Group items tagged

From this article, I learned that the U.S. push for U.N. sanctions on Iran is entirely unsupported by other members of the U.N. security council, as many members believe that the U.S. has no legal standing to push for sanctions. Reimposing U.N. sanctions on Iran was part of the "snapback provision" of the Iran nuclear deal, but Trump withdrew from the deal 2 years ago. It is because of this withdrawal that the other members believe the U.S. no longer has the legal right to enforce the provision and impose U.N. sanctions.

The U.S.' push for sanctions is interesting because sanctions could be possible if the U.S. had not pulled out of the of the 2015 Iran Nuclear agreement. However, now that President Trump wants to impose sanctions he can not because of his administration past actions. The U.S. said they are fine standing alone of this issue, but this process could have been easier, and they could have possible have built a coalition around the sanctions.

An uncomfortable article about the UN in Congo. It talks about how the UN has spent billions of dollars and more than a decade on trying to keep peace, but they've accomplished very little.

These rapings are atrocious, and I'm surprised that its coverage on the media has been so meagre, considering the long history of the crisis in the Congo. While the U.N. has not been able to improve the Congo significantly, I'm wondering if the problems lie in the desolateness of the area (no lines of communication, etc) or in the management of the U.N. bases there. I believe that the U.N. could be doing more, but I don't think they should be the only solution; the local economy and infrastructure must improve as well so that better communication and control can be established.

What was most shocking to me about this article was the scale on which this is happening in Congo and how open the attackers are about it- raping an 80 year old woman, raping women with UN peacekeepers right up the street. The rapists have absolutely no limits. Scary and very sad. It was equally shocking that the Congo government (police, law enforcement etc) has been unwilling or unable to do anything about this (the article cited them as often "too drunk" to do much about it). It's sad and heart wrenching that the UN has so far been unable to come up with a plan to help these people, and perhaps even more sad that their own government hasn't done anything. It's notable that Congo is being called the "UN's crowning failure" and their greatest failure so far.

The Trump administration is reducing funding funding the Palestinian refugee support group of the U.N. (Unrwa), which could exacerbate the refugee crisis in the Middle East

"(CNN)The U.N. Security Council is set to implement "significant" punitive measures after North Korea's nuclear test and will begin working on a new resolution "immediately," a statement released by Security Council President Elbio Rosselli says. "

population Africa Europe

The U.N. has officially made the first authoritative statement that the Syrian Government is responsible for a recent Chemical attack that killed 83 people and injured close to 300. Coincidentally, this statement was made in the midst of international community loosening and removing all opposition to the Syrian government.

Yet another example of airstrikes causing unprecedented civilian casualties. Interesting that it can be this difficult to pinpoint the perpetrators of such a violent attack.

This is so sad that there are chemical attacks on rebel-held towns, but they are also having drastic effects on the people that live there, and so many people are dying! This really brings into question if chemicals should still be used for warfare.

World leaders have reacted with anger after North Korea carried out its fifth and reportedly biggest nuclear test. The South accused the North's leader Kim Jong-un of "maniacal recklessness". China "firmly opposed" the test, Japan "protested adamantly" and the US warned of "serious consequences".

Under intense pressure, South Sudan's beleaguered government has relented and will allow more United Nations peacekeepers into the country. In the two and a half years since civil war erupted, South Sudan has been the scene of atrocities including civilian massacres, the forcing of children into militias, the burning of emergency food supplies.

I thought this was an interesting article because it called into question the authority Obama really has on the decision to use armed forces in Syria. Since the United States is not directly in danger, the article points out how Obama legally needs to put the decision before the UN security council to make a decision.

I also think it's fascinating that there are parallels drawn between Obama's justification that not intervening in Syria would give the message that Syria's violation of the ban on chemical weapons is okay and Obama's willingness to violate the rule that prohibits use of military force without Security Council authorization. The question raised about which rule is more important is very thought-provoking.

Link to the article

Turkey as potential mediator in Middle East peace talks.

Countries are allowed to sell weapons to Sudan, but only if they receive confirmation that these weapons won't end up in Darfur. Chinese bullets were found in Darfur, which may not be China's fault, but the fact that they were trying to suppress the information is suspicious.

I think that is weird; however, it reminds me of our country. We distribute weapons to so many places around the word and i highly doubt that we know where all the weapons end up. And because China's economy is driven by exports I would like to assume the best and say that China may have given weapons to someone that second hand distributed them to allow this to happen. I don't know. It just seems possible that way.

I'm guessing that the bullet wound up in Darfur because China wasn't careful enough about where they sold them to. This isn't a problem that only China has- I think that very many countries, probably including ours, need to be more careful about where they sell weapons to. It indicates a big problem if countries are willing to sell weapons into the wrong hands to get money.

I was shocked (and horrified) to see that such a small group of men could harass and rape over 200 women, including an 80 year old, with UN peacekeepers located up the street. It was equally shocking that the Congo government (police, law enforcement etc) has been unwilling or unable to do anything about this (the article cited them as often "too drunk" to do much about it). It's sad and heart wrenching that the UN has so far been unable to come up with a plan to help these people, and perhaps even more sad that their own government hasn't done anything. It's notable that Congo is being called the "UN's crowning failure" and their greatest failure so far.

This spring I watched a play at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival called "Ruined". It was about women in the Congo: a "ruined" or raped woman runs a bar for soldiers and hires girls to show them a "good time". It was a really heart-wrenching play. I assume that "demolished", the word the woman uses, is, like "ruined", just another translation for "raped". It's interesting that they use a word that signifies total destruction, but also fitting. "Ruined" women often cannot find husbands, or are beaten or killed by their families out of shame. It is so bizarre and disgusting that rape has become such a common side-effect in the Congo. I wonder how accepted it is among the soldiers, or if they receive any punishment for their actions (I'm leaning towards no). I feel as though rape has by now become integrated into the military culture in the Congo. It's not just catching individuals, it's trying to thwart a whole mentality. Which will be very difficult to do, since they have much greater force than the UN presence. The description of how people try to stay as close to UN escort trucks as possible and camp outside the UN houses really illustrates the fear and feeling of defenselessness they must feel. It must be terrifying to live in the Congo right now, both as a villager and a UN worker. I understand why there are no women soldiers stationed there.

In order to remedy Ebola, Nations most affected by the virus, namely Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, must allow their leaders to calm and heal the general public. If political and social leaders fail to eradicate the disease, the number of people infected will quickly rise from 3000 to 20,000. So far, several countries have mismanaged the outbreak. Governments quarantined rural and urban areas of aforementioned African countries; a slum in Monrovia, the Capitol of Liberia, was one of the blocked off places. Instead of helping the people, as intended, the quarantines trap people. These people feel disregarded and sentenced to death. Fear causes people to run from the spaces and further spread Ebola, defeating the purpose of the quarantine. Even if African governments take necessary steps to prevent the spread of the disease, Western aid is still essential. Western countries should not supply weapons to help contain quarantines, but rather provide medicine and experienced medical personnel. Unfortunately, the pay is not high enough for many medics to risk their lives treating a disease that is the highest risk to doctors and nurses. The solution to Ebola is not an obvious one; the entire process is experimental. However, U.N. experts say a medical center need be established in West Africa where representatives of every African country can convene to discuss the disease.

Very interesting article. It is interesting how psychology must be considered in giving aid to African countries infected with Ebola (for example, the article mentions that soldiers shouldn't brandish their weapons so Ebola patients won't be afraid of the quarantine). The quarantines seem like an extra cause for panic. Imagine a Liberian seeing a quarantine being set up. Do you think they would act calmly and happily admit themselves to the quarantine, or just simply run away and spread the virus further?

Great analysis--see quotes below--but my question is, can the widespread response that is needed actually be pulled together? Especially, can it be pulled together fast? "Most agreed on many basic principles. All, for example, were sure the outbreak could be stopped without experimental drugs or vaccines. None expected it to take less than six months." "Pay is also an issue, experts said. Health workers taking huge risks must be compensated, and so must their families if they die." "Also, this outbreak is like SARS in that doctors and nurses are in the highest risk group. Training must be extra-thorough - especially in taking off protective gear that might be smeared with virus. Nigeria, for example, does not let anyone near victims without three days of training on wearing protective gear, said its health minister, Dr. Onyebuchi Chukwu." "The new W.H.O. road map calls for 12,000 local health workers and 750 expatriates." ""There's no part of this you can't break down and make work," Dr. Aylward said. "But it took us 20 years to build the polio response, and this has to be done in 20 days."

This article shows that the funding for Ebola treatment is extremely lacking, which is one of the reasons it is running rampant in west africa.