POMED Notes: “Iran’s Nuclear Timeline and the West’s Options”
December 2nd, 2008 by Jason
This afternoon, the American Enterprise Institute hosted John Bolton, former U.S. Ambassador to the UN, and Gary Milhollin, Director of the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control, to discuss Iran’s nuclear capabilities and what the West can do in response. The discussion was moderated by Danielle Pletka, Vice President for Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at AEI.
Gary Milhollin said the Iranians now have enough low-enriched uranium to make a bomb if they wish, though their weaponization capacity is not known. John Bolton said that the time for the possibility of economic suasion has passed, and it is now too late. He concluded that Iran has achieved all of its objectives, and all debates about negotiation, regime change, or military action, are over. We will now have to deal with a nuclear Iran.
Both panelists agreed that an effective military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities is near impossible, and an attempt would be deeply unwise at this point. They both feared the political benefit that a nuclear Iran will accrue, as well as how the cascade effect will play out in the region.
For POMED’s notes on the event, click here.
Posted in DC Event Notes, EU, Event Notes, Iran, Military, POMED, US foreign policy, United Nations | Comment »
The Saudis and Religious Freedom
November 13th, 2008 by Jason
This week world leaders gathered at the UN to promote interfaith dialogue. Saudi King Abdullah pushed a resolution promoting “respect for religions, their places of worship, and their symbols … therefore preventing the derision of what people consider sacred.”
In the CS Monitor, Donald H. Argue and Leonard A. Leo argue the statement is a way of “granting religious leaders the right to criminalize speech and activities that they deem to insult religion. Instead of promoting harmony…this effort will exacerbate divisions and intensify religious repression.” They also note the breathtaking hypocrisy of Saudi Arabia–a world all-star when it comes to abusing religious freedom–given a platform to promote religious tolerance.
Elsewhere in the Monitor, Abdul Rahman H. Al-Saeed seems to be auditioning to be the Saudi royal family’s official biographer, describing the King’s recent interfaith efforts as “cogent and moving”, and “impressive and heartwarming”. He sees in the King’s proposals “the foundation for the values needed to render globalization beneficial to all mankind.”
Posted in Human Rights, Saudi Arabia, United Nations | 2 Comments »
UN Human Rights Council Report
November 10th, 2008 by Jason
The Democracy Coalition Project has released its annual report card on the UN Human Rights Council. The 15 states comprising the Organization of the Islamic Conference essentially spent the year obstructing resolutions that would require a broader commitment to freedom of expression, and sponsoring resolutions protecting defamation of Islam or condemning Israeli human rights abuses in Palestine.
Posted in Freedom, Human Rights, Publications, United Nations | Comment »
Sweet Song or Foul Music?
October 3rd, 2008 by Amanda
At the American Conservative, Justin Raimondo considers America’s push for democratization as “a twisted replay of the Cold War, with the U.S. taking the part of Russia”, deriding the Concert of Democracies as “no symphony but a pro-American version of the Warsaw Pact”. At the 63rd UN General Assembly last week President Bush continued to stress the US “must stand united in our support of other young democracies”.
Raimondo digs into some history of the League of Nations and how the UN plays a role in the democratization play, but his general question is, “will the public buy it?”
Posted in Concert of Democracies, Democracy Promotion, United Nations | Comment »
This Week in Iranian Demagogy
September 22nd, 2008 by Jason
Babylon and Beyond previews the week to come as “a perfect storm of controversy and uproar over Iran’s nuclear program.” The confluence includes Tuesday’s appearances by both President Ahmadinejad and President Bush at the UN General Assembly; the IAEA board of governors meeting concerning Iran’s nuclear program; and Iran’s annual Army Week, as well as Sacred Defense Week, which marks Iraq’s invasion of Iran and is replete with ramped-up militaristic, anti-Israeli, and pro-Palestinian rhetoric.
Stay tuned…
Posted in Iran, United Nations | Comment »
International Day of Democracy
September 17th, 2008 by Sarah
September 15th marks the U.N.’s first International Day of Democracy aimed to uphold democracy as a universal value. To celebrate, the U.S. State Department launches a You-Tube Democracy Video Challenge to “budding filmmakers, democracy advocates, and the general public to create video shorts that complete the phrase, ‘Democracy is….’” Good luck!
Posted in Democracy Promotion, United Nations | Comment »
Limited Political Progress in Iraq
August 4th, 2008 by Sarah
An emergency session of the Iraqi Parliament planned for this past weekend in order to settle disagreements over the provincial election law was cancelled. Juan Cole summarizes the situation simply. “No provincial election law means, probably, no provincial elections this year. No oil law. No significant Shiite-Sunni reconciliation. Politics gridlocked in Iraq.”
Meanwhile, Kurdish members have called for the oil-rich city of Kirkuk to be annexed to the nearby Kurdistan Regional Authority, a move that was vehemently rejected by the city’s Turkmen and Arabs.
An editorial, in the International Herald Tribune strongly opposes the annexation of Kirkuk, and blames the U.S. and Kurds for not seriously looking for political compromise. “Compromises on Kirkuk are theoretically possible, but only the UN seems to be seriously trying to find one.”
A New York Times editorial agrees.
And Helena Cobban in The Christian Science Monitor argues that only the U.N. can mobilize the global resources, the non-military tools, and expertise necessary to sort out the political divisions in Iraq. However, for the U.N. to be successful, Cobban argues that U.S. must form a “strong, new compact” with the U.N. after “Washington’s deep estrangement” in recent years.
Posted in Elections, Iraq, Kurds, Sectarianism, US foreign policy, United Nations | Comment »
Bush’s Tragic Flaw
July 30th, 2008 by Sarah
David Mikhail in The Hill derides the Bush administration’s failure to understand how its ”rejection of all things international” diminished America’s global influence and currently prevents the U.S. from being able to neutralize the Iranian nuclear threat. “Our lead-up to the Iraq war, Guantanamo and the sanctioning of torture have made allying with the U.S. toxic to foreign governments, and separation from American policy safe. Our security interests have been undermined.”
Posted in Iraq, US foreign policy, United Nations | Comment »
Iran’s Nuclear Pursuits
June 16th, 2008 by Sarah
This past weekend the E.U. presented Iran with a package of economic, political, and security incentives to give up its program to enrich uranium. To read the full proposal, click here. Najmeh Bozorgmehr of the Financial Times reports that Iran has responded positively to the package.
Meanwhile, today President Bush and British P.M. Gordon Brown issued a sharp warning to Iran to either accept their “offers of partnership” or face tough sanctions and international isolation.
M.J. Rosenberg at Talking Points Memo recommends that the U.S. use diplomacy to regarding Iran’s pursuit of nuclear capabilities. “The tough talk from both Washington and Jerusalem–tough talk that could well be a prelude to tough action.”
In related news, Gareth Jenkins at Global Terrorism Analysis reports that a Turkish General has admitted that Turkey and Iran have been sharing intelligence and coordinating military operations against the PKK and its Iranian affiliate, PJAK. American Footprints’s Brian Ulrich wonders what it means for a key U.S. ally to be working so closely with Iran.
Posted in Diplomacy, Iran, Technology, United Nations | 1 Comment »
Albright Sees An End to Intervention
June 11th, 2008 by Sarah
Madeline Albright writes in the NYTimes of some grim realities. “Totalitarian governments are alive and well; their neighbors are reluctant to pressure them to change; and the notion of national sovereignty as sacred is gaining ground, helped in no small part by the disastrous results of the American invasion of Iraq.”
Ultimately, she asks “Is [an international system] just a collection of legal nuts and bolts cobbled together by governments to protect governments? Or is it a living framework of rules intended to make the world a more humane place?”
Posted in Freedom, Human Rights, US foreign policy, United Nations | Comment »
Three Strikes, You’re Out!
June 9th, 2008 by Sarah
Graham Allison in the Boston Globe states that “after the undeniable failure of the third Security Council resolution imposing sanctions to slow Iran’s nuclear program, Bush’s Iran strategists should recognize that they have struck out.” He accuses the Bush administration of avoiding this realization by distracting the U.S. with rhetoric about whether to engage in dialogue with Iran.
Meanwhile, in a response to Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz’s statement that an attack against Iran is “unavoidable,” White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said that the U.S. is committed to solving the Iranian nuclear threat through diplomatic multilateral means.
Posted in Diplomacy, Iran, Israel, United Nations | Comment »
Nuclear Update on Iran and Syria
June 2nd, 2008 by Sarah
Reactions continue to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s recent report on Iran’s nuclear program, finding that Iran was not cooperating fully in the IAEA’s investigation of Iran’s nuclear activities. The IAEA is meeting this week in Vienna and Director General Dr. ElBaradei has called on Iran to “demonstrate the necessary transparency and provide full disclosure” to allow the IAEA to reach a conclusion on the nature of the Iranian programme as soon as possible.
Under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty a country has the right to enrich its own fuel for civil nuclear power, if subject to inspection from the IAEA. Iran maintains that it is merely pursuing nuclear power for this purpose and will not use the technology to make a nuclear bomb.
The L.A. Times blog Babylon and Beyond states that reaction to the report in Iran has been negative if not hostile. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini noted that Iran regards UN Security Council’s demands as illegal. “We should bear in mind that not a single negative point has been documented in the report against Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities.”
Joschka Fisher, Germany’s former foreign minister, warns in The Daily Star that because of failed U.S. policies catapulting Iran into a position of regional hegemony, “the Middle East is drifting toward a new great confrontation in 2008. Iran must understand that without a diplomatic solution in the coming months, a dangerous military conflict is very likely to erupt. It is high time for serious negotiations to begin.”
In related news, CNN reports that Syria has agreed to allow United Nations nuclear inspectors to to investigate allegations that the country was building a nuclear reactor at a site attacked by Israel last September.
While the White House claims the secret nuclear reactor was built with the help of North Korea and was “not intended for peaceful purposes,” Syria’s ambassador Imad Moustapha told CNN “this will be a major embarrassment to the U.S. administration for the second time — they lied about the Iraqi WMDs and they are trying to do it again.”
Posted in Iran, Syria, Technology, United Nations | 1 Comment »
Status of Forces Agreement
June 2nd, 2008 by Sarah
With the U.N. mandate set to expire at the end of this year, the Bush administration has been working closely with the Iraqi Parliament to sign a Status of Forces Agreement, which would allow for a continued presence of US troops in Iraq.
Many critics including Eric Martin of American Footprints suggest that one of the goals behind this agreement is to bind the next U.S. President to an unpopular war. U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker explicity denies this, and has testified at a House Armed Services Committee Hearing to that effect. “It will not tie the hands of the next administration.”
Michael O’Hanlon, a Brookings senior fellow, agrees. “[A Status of Forces Agreements] never means that we’re obligated to stay in any given place for a given length of time with troops. We always have a right to reassess and to leave. These rules govern whatever troops are there at the time they’re there, but it doesn’t prejudge the continuation of that presence.”
Eric Martin also suggests that the SOFA is opposed by “large segments of the Iraqi population - perhaps majorities - as well as by other prominent political and religious leaders.”
Yousif Bassil of CNN reports that one such leader is Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr who calls for the agreement to be put to a popular referendum by the Iraqi people, as well as for a timetable for the departure of U.S. troops. He has called for his supporters to hold weekly protests against the agreement.
Al-Hayat (via Juan Cole of Informed Consent) reports that Ayatollah Ali Sistani has also called on the Iraqi prime minister “to deal cautiously with the agreement and called on him to organize a national referendum on it.” The Shiite leader said in a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki that he would not allow such an agreement to be concluded with US occupiers as long as he is alive.
Juan Cole suggests, however, that a popular referendum may add legitimacy to an already weak Iraqi Parliment. He cautions that otherwise the agreement may become toothless.
Posted in Iraq, Military, United Nations | Comment »
Using International Organizations to Stabilize the Region
May 29th, 2008 by Sarah
Kenneth Weisbrode of the Washington Times calls for the use of a robust multinational coalition such as NATO, to help stabilize the Middle East. According to Weisbrode, this will be a more effective tool to dissuade hostile parties from seeking nuclear weapons capabilities by stabilizing the region.
Mark Mazower in the Financial Times commented that in light of what he sees as the end of the “American Century,” the only way to effectively promote democracy and human rights is by working within a United Nations framework. Mazower suggests reforming the U.N. to accommodate its increased membership, and scaling down unilateral efforts of the U.S.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Multilateralism, United Nations | 1 Comment »
Refugees and IDPs - Can The US Do More?
May 1st, 2008 by Amanda
The Center for American Progress thinks so, as the 2 million Iraqi refugees and the 2.7 internatlly displaced persons remain homeless in and out of Iraqi borders. As two Congressional subcommittees meet jointly today to discuss the problem, CAP argues that “Iraq’s displacement crisis is not simply a moral and humanitarian problem; it represents a grave political and security challenge to Iraq and the broader Middle East.”
Despite this seemingly imminent threat to both Middle East and American security, however, the United States remains peripheral to the issue.
CAP admonishes the United States for not accepting the moral responsibility to ease the refugee strain. The organization calls on the U.S. “to work with the Iraqi government, the United Nations, and local and international NGOs ” in order to “resolve Iraq’s multiple political conflicts.”
Posted in Iraq, US foreign policy, United Nations | 1 Comment »
Urging the United Nations to Find Bhutto’s Killer
April 15th, 2008 by Sharlina
The new Pakistani Parliament passed a unanimous resolution on Monday urging the government to allow the United Nations to investigate the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Officials of the Pakistan Peoples Party, led by Bhutto’s husband Asif Ali Zardari, have expressed dissatisfaction with the inquiry conducted by the previous government. Their supporters have suggested that parts of the government under President Pervez Musharraf or its intelligence services may have been involved.
Posted in Elections, Pakistan, United Nations | Comment »
Strategies for Iraq and Questions for Petraeus
April 4th, 2008 by Stephen
Mother Jones surveys 12 experts in national security on what questions they would ask General David Petraeus, scheduled to testify before the House and Senate next week.
Mohammad K. Shiyyab, a retired general from the Royal Jordanian Air Force, argues in the Daily Star that the way forward in Iraq may be through a regional solution. He acknowledges the great difficulties and the needs of the minority Sunni Arab community, but concludes tentatively that “an enhanced role for the United Nations in Iraq might be a step in the right direction and could be kick-started by convening a regional security conference under the auspices of the UN where Iraq’s neighbors, including Iran, pledge to support an Iraqi power sharing agreement and respect Iraq’s borders.”
Posted in Iraq, US foreign policy, United Nations | Comment »
Discussion in Berlin on Potential Iran Sanctions
January 22nd, 2008 by Sharlina
The United Nations Security Council’s five permanent members and Germany are discussing potential sanctions on Iran’s business and banking sectors in Berlin today. There are indications that such measures are nearing agreement and a draft resolution will be presented at the end of the month.
Posted in Iran, US foreign policy, United Nations | Comment »
POMED Notes: Foreign Affairs Hearing about Iraq
December 20th, 2007 by Celest
Yesterday, the International Organizations, Human Rights and Oversight Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee held a hearing to investigate if Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s request for an extension of the UN mandate for coalition in forces in Iraq without the approval of the Iraqi Parliament was unconstitutional under the Iraqi Constitution. This is debatable because the Iraqi Constitution says that the Iraqi Parliament must approve all international treaties and agreements, and it is questionable if extending the UN mandate in Iraq qualifies as an international agreement.
The witnesses were Michael Rubin, Ph.D., Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research; Issam Michael Saliba, Esq., Senior Foreign Law Specialist, Middle East and North Africa, Law Library of Congress; Kenneth Katzman, Ph.D. Specialist in Middle East Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Defense and Trade Division, Congressional Research Service; and Raed Jarrar, Iraq Consultant, Middle East Peace Building Program, American Friends Service Committee. Chairman Bill Delahunt (D-MA) and Ranking Member Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) both made opening statements.
The hearing was not able to conclusively say if Maliki’s actions were unconstitutional as the witnesses were split on if this was actually the case. The Q&A session covered many topics including the representativeness of Iraq’s electoral system and how Iraq’s democracy is evolving.
For POMED’s full notes, click here.
Posted in Committee Meetings, Democracy Promotion, Iraq, US foreign policy, United Nations | Comment »
The Need for Continued Sanctions Against Iran
December 5th, 2007 by Amanda
The Christian Science Monitor has an article today that argues against those that say the urgency for tougher sanctions on Iran is now gone due to the recently released intelligence report that asserts Iran stopped its nuclear bomb project four years ago.
The author warns of the intelligence community’s “shaky reputation” and agues that “Further sanctions must be designed to have Iran forswear building a bomb, dismantle its bombmaking facilities, and allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to verify such steps.” Moreover, the author asserts, “Sanctions are a message to Iranians that they need new leadership.”
Posted in Iran, US foreign policy, United Nations | Comment »
