
- Nuclear Weapons, Terrorism, and United Nations
653. A Pillar's Progress: How Development's History Shapes U.S. Options in the Present
- Author:
- David Ekbladh
- Publication Date:
- 05-2010
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
- Abstract:
- Development is back. U.S. President Barack Obama has put it high on his strategic agenda. It is at the center of the State Department's much ballyhooed “Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review.” These aspirations come with real backing—Obama's fiscal year 2010 budget promises to double foreign aid to nearly $50 billion. Perhaps more importantly for supporters of development, across official Washington accord is growing that development must play a greater role not just in conflict zones but in general U.S. global strategy. It is not only the typical aid constituencies calling for greater attention. Even Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has urged a continuation of the emphasis on development that characterized policies of his last boss, former President George W. Bush. Almost assuredly, a pattern of bigger budgets, needed policy focus, and reform to the disjointed aid mechanisms within the U.S. government will emerge. Complementing (although not always supporting) this U.S. activity internationally is a collection of groups ranging from nongovernmental organizations (NGO)s to the United Nations (UN) and the World Bank. Overall, the place of aid U.S. foreign policy has not been so prominent or secure since the end of the Cold War. Development is once again, as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton characterizes it, “a core pillar of American power.”
- Topic:
- Development, Government, Non-Governmental Organization, United Nations, Foreign Aid, and World Bank
- Political Geography:
- United States and Washington
654. Rape in War: Motives for Militia in DRC
- Author:
- Jocelyn Kelly
- Publication Date:
- 06-2010
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- United States Institute of Peace
- Abstract:
- United Nations Security Council Resolution 1820 signals a new movement in the international community to recognize widespread sexual violence against women in conflict as a threat to international peace and security. Research on sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) has predominantly focused on victims and survivors of rape. A better understanding of the roots of SGBV in conflict, however, can only be gained by examining the experiences and motivations of perpetrators. SGBV has been a pervasive and highly destructive feature of the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Soldiers from the Mai Mai militia group, one of many armed groups operating in this conflict, describe a number of factors that promote sexual violence in the ranks of this group. Soldiers have a complex and sometimes contradictory relationship with civilians. Interviewees express a desire to reintegrate into civilian life and return to pre-war norms, and they see themselves as protectors of civilians. However, civilians are also seen as a resource that can be exploited for money, food, and other needs. For the Mai Mai, sexual violence against women by other armed groups, particularly foreign groups, is seen as a motivation to fight. Nevertheless, at least some soldiers justify sexual violence perpetrated by members of their own group. Some commanders explicitly support rape by treating women as a spoil of war. Men also describe rape as a result of individual motives, such as the desire of a particular woman. The most effective interventions to address SGBV are tailored to the motivations and decision-making structures of each armed group. An understanding of militia group attitudes is especially important as these groups are currently being integrated into the national army. Mai Mai commanders should be held responsible for the violence perpetrated by themselves and the men under their command. High levels of concern about contracting HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections pose an opportunity to discourage combatants from engaging in sexual violence.
- Topic:
- United Nations and Sex Trafficking
- Political Geography:
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
655. Back to Basics: The UN and crisis diplomacy in an age of strategic uncertainty
- Author:
- Richard Gowan and Bruce D. Jones
- Publication Date:
- 07-2010
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Center on International Cooperation
- Abstract:
- Conflict prevention is getting harder. In an increasingly complex international order, tensions between major powers complicate efforts to avert or mitigate civil wars. There has been a proliferation of potential mediators including regional organizations, individual governments and non-governmental organizations—often bringing specific expertise and political leverage to emerging crises, but risking duplication and turf wars. But while the United Nations is constrained by tensions among member states and challenged by the array of alternative institutions, it still has an important role in prevention. The UN has a unique “reach” into many unstable countries through its aid and development networks. Whatever the internal and external limitations on the UN, there is a widespread expectation that the Secretary-General and his officials can and should intervene in escalating crises, either to halt violence or at least to limit the suffering that it causes.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Conflict Prevention, Civil War, Peace Studies, and United Nations
656. Confronting the Crisis of International Climate Policy
- Author:
- Warwick McKibbin, Fergus Green, and Greg Picker
- Publication Date:
- 07-2010
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Lowy Institute for International Policy
- Abstract:
- After an extraordinary build-up, stratospheric public expectations, unprecedented political attention, and the presence of more than 100 heads of State, the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference spectacularly failed to produce an international response to climate change commensurate with the scale of the problem. Instead, the Conference revealed with great drama the fundamental weaknesses of the existing framework for international climate governance. Even the Copenhagen Accord – a 3-page, heavily-qualified, nonbinding Statement of political intent, and the singular achievement of the Conference – was vigorously resisted by a number of countries when it was submitted to the full plenary for adoption on the final night of negotiations. As exhausted delegates lay lifeless, strewn across the cavernous negotiating hall watching Venezuelan officials block the adoption of the Accord because it made reference to the role of market mechanisms in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, even the most ardent advocate of the 20-year old UN climate process could not have helped but think 'there must be a better way'.
- Topic:
- Climate Change, Energy Policy, International Cooperation, Treaties and Agreements, and United Nations
657. Fresh sanctions on Iran : Will these help?
- Author:
- Kingshuk Chatterjee
- Publication Date:
- 08-2010
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Institute of Foreign Policy Studies, University of Calcutta
- Abstract:
- By all reckoning, the latest round of UN sanctions on Iran (Resolution 1929, 9th June 2010), backed up by further extension and expansion of the scope of US sanctions (June 2010) and imposition of EU sanctions on 26th July 2010, should make life very difficult for the Islamic Republic. The continued tightening of the sanctions regime indicates the serious concerns that Tehran have aroused over the development of its nuclear programme. Iran professes its commitment to only a civilian nuclear programme in conformity with its obligations under the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT); a large number of states of the international community suspect Iran of developing a military programme behind the cover of its legitimate civilian one. Tehran's protestations of innocence of the charge have regularly been dismissed by most of its neighbours, and even the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has not been fully satisfied on this point by Tehran. The issue has generated a set of proposed responses from various members of the international community, ranging from extreme options of surgical strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities (favoured by Israel, and under consideration in some segments of the US administration), through moderate options of international sanctions regime (favoured by most of the states, including USA and the EU) to the softer options of persuasion by continued and growing diplomatic engagement (China and Russia). Over the past two years, international opinion has steadily drifted towards a tight sanctions regime, reflected in the UN Resolution in June 2010 and that of the EU in July. Valid questions are, however, being raised about the efficacy of the international sanctions regime.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, United Nations, and Sanctions
- Political Geography:
- Russia, United States, China, Iran, Israel, and Tehran
658. Significance of Turkey-Brazil Nuclear Deal with Iran
- Author:
- Mehmet Ozkan
- Publication Date:
- 08-2010
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Institute of Foreign Policy Studies, University of Calcutta
- Abstract:
- With the participation of the foreign ministers of Turkey and Brazil along with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Iran has signed a joint declaration on May 17, 2010 with Brazil and Turkey "in which Iran agreed to send low-enriched uranium to Turkey in return for enriched fuel for a research reactor.” This joint declaration was considered a very serious one by specialists closely following the nuclear negotiations. However, instead of responding positively to the agreement, the US and the overall reaction of the West had fixated on making sanctions against Iran a reality, although the content of the deal was what the US sought from Iran. This has materialized itself with the new UN Security Council decision which brings new sanctions on Iran. On June 9, 2010, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1929, imposing a complete arms embargo on Iran, travel bans on certain Iranian figures, banned Iran from any activities related to ballistic missiles, the freezing of all assets to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, and Iran Shipping Lines, and to inspect all Iranian cargo or financial institutions, such as banks, on their territory.
- Topic:
- Arms Control and Proliferation, Nuclear Weapons, Treaties and Agreements, and United Nations
- Political Geography:
- Iran, Turkey, Brazil, and Latin America
659. Regional Chronology
- Publication Date:
- 03-2010
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Comparative Connections
- Institution:
- Center for Strategic and International Studies
- Abstract:
- No abstract is available.
- Topic:
- United Nations
- Political Geography:
- China and Taiwan
660. Table of Contents
- Publication Date:
- 09-2010
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Comparative Connections
- Institution:
- Center for Strategic and International Studies
- Abstract:
- No abstract is available.
- Topic:
- United Nations
- Political Geography:
- Japan, China, and North Korea