Hope for R2P in new US Administration?

Those who have been watching American politics recently may have noted the appointment of Susan Rice as UN ambassador as well as the elevation of the post to cabinet level. This is significant for a number reasons but most pertinent for this committee is Ms. Rice's history of support for R2P.
Ms. Rice is young, yet has extensive experience as a national foreign policy advisor. Born out of her time in the Clinton administration, a defining position of Ms. Rice is the promise that she will not hesitate to push for immediate action on mass killings and genocide. Whereas in the past, the US has been reluctant to allow any compromises to sovereignty Rice has publicly said she will “[go] down in flames if that [is] required,” in order to ensure action such as that called for by the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty in their authoritative report “The Responsibility to Protect”. Rice has been a very public champion of the use of the R2P norm with particular regard to the situation in Darfur, where it is likely she will continue to advise Mr. Obama to push for tougher sanctions, use the NATO air force to support the UN-AU force and lobby Congress to allow the use of force in the region.
Rice’s continued support of R2P reflects a changing understanding in the Obama administration of what R2P means and how it can be implemented effectively, in sharp contrast to the Bush administration who claimed they needed to protect the rights of Iraqi people as their reasoning behind invading. Now the US will be represented in the most prominent international organization, the UN, by Rice who has written extensively on R2P and has a much clearer comprehension of how the norm can and should be implemented. Hopefully, what Obama is signaling by this appointment is that the US will begin to use transform this norm from simply existing on paper into a powerful and effective tool to end serious crimes against humanity. Rice, who has commented that R2P is in jeopardy because of a lack of government will to implement it, is the ideal candidate to lead the global community in implementing R2P effectively.
Articles of interest:
The Evolution of Humanitarian Intervention and the Responsibility to Protect - Susan Rice
The Genocide in Darfur: America Must Do More to Fulfill the Responsibility to Protect - Susan Rice
Mass Suffering and Why We Look the Other Way - Article from the Washington Post on Obama's new administration and their approach to genocide as well as some insight into why Americans have cared so little in the past.
Background on Ms. Rice from the Washington Post
Preventing Genocide - Article from The Economist on Ms. Rice's appointment and the challenges facing the Obama administration.

The Debunking of Global Myths

True or False:

The World is split relatively clearly into the First World, the developed countries, and the Third World, the underdeveloped countries.

What did you answer?

The truth will surprise you:

Watch this presentation, and be sure to browse the website for some fascinating information.


http://www.gapminder.org/videos/

Links related to the Democratic Republic of Congo

CROSS-POSTED FROM MAIN BLOG




This post contains links to articles on the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo which will be useful in particular for delegates in SPECPOL dealing with the stewardship of natural resources in conflict. Since the DRC gained independence from Belgium in the 1960s it has been in a continual state of upheaval although it was ruled by Mobutu for 32 years (with the use of questionable electoral tactics and alleged use of force). In 1994, as a result of the ethnic strife in neighbouring Rwanda, the DRC suffered a series of insurrections and the Mobutu regime was toppled to be replaced by Laurent Kabila and is now ruled by his son, Joseph Kabila.

After the 1997 insurrection, conflict in the DRC escalated and the period from 1998-2003 has come to be known as the African World War or the Second Congo War. Related conflict still continues and in the past 10 years it is estimated to have caused over 3.5 million deaths and displaced an estimated one million people. The ongoing violence has been further complicated by the DRC's rich deposits of natural resources. There have been accusations that conflict has been prolonged to allow both sides to loot them.
Recently, UN peacekeepers in the region have been given orders to harden their stance and fire on any armed groups trying to enter the city of Goma where thousands of people are fleeing to. Beginning with a relatively small force, UN peacekeepers have been in the region since 2000 as part of the MONUC force. There are now 17000 UN peacekeepers stationed in the DRC, its largest mission in the world. Despite this there have been allegations that troops are merely "tourists".
The recent surge in violence and the ongoing humanitarian crises have brought the DRC to international attention. Pertinent links have been provided below:
- BBC coverage of humanitarian crisis (the BBC has a number of excellent articles on the overall conflict as well)
- Human Rights Watch portal to reports and articles on the DRC
- UN portal for involvement in the DRC (including an announcement of the Secretary-General's involvement in a new peace summit)
- Report from 2001 on illegal resource extraction in the DRC

UN must do more on "conflict resources" - campaigner

Recent violence in Congo is leading to calls for the United Nations to act more decisively in protecting resources in conflict zones. This call is coming from Global Witness, a major international ogranisation that deals with global resource protection in times of conflict.