Asociación para las Naciones Unidas y el Derecho Internacional

LONDON, BABY

noreply@blogger.com (ANUDI) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 06:55:00 +0000

Somalia: UN takes part in new effort to improve security

noreply@blogger.com (ANUDI) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 11:20:00 +0000

The United Nations has taken part in the first meeting of a new joint initiative in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, that aims to boost security and safety across the war-torn country.

The Joint Security Committee, comprising representatives of the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS), the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the international community, met today, according to a communiqué issued after the meeting.

TFG participants in the committee include the ministers of defence, national security and interior, as well the police commissioner and the head of the intelligence services.

It is the first time that the committee has met in Mogadishu, the scene of such fierce fighting over the past two months that has forced an estimated 200,000 residents to flee their homes, joining the hundreds of thousands of other internally displaced persons (IDPs) within Somalia.

The committee's main task is to jointly coordinate efforts to support and improve the Somali security institutions. It is also mandated to facilitate the disbursement of pledges made at a conference in Brussels, Belgium, in April to boost Somali security.

UN News report

G8 summit 2009 closing report

noreply@blogger.com (ANUDI) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:42:00 +0000

The 2009 G8 Summit was held in L'Aquila, Italy -- the country that currently holds the G8 Presidency -- from 8 to 10 July. The G8 group's member countries are Canada, the Russian Federation, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States, together with the European Union represented by the European Council's duty President and by the President of the European Commission.

On the official web page of the summit you can find news, interviews and everything you care about around the meeting of the global leaders.

http://www.g8italia2009.it/

ANUDI cumple 1 año!

noreply@blogger.com (ANUDI) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:35:00 +0000

Hola a todos!!
ANUDI cumple hoy 1 año y queríamos aprovechar esta oportunidad para agradecerte todo el apoyo que nos has dado durante este primer año. En tan solo un año hemos logrado organizar varios eventos y esperamos que en los próximos años podamos aumentar el número de asociados y el número de eventos.
¡Muchas gracias por toda tu ayuda!

-ANUDI-

Ban keeping close eye on developments in post-election Iran

noreply@blogger.com (ANUDI) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 11:55:00 +0000

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today he is keeping an eye on the situation in Iran, where President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s victory over opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi in last week’s election is being contested.

“I have been closely following the situation, particularly right after the election, on the demonstrations and controversies,” Mr. Ban told reporters in New York. “At the same time, I have also taken note of the instruction by the religious leaders that there should be an investigation into this issue.

“In any country, when there is an election, the genuine will of the people should be reflected and respected in a most transparent and fair and objective manner,” he added.

According to media reports, hundreds of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in the past several hours following the announcement of the election results. Mr. Mousavi has said he believes the vote was fixed in favour of President Ahmadinejad, while the incumbent said the vote was fair.

Meanwhile, the head of the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today urged the Government of Iran to allow better monitoring of its disputed nuclear programme, and to accept a new initiative of the United States to engage in direct dialogue.

UN News

President Obama’s message to Islamic world draws praise from UN chief

noreply@blogger.com (ANUDI) — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 19:05:00 +0000

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly welcomed the speech delivered today in Cairo by President Barack Obama, voicing hope that it will herald the opening of a new chapter in relations between the United States and the Islamic world.
“The Secretary-General believes that President Obama’s speech is a crucial step in bridging divides and promoting intercultural understanding, which is a major objective of the United Nations,” Mr. Ban’s spokesperson said in a statmen.
Strongly welcoming the speech’s message of peace, understanding and reconciliation, Mr. Ban hopes this will have “a positive impact on the peace process in the Middle East and the resolution of a number of conflicts in the Middle East and beyond.”
The Secretary-General is on his way to Washington D.C., where he is scheduled to meet with US Vice-President Joseph Biden this afternoon. Tonight, he plans to take part in a dialogue on international affairs at the Brookings Institution, spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters.
Mr. Ban is slated to meet with US Secretary of Energy Steven Chu tomorrow morning before returning to New York, she added.

UN News report

Agriculture key to Africa’s development, stresses UN-African Union report

noreply@blogger.com (ANUDI) — Thu, 28 May 2009 19:35:00 +0000

African nations will be hit hard by the global economic crisis during the course of 2009, the United Nations and the African Union (AU) say in a new report, which stresses the need to focus on agriculture, the mainstay of economies on the continent.
“Modernising agriculture is crucial to development and industrialisation in Africa, to food security, sustained poverty reduction and integration of Africa in the global economy,” says this year’s Economic Report on Africa.
The report, an annual publication of the AU Commission and the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), calls for special attention to agriculture, since Africa is heavily dependent on this sector for providing employment, generating economic growth, foreign exchange earnings and tax revenue.
“Agriculture is still the mainstay of economic development and yet a very neglected sector for decades in Africa,” Rob Vos, Director of the Development Policy and Analysis Division at the Department for Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), told reporters as he launched the report.
He noted that Africa, which has the largest agricultural potential per hectare and per capita, is still a net food importer. “What Africa needs is a long-term focus on agricultural development and a transformation that would help further economic diversification, job creation and, through that, poverty reduction,” he said.
The report, entitled “Developing African Agriculture through Regional Value Chains,” highlights the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), adopted by the AU in 2003.

UN News

Situation in Somalia difficult, but not ‘hopeless,’ says top UN envoy

noreply@blogger.com (ANUDI) — Sat, 23 May 2009 07:50:00 +0000

The top United Nations envoy to Somalia today characterized the situation in the Horn of Africa nation as “very difficult … but not hopeless,” as news media reported fresh outbreaks of deadly clashes in the capital, Mogadishu.
Speaking to UN Radio from his headquarters in Nairobi, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, said that among the tragedies, there was the fact that many of the people fleeing the capital were escaping violence for at least the second time.
They had returned to Mogadishu after the signing of the UN-backed peace agreements in Djibouti in January, only to be sent running for their lives again after intense fighting between Government troops and the opposition Al-Shabaab and Hisb-ul-Islam groups began in Mogadishu on 8 May.
Most of the uprooted have headed to makeshift camps south-west of the capital that already are home to some 400,000 people.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported today that some 46,000 people had fled the capital since the fighting broke out earlier this month.
“I hope they will return soon with the betterment of the situation,” Mr. Ould-Abdallah said today.

Source: UN News

Ban calls for global compassion, solidarity on Buddhist day of Vesak

noreply@blogger.com (ANUDI) — Sun, 10 May 2009 15:38:00 +0000

9 May 2009 – In a message commemorating Vesak Day, which marks the birth, enlightenment and passing of the Buddha, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the world to learn from the spiritual leader's sense of compassion.
“The financial crisis, climate change, pandemics, terrorism and other international threats prove that the fates of all people are linked,” Mr. Ban wrote in his message.
He noted that a problem for one country can quickly turn into a global threat. “I constantly remind leaders that we must act together or we will fail individually.”
It is in the world's best interest to join forces in solidarity, as well as the right thing to do, stressed the Secretary-General. “More than 2,500 years ago Buddha taught that nothing exists in isolation.”
Underscoring the idea, Mr. Ban noted that Buddha also taught that we “cannot be happy as long as others suffer, and that when we do reach out, we discover the best in ourselves.”
“On this day of Vesak, let us resolve to help people who are suffering so that we may secure a better future for all.”

United Nations News

A Pandemic of Fear

noreply@blogger.com (ANUDI) — Mon, 04 May 2009 09:48:00 +0000

By Marc Siegel MD

(Dr. Siegel is a prolific writer, an Associate Professor of Medicine and a Fellow in the Master Scholars Society at New York University School of Medicine, a columnist for the Los Angeles Times and a Fox News Medical Contributor.)

Fear is a deeply rooted emotion -- one that can serve as a lifesaving response to imminent danger. But because we humans often magnify risk, fear can also cause us to overreact to remote threats, such as bird flu.
According to a significant study published in the prestigious British journal Nature recently, the H5N1 bird flu virus is at least two large mutations and two small mutations away from being the next human pandemic virus. This virus attaches deep in the lungs of birds but cannot adhere to the upper respiratory tract of humans. Since we can't transmit the virus to each other, it poses little immediate threat to us.

So why did the "flu hunter," world-renowned Tennessee virologist Robert Webster, say of bird flu on ABC that there are "about even odds at this time for the virus to learn how to transmit human to human," and that "society just can't accept the idea that 50 percent of the population could die . . . I'm sorry if I'm making people a little frightened, but I feel it's my role."
I'm sorry, Dr. Webster, but your role is to track influenza in the test tube, not to enter into broad speculation on national television. By your way of thinking, we should all be either building an escape rocket ship or killing every bird we see before it can kill us.
Fear causes the public to blur the distinction between birds and people, and so, as the H5N1 virus infects flocks of birds in Pakistan and Israel, nightly news watchers track the path to the United States. The poultry industry cringes as migratory birds that may be carrying H5N1 make their way closer to the northern shores of North America...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/24/AR2006032401716.html

Has globalization made us more catastrophe-prone?

noreply@blogger.com (ANUDI) — Fri, 01 May 2009 17:33:00 +0000

As the world grapples with the worst economic downturn in decades and the possibility of a flu pandemic, a growing body of research suggests the complexity of the modern global economy may make us more vulnerable than ever to catastrophe.
The financial crisis began as turmoil in one small segment of the U.S. mortgage market. Within months it had morphed into a global meltdown affecting almost everyone on earth.
"The speed at which these events unfolded was unprecedented," said the World Economic Forum's 2009 report on global risk.
"It has demonstrated just how tightly interconnected globalization has made the world and its systems."
Disease, too, can spread faster than ever before. Modern air travel means that any contagious outbreak can be worldwide in a matter of days. In the past, it would have taken months or years.
The more complex and efficient a system, the faster and wider any contagion can spread. Yet this interdependence is by no means always negative. The complexity of the world economy means risk can be more easily distributed, and often more easily mitigated.
Complex systems can often be adaptable -- if one part fails, other parts of the network can assume the burden.
Network theory suggests that complex diversified systems can often bring greater stability. But only to a point.
"While this helps the system diversify across small shocks, it also exposes the system to large systemic shocks," Raghuram Rajan, who has been an IMF chief economist and adviser to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, wrote in a 2005 research paper.
"It is possible that these developments...create a greater (albeit still small) probability of a catastrophic meltdown."
BUTTERFLIES, BLACK SWANS AND SWINE FLU
One key issue is the so-called "butterfly effect" -- in highly complex systems, even a small event can be magnified and transmitted with highly unpredictable results. Edward Lorenz, a pioneer of chaos theory, noted that a butterfly flapping its wings in one corner of the world could cause a tornado far away.
Benoit Mandelbrot, a French mathematician and the father of fractal geometry, applied the theory to markets to show how "wild variability" is intrinsic to the system.
In network theory, one key finding is that complex interconnected systems organize themselves around key nodes. If one of these is hit, the whole house of cards can collapse.

By Andrew Marshall, Asia Political Risk Correspondent

http://www.reuters.com/article/internal_ReutersNewsRoom_ExclusivesAndWins_MOLT/idUSTRE53S4NU20090429

Congo ex-rebel 'working with UN'

noreply@blogger.com (ANUDI) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:00:00 +0000

An indicted war criminal is playing a leading role in the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to documents seen by the BBC.
A Congolese army paper suggests ex-rebel leader Gen Bosco Ntaganda has a major part in the command chain, says a BBC correspondent in the country.
The UN-Congolese force is fighting Hutu rebels in the eastern DR Congo.
The force says Congolese authorities have given assurances that Gen Ntaganda is not involved in joint operations.
Gen Ntaganda - known as "the Terminator" - is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged forced enrolment of child soldiers in 2002-2003.

"Rather than denying or ignoring the role being played by Bosco Ntaganda, the UN should be actively seeking his arrest and transferring him to The Hague"
- Anneke Van Woudenberg Human Rights Watch

Swine flu outbreak reaches Europe

noreply@blogger.com (ANUDI) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:48:00 +0000

The first cases of swine flu have been confirmed in Europe.

Two British people admitted to hospital in Scotland after returning from a holiday in Mexico have been confirmed as having the virus. In Spain, a man has tested positive for swine flu and 17 other people are under investigation, officials said. EU health ministers are to meet on Thursday to discuss the outbreak, which health officials suspect has killed about 150 people in Mexico. The World Health Organization (WHO) raised its alert level late on Tuesday from three to four - two steps short of declaring a full pandemic. WHO Assistant Director General Dr Keiji Fukuda said it signalled a "significant step towards pandemic influenza", but added "we are not there yet". The EU's Health Commissioner, Androulla Vassiliou, has advised against non-essential travel to any affected areas. Besides Mexico, the UK and Spain, there have also been confirmed cases in the US and Canada. Suspected cases are being investigated in Brazil, Israel, Australia and New Zealand. "Personally, I'd try to avoid non-essential travel to the areas which are reported to be in the centre of the cluster," Ms Vassiliou said. The precaution would "minimise the personal risk and to reduce the potential risk to spread the infection to other people", she added. Germany's largest tour operator, TUI, suspended all trips to Mexico City as a precaution - though holidays to other parts of Mexico would continue as normal.

Personally, I'd try to avoid non-essential travel to the areas which are reported to be in the centre of the cluster

Androulla Vassiliou
EU Health Commissioner

BBC News UK

¡ANUDI en los medios!

noreply@blogger.com (ANUDI) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 15:55:00 +0000

Queridos amigos, Os adjunto el siguiente link donde se habla de nosotros en una de las actividades que hemos llevado a cabo este año: la participación en el Modelo de Harvard de Naciones Unidas.

http://www.elmundo.es/suplementos/campus/2009/548/1240351213.html

Un saludo.

Carlos A. Arrébola

U.N. Official Says Darfur Continues to Crumble

noreply@blogger.com (ANUDI) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 17:23:00 +0000

UNITED NATIONS — The humanitarian situation in Darfur continues to deteriorate in the wake of Sudan’s decision to expel major foreign aid organizations from the country, a top United Nations official told the Security Council on Friday, with a majority of Council members sharply criticizing Khartoum for refusing to reverse its edict.
Critical areas of concern in Darfur include distribution of adequate food, water and medical care, as well as the safety of United Nations personnel and humanitarian workers who have been subject to stepped-up attacks, said the official, Rashid Khalikov, the director in New York for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
“Our ability to help the people of Darfur and northern Sudan has been seriously compromised,” he said. “The current atmosphere of fear and uncertainty facing all aid organizations is affecting the assistance available to the people of Darfur.”

Source: NYT

The full article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/21/world/africa/21nations.html?scp=2&sq=united%20nations%20darfur&st=cse

More about the situation in Sudan:

http://www.pressreview21.blogspot.com/ (thanks to Elie Smilovitz Kassin)

U.N. Says Thousands Killed in Sri Lanka

noreply@blogger.com (ANUDI) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 17:16:00 +0000

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — An average of 70 civilians have been killed each day since late January in fighting between the Sri Lankan government and ethnic Tamil separatists, according to the latest tally by the United Nations.

The Sri Lankan military on Friday distributed food at refugee camps set up to the northeast of Colombo.
Despite international calls for a cease-fire, including a visit here on Friday by senior Indian officials, the government is pushing ahead with its plans to destroy the remnants of the Tamil Tigers, now confined toa narrow strip of land about four miles long off Sri Lanka’s northeast coast.
More than 100,000 civilians fled the combat zone earlier this week, but the United Nations estimates that 50,000 to 100,000 civilians remain trapped on the sandy spit of land. The assessment is based on satellite images and reports from United Nations workers in the conflict zone.

“The humanitarian conditions in the conflict area are very grim,” said Sarasi Wijueatne, a spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross, which has evacuated 11,000 sick and wounded by ferry in the past three months.

Source: New York Times

You can read the full article at this address:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/25/world/asia/25lanka.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=united%20nations&st=cse

ANUDI Cierra el debate Isral-Palestina

noreply@blogger.com (ANUDI) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 13:57:00 +0000

¡ANUDI cierra el debate Israel-Palestina con una charla que no puedes perderte!

Martes 28 de 13.00 a 15.00 en la aula

14.1.5. Universidad Carlos III de Madrid Campus de Getafe.Conferencia de Lidon Soriano, profesora de la Comply e integrante de la Red Solidaria contra la Ocupación de Palestina. Nos aportará una visión privilegiada del conflicto al haber estado en la zona en varias ocasiones como cooperante. Si quereis comenzar a conocer un poco más de su labor os recomendamos la crónica que realizó sobre el estado de ánimo de la población de Nablús en los primeros días de 2008

http://seressinrostro.wordpress.com/2008/01/16/cronica-desde-nablus-palestina/

Ánimate a asistir, será una experiencia genial.

Debate Israel Palestina

noreply@blogger.com (ANUDI) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 06:05:00 +0000

DEBATE ISRAEL PALESTINA Miércoles 22 de 13:00 a 15:00, en el aula 14.0.11 (Buero Vallejo) Universidad Carlos III GetafeNo dudes en asistir, contamos con la participación de:
- Sofía San Millán, de la Plataforma 2015 (ONG por Palestina)
- Manuel Fernández Gómez, de Cruz Roja y profesor de Derecho Internacional.
- David Hatchwell, de la Casa Judía de Madrid.
- Francisco de Andrés, periodista del diario ABC.Será una ocasión única para conocer el conflicto más a fondo..
¡Anímate

Globalization by John Nash

noreply@blogger.com (ANUDI) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 12:14:00 +0000

Hi guys,
Last week I was looking for more information about anti-globalization movement provoked by the protests in London due G20 meeting earlier this month and I found a very interesting article from Prof. John Nash - Nobel Prize laureate in Economics (1994) who uses his Game Theory (applied mathematics) to examine the International Cooperation and Globalization problems from economy perspective of view using a very common language and describing, with several examples, how those problems can be solved. There is no doubt about the political and law application of this theory according to the wide interpretation that its offer.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/14367759/Globalization-John-Nash

You can read more about Prof. John Nash from the next link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Forbes_Nash

Conference report

noreply@blogger.com (ANUDI) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:22:00 +0000

Today we started the second cycle of conferences dedicated to the conflict between Israel and Palestine with our guest Mr. Eduardo Álvarez as we announced earlier this week. The main topic was the communication media treatment of Gaza conflict. For those who didn’t have the possibility to participate we discussed the lack of interest from international politics, as well as the miss of correspondents in the hot spots, which slowly become a real problem for the Medias to get not only the real and correct information, but to provide independent point of view over the whole conflict. Statistic information for the Spanish population opinion and how they evaluate the Israel state was presented from our guest as well as, how this opinion vary before and after 9/11. The activity of Israel diplomacy and role of the communications media, like an instrument to change the public opinion also was part of the discussion. Unfortunately we didn’t have enough time for all the questions of interest, but don’t worry, this will be surely not the last time when we discuss this topic.
Next week we continue with a debate which will be held in 14.0.11 at the same time (13:00) and a second conference in two weeks.

Visit us later on for more information.

Anudi organiza este jueves 16 de april, una nueva conferencia.

noreply@blogger.com (ANUDI) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 06:32:00 +0000

ANUDI organiza este jueves 16 de abril a las 13 horas en el aula Buero Vallejo (14.0.11) de la Universidad Carlos III, Getafe, el Segundo Ciclo de Conferencias. El tema será el conflicto entre Israel-Palestina. En la 1º conferencia tendremos a Eduardo Álvarez (Licenciado en Periodismo por la Universidad del País Vasco y en Ciencias Políticas por la Universidad Complutense de Madrid. En la actualidad, es redactor de EL MUNDO en la sección de Opinión), que nos hablará del conflicto en Gaza y su tratamiento en los medios de comunicación.Después a la semana siguiente tendremos un debate y dentro de dos semanas otra conferencia.

More information about us.

noreply@blogger.com (ANUDI) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 22:45:00 +0000

Dear friends,

As we launched this blog a few weeks ago I think now is the time to put some more additional information about what is ANUDI, what is Model United Nations (MUM) and some reference to the main objectives and purpose of this association.

First of all, I’d like to represent you the official webpage of our associations, which many of you already know, but for our future members I thinks is the first step in order to get more information about what we are doing and the goals we strive for:

http://anudi.tk/

There you can find all kind of information, about the conferences and courses we make, and off course how to get in touch with us.

Detailed explication of what is Model United Nations you can find in the United Nation’s page:
http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/modelun/index.asp
And for those of you who prefer the well known Wikipedia here is the link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_United_Nations

If you are Professor, student in International Law or related fields you can join with your own articles dedicated to the topic in our “Spanish Review of International Relations” (RERI) which will be published once a year, starting from this May.
http://www.reri-anudi.es/index_archivos/en_home.htm

And the final link you have to take a look at is de World Model United Nation’s webpage:
http://www.worldmun.org/2009/

We hope that you enjoy your stay here, feel free to comment the articles and the most important news from the international law’s scene, in both Spanish and English.

Do not hesitate to send your comments, advices and recommendations to niliev@hotmail.es

Whish you happy Easter
Nikolay Iliev and ANUDI team

North Korea launched a long-range rocket this weekend

noreply@blogger.com (ANUDI) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 21:16:00 +0000

"North Korea launched a long-range rocket this weekend, just hours before a Prague speech by President Obama in which he outlined his plans for a nuclear-free world. The New York Times reports a UN Security Council meeting yesterday "ended without any action being taken," because, says the Washington Post, China and Russia "were not convinced that Pyongyang had violated any UN rules." US officials, according to the Los Angeles Times, said "the launch violated terms of a 2006 UN resolution that imposed sanctions on the North after it tested a nuclear device."
The Washington Post says the launch "poses a critical test of...Obama's leadership on a major foreign policy crisis," and the Los Angeles Times adds that North Korea may "want to send a message" to Obama, and "bring the US to the bargaining table for one-on-one talks." The AP reports the State Department "said Washington would take 'appropriate steps.'" The New York Times reports that "hours after North Korea's missile test," Obama "quickly began talks with senior officials," including Secretary of State Clinton, "who offered up the now famous 'It's 3 a.m. and the telephone rings' campaign advertisement that was meant to show that Mr. Obama was not prepared to deal with an international crisis."
McClatchy says that the President "had long scheduled the speech on his broad vision for cutting and eliminating the nuclear threat." The AP reports Obama declared "the future of mankind at stake," and "dismissed those who say the spread of nuclear weapons...cannot be checked." The Wall Street Journal reports Obama outlined a strategy that "commits the US to take the lead in reducing its nuclear-weapons stockpile in a bid to gain Russian and Chinese support for curbing the mounting proliferation threats posed by North Korea and Iran." The Financial Times says the speech contained "the most sweeping set of arms control proposals by a US president in decades." The Politico says Obama "proposed...reducing America's arsenal, if not altogether eliminating it."
Obama Reaction Criticized The Politico reports, "Hard-line critics say North Korea's move makes the president's no-nukes aspirations all the more unrealistic, even dangerous." The Hill notes former House Speaker Newt Gingrich "said he would have taken pre-emptive measures to prevent" the launch. Former UN ambassador John Bolton, in the Wall Street Journal, writes, "incredibly," Special Envoy Stephen Bosworth "revealed...that he was ready to visit Pyongyang and resume the six-party talks once the 'dust from the missiles settles.' It is no wonder the North fired away." The Wall Street Journal editorializes, "Kim has every reason to expect that he will eventually get what he wants -- more recognition, more money and energy supplies" and "his nukes and missiles too." According to The Politico, "American voters across lines of age, party and gender support a military approach to eliminate North Korea's nuclear capabilities, according to a Rasmussen Reports survey." 57% "support such a response, while just 15 percent oppose it."

Feel free to post your comments below.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization 60th anniversary

noreply@blogger.com (ANUDI) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 00:04:00 +0000

Declaration on Alliance Security
Issued by the Heads of State and Government participating in the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Strasbourg / Kehl on 4 April 2009
We, the Heads of State and Government of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, met today in Strasbourg and Kehl to celebrate the 60th anniversary of our Alliance. We have reaffirmed the values, objectives and obligations of the Washington Treaty which unite Europe with the United States and Canada, and have provided our transatlantic community with an unprecedented era of peace and stability. We have also reaffirmed our adherence to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.
NATO continues to be the essential transatlantic forum for security consultations among Allies. Article 5 of the Washington Treaty and collective defence, based on the indivisibility of Allied security, are, and will remain, the cornerstone of our Alliance. Deterrence, based on an appropriate mix of nuclear and conventional capabilities, remains a core element of our overall strategy. NATO will continue to play its part in reinforcing arms control and promoting nuclear and conventional disarmament in accordance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, as well as non-proliferation efforts.
NATO’s enlargement has been an historic success in bringing us closer to our vision of a Europe whole and free. NATO’s door will remain open to all European democracies which share the values of our Alliance, which are willing and able to assume the responsibilities and obligations of membership, and whose inclusion can contribute to common security and stability.
Today, our nations and the world are facing new, increasingly global threats, such as terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, their means of delivery and cyber attacks. Other challenges such as energy security, climate change, as well as instability emanating from fragile and failed states, may also have a negative impact on Allied and international security. Our security is increasingly tied to that of other regions.
We will improve our ability to meet the security challenges we face that impact directly on Alliance territory, emerge at strategic distance or closer to home. Allies must share risks and responsibilities equitably. We must make our capabilities more flexible and deployable so we can respond quickly and effectively, wherever needed, as new crises emerge. We must also reform the NATO structures to create a leaner and more cost-effective organization. We will strengthen NATO’s capacity to play an important role in crisis management and conflict resolution where our interests are involved.
We aim to strengthen our cooperation with other international actors, including the United Nations, European Union, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and African Union, in order to improve our ability to deliver a comprehensive approach to meeting these new challenges, combining civilian and military capabilities more effectively. In our operations today in Afghanistan and the Western Balkans, our armed forces are working alongside many other nations and organisations. In Afghanistan, our key priority, we are committed to helping the Afghan Government and its people to build a democratic, secure and stable country that will never again harbour terrorists who threaten Afghan and international security.
NATO recognizes the importance of a stronger and more capable European defence and welcomes the European Union’s efforts to strengthen its capabilities and its capacity to address common security challenges. Non-EU Allies make a significant contribution to these efforts in which their fullest involvement possible is important, as agreed. We are determined to ensure that the NATO-EU relationship is a truly functioning strategic partnership as agreed by NATO and by the EU. Our efforts should be mutually reinforcing and complementary.
We will develop our relationships with all our partners, both in our neighbourhood and beyond, with whom we have a joint commitment to cooperative security. Our partners are key in enabling us to implement our vision of a community of shared values and responsibilities. We value the support that many of our partners bring to our operations and missions.
A strong, cooperative partnership between NATO and Russia, based on respect for all the principles of the 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act and the 2002 Rome Declaration, best serves security in the Euro-Atlantic area. We stand ready to work with Russia to address the common challenges we face.
We are committed to renovating our Alliance to better address today’s threats and to anticipate tomorrow’s risks. United by this common vision of our future, we task the Secretary General to convene and lead a broad-based group of qualified experts, who in close consultation with all Allies will lay the ground for the Secretary General to develop a new Strategic Concept and submit proposals for its implementation for approval at our next summit. The Secretary General will keep the Council in permanent session involved throughout the process.

First ‘Killing Fields’ suspect stands trial in joint UN-Cambodian court

noreply@blogger.com (ANUDI) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 22:20:00 +0000

31 March 2009 – Hearings at a United Nation-backed genocide tribunal have begun in the first trial of a suspect accused of crimes committed during the killing spree ordered by the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia in the late 1970s.
Yesterday, Kaing Guek Eav, whose alias is “Duch,” was charged by the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) in Phnom Penh with crimes including torture and premeditated murder while he was in charge of the notorious S-21 detention camp.
Alleged atrocities thought to have been committed against thousands of Cambodians at the camp, also known as Toul Sleng, include unlawful detention, forced labour under inhumane conditions, torture and execution.
The ECCC will hold a full trial, even if Duch enters a guilty plea.
Estimates vary, but as many as two million are thought to have died during the rule of the Khmer Rouge between 1975 and 1979, which was then followed by a protracted period of civil war in the impoverished South-East Asian country.