Global Policy Forum

GPF Newsletter
December 22 - December 26, 2008

Iraq Security Council Empire? Social and Economic Policy NGOs UN Reform International Justice

You can also access GPF's newsletters online at: www.globalpolicy.org/visitctr/wwnind.htm

GPF Publications

A New Era of World Hunger? - The Global Food Crisis Analyzed (July 2008)

Picture Credit: Greenpeace

This paper discusses the main causes of the steep run-up in global food prices and the resulting spread of hunger to nearly a billion people worldwide. Authors James A. Paul and Katarina Wahlberg conclude that biofuels and the agro-industrial approach to food production are the main culprits of the food crisis.
The paper looks at a wide range of factors endangering nutrition for all, including population growth, unsustainable consumption, international trade policy and climate change. The authors argue for effective and generous short-term aid as well as longer-term transformation of the agricultural system to make it more justly distributive, resilient, and sustainable for the future. (Global Policy Forum/Friedrich Ebert Foundation)

The MDG Project in Crisis "Midpoint Review and Prospects for the Future" (September 2008)

Picture Credit:
Jochen Hippler, Ulf Terlinden,
Jeanette Schade

Jens Martens and Tobias Debiel point out that the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are much less ambitious than previous international development goals.
Even so, the UN, World Bank and NGOs agree that most countries will not achieve most of the MDGs on time. The authors further argue that the MDGs fail to deal with the structural root causes of poverty, such as unequal distribution of wealth, land and political power, as well as unfair global trade rules.(Institue for Developmet and Peace)

Causes and Strategies on World Hunger: Green Revolution versus Sustainable Agriculture (May 2008)

Picture Credit:
World Economy &
Development in Brief

Global Policy Forum's Katarina Wahlberg criticizes the World Bank's proposal to create a Green Revolution in Africa. By focusing on boosting agricultural production through scientific development of more productive crops, the Bank disregards the fact that the Earth's biological systems cannot be exploited forever.
The supporters of the new Green Revolution also fail to address the major causes of the global food crisis, including biofuel production and unsustainable global consumption of meat. The author calls for a shift from industrial agriculture of export crops to sustainable agriculture for local consumption. (World Economy & Development in Brief)

The "Surge" of Iraqi Prisoners (May 7, 2008)

Picture Credit:
Agence France Presse/Filei

Amid all the talk about the US military "surge" in Iraq, little has been said about the accompanying "surge" of Iraqi prisoners, whose numbers rose to nearly 51,000 at the end of 2007. Global Policy Forum's Ciara Gilmartin states that "US forces hold nearly all detainees indefinitely without charge, an arrest warrant or the opportunity to defend themselves."
Human rights monitors, including the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), are denied access to detention centers in Iraq by US officials. This lack of oversight not only increases the likelihood of detainee abuse, but also violates international human rights law. (Foreign Policy in Focus)

War and Occupation in Iraq (June 2007)

Picture Credit: Spec. Charles Gill,
US Department of Defense

Since the March 2003 invasion, the US-UK occupation of Iraq has utterly failed to bring peace, prosperity and democracy, as originally advertised.
This major report assesses conditions in the country and especially the responsibility of the US-led Coalition for violations of international law. In twelve detailed chapters, brimming with information, the authors provide a unique and compelling analysis of the conflict, concluding with recommendations for action. Among the topics covered are: destruction of cultural heritage, killing of civilians, attacks on cities and long-term military bases. The report has been written and produced by Global Policy Forum and co-sponsored by thirty NGOs.

GPF Internships

GPF offers unpaid internships to students and young professionals from all over the world to work in our offices in New York and Bonn. We encourage qualified undergraduates to apply, as well as graduate students and those between degrees. We welcome students who have studied the United Nations and international organizations, but we consider specialized academic training less important than dedication to GPF's goals, intelligence and enthusiasm for learning.
GPF is looking for applicants who are students of Political Science, International Relations, International Law, Political Economy or International Public Policy Studies. We especially encourage applications from those with broad international travel and work experience and those with a progressive, egalitarian and global outlook.
For more information about the internship, application procedures, deadlines and qualifications, please visit our internship page

Support GPF!

Thanks to individuals like you, Global Policy Forum has for many years monitored policy making at the United Nations, promoted accountability of global decisions, educated and mobilized for global citizen participation, and advocated on vital issues of international peace and justice.
You can help us continue this work by giving a donation today! To remain a strong independent voice, we do not accept any corporate or government funding. Therefore GPF depends largely on contributions from individual members.
More About Global Policy Forum

Iraq

Picture Credit: AlterNet

Security Council Extends Protection of Iraq's Assets (December 22, 2008)
The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution which serves to protect Iraq's assets until the end of 2009. This shields Iraq from billions of dollars in international claims. Iraq's foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, argues this resolution is vital for the stability and economic development of the country. Further, the Council also agreed to allow the Iraqi government to conduct a review process leading to the possible cancellation of over 50 resolutions passed by the UN Security Council on Iraq since 1990. (New York Times)
State Department: Drop Blackwater in Iraq (December 17, 2008)
A report by the US State Department's Inspector General may recommend that Blackwater should lose its license in Iraq after the trial of six Blackwater officials for the killing of 17 civilians in Baghdad in 2007.US investigators say Blackwater guards were involved in 70 shooting incidents involving civilians before the 2007 shooting. (Huffington Post)

Security Council

Picture Credit:
United Nations Photo

Security Council Resolution 1854 (December 19, 2008)
In its resolution, the UN Security Council renews the arms embargo and travel restrictions against the Liberian government. The Council also renews until December 30, 2009 the mandate of the expert panel monitoring the implementation, violation and effectiveness of sanctions against Liberia.
EULEX, For a New Kosovo (December 16, 2008)
EULEX, the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo replacing UNMIK, started to operate in December 2008. Kosovo expects EULEX to annul parallel Serb governmental structures in the north of the country, whereas Serbia expects EULEX to protect the Serbian population in other parts of Kosovo. Contrary to UNMIK, which recognized Serbia's sovereignty over Kosovo, the EU mission is neutral towards the country's independence. (International Relations and Security Network)
Ghost Town at the Centre of a Nation's Future (December 13, 2008)
International media have focused on the situation in the Darfur region of Sudan and have largely ignored the oil-driven north-south conflict. Although the central Khartoum government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) signed a peace agreement in 2005, both governments do not agree on the division of oil revenues in the country. The two sides are rearming and a new conflict is likely, but the Security Council has not sent more peacekeepers to the tense border area between north and south Sudan. (Sunday Herald)

Empire?

Historic World Map 1716
Picture Credit:
World Maps Online

Rethinking the National Interest (July/August 2008)
In this Foreign Affairs article, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice explains how the US has shaped the world in its national interest through a "uniquely American realism." Rice favors the use of force by the United States to democratize countries so that they will share "common values" with the US. She also insists that "there are few problems in the world that can be solved without us." She does not comment on whether US values are in the interest of other countries, but she states that "We Americans engage in foreign policy because we have to, not because we want to, and this is a healthy disposition-it is that of a republic, not an empire."

Social and Economic Policy

Picture Credit:
Government Technology

World Bank's 'Wrong Advice' Left Silos Empty in Poor Countries (December 10, 2008)
The conditions attached to World Bank's loans, including the requirement that governments cut public investment in agriculture, have deepened the global food crisis. The World Bank has relied on privatization and deregulation for investment and growth in the agricultural sector. This has not helped small farmers, but instead made them unable to compete and to produce enough food to feed their own people. (Bloomberg)
The State of Food Insecurity in the World (2008)
The number of hungry people now has reached almost one billion, that is one in six people on the p***t. This greatly challenges the achievement of the First Millennium Development Goal of halving the number of hungry people by the year 2015. This report from the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization presents an overview of undernourishment around the world and outlines measures to help the poor cope with high food prices, particularly by strengthening safety nets and social protection programs.

NGOs

Picture Credit: Vancouver Sun

Why Fundraising May Flourish While Business Flounders (December 15, 2008)
Fundraising for charities and NGOs continues to do well despite economic downturns, but donation from individuals increase in a slower pace. This article argues that fundraisers are used to proving impact and "telling compelling stories" since they aspire to build a long term relationship with individual donors. Surveys also show that individuals have more trust in charity organisations than in businesses and governments.(Canadian Fundraiser)

UN Reform

Picture Credit: United Nations

UN Reform - Looking Beyond the High Level Panel (December 2, 2004)
Inspired by the founders of the League of Nations, this article calls for a more visionary approach to UN reform. The author argues that it is crucial to make UN reform a popular discussion topic, engage the public and allow for input in other ways than through the High Level Panel, which was "narrowly composed by elder statesmen" who did not challenge the current political system. The article argues that it is possible to gain both popular and political support through improved cooperation between think tanks at a global level and through civil society campaigns, similar to those for debt relief and for the establishment of the International Criminal Court. (openDemocracy)

International Justice

Picture Credit:
Justice 4 Consumers

Gacaca Courts: Giving Rwandans More Than Justice? (December 12, 2008)
In 2002, the Rwandan government launched multiple Gacaca courts to prosecute perpetrators of the 1994 genocide in a traditional way. Contrary to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, that has only tried 13 cases in 14 years, Gacaca courts have dealt with approximately 200,000 cases. In spite of the caseload they handle, Gacaca courts are subject to criticism because they mainly focus on reconciliation and because the judges do not have a legal education. (Radio Netherlands Worldwide)

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