Review of Political Missions 2010
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Addressing Ethnic Tension in Kyrgyzstan.Pdf
ADDRESSING ETHNIC TENSION IN KYRGYZSTAN HEARING BEFORE THE COMMISSION ON SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION JUNE 22, 2011 Printed for the use of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe [CSCE 112–1–6] ( Available via http://www.csce.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 95–719 PDF WASHINGTON : 2015 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Publishing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 COMMISSION ON SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH COMMISSIONERS HOUSE SENATE CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey, BENJAMIN L. CARDIN, Maryland, Chairman Co-Chairman JOSEPH R. PITTS, Pennsylvania SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, Rhode Island ROBERT B. ADERHOLT, Alabama TOM UDALL, New Mexico PHIL GINGREY, Georgia JEANNE SHAHEEN, New Hampshire MICHAEL C. BURGESS, Texas RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut ALCEE L. HASTINGS, Florida ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi LOUISE McINTOSH SLAUGHTER, SAXBY CHAMBLISS, Georgia New York MARCO RUBIO, Florida MIKE McINTYRE, North Carolina KELLY AYOTTE, New Hampshire STEVE COHEN, Tennessee EXECUTIVE BRANCH COMMISSIONERS MICHAEL H. POSNER, Department of State MICHAEL C. CAMUN˜ EZ, Department of Commerce ALEXANDER VERSHBOW, Department of Defense [II] ADDRESSING ETHNIC TENSION IN KYRGYZSTAN JUNE 22, 2011 COMMISSIONERS Page Hon. Christopher H. Smith, Chairman, Commission on Secu- rity and Cooperation in Europe .............................................. 1 Hon. Benjamin L. Cardin, Co-Chairman, Commission on Se- curity and Cooperation in Europe .......................................... 10 MEMBER Hon. Trent Franks (R–8), a Member of Congress from the State of Arizona ....................................................................... 14 WITNESSES Dr. Kimmo Kiljunen, Chairperson, Independent Inter- national Commission of Inquiry into the Events in South- ern Kyrgyzstan in June 2010 ................................................ -
Hizballah's Vision of the Lebanon-Israel Border by Avi Jorisch
MENU Policy Analysis / PolicyWatch 368 Hizballah's Vision of the Lebanon-Israel Border by Avi Jorisch Mar 4, 2002 ABOUT THE AUTHORS Avi Jorisch Avi Jorisch is an adjunct scholar of The Washington Institute and author of its new monograph and CD-ROM Beacon of Hatred: Inside Hizballah's al-Manar Television (2004). As the Institute's Soref fellow from 2001 to 2003, he specialized in Arab and Islamic politics. More recently, he served as an Brief Analysis n February 28, Hizballah fired 57mm antiaircraft missiles at Israeli planes flying over the Shebaa Farms O area. According to Hizballah information officer Hassan Azzedin, "the current line of Israeli withdrawal ('blue line') is not consistent with the international boundary and not recognized by the Lebanese government. That's why we're pursuing the path of resistance." Indeed, Hizballah claims that Israel continues to occupy sovereign Lebanese territory, and the organization makes this claim the basis for what it considers legitimate resistance. What, then, is Hizballah's vision of where the Lebanon-Israel border should lie? Background Between 1920 and 1924, French and British negotiators delineated the border between Le Grand Liban and Mandatory Palestine. After the 1948 war, the Lebanese and Israelis established the Armistice Demarcation Line (ADL), which coincided with the 1924 international border. From 1982 to 2000, Israel occupied a section of southern Lebanon, and, upon his election in July 1999, then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak announced his intention to withdraw the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) from Lebanon, which he did on May 25, 2000. Before the Israeli withdrawal, Hizballah maintained that if Israel were to retain even "one inch of Lebanese land," resistance operations would continue. -
The State of UN Peace Operations Reform: an Implementation Scorecard
NOVEMBER 2016 The State of UN Peace Operations Reform: An Implementation Scorecard ARTHUR BOUTELLIS AND LESLEY CONNOLLY Cover Photo: Secretary-General Ban Ki- ABOUT THE AUTHORS moon with Secretary-General-designate António Guterres, just before the ARTHUR BOUTELLIS is Director of the International Peace General Assembly meeting appointing Institute’s Brian Urquhart Center for Peace Operations. Guterres by acclamation as the next UN secretary-general, United Nations, New Email: [email protected] York, October 13, 2016. UN Photo/Evan Schneider. LESLEY CONNOLLY is a Research Assistant at the International Peace Institute’s Brian Urquhart Center for Disclaimer: The views expressed in this paper represent those of the authors Peace Operations. and not necessarily those of the International Peace institute. IPI welcomes consideration of a wide range of perspectives in the pursuit of ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS a well-informed debate on critical The authors would like to thank all those who shared their policies and issues in international affairs. insights in interviews conducted in New York and at various roundtables and workshops on the implementation of the IPI Publications recommendations of the High-Level Independent Panel on Adam Lupel, Vice President Peace Operations (HIPPO). Albert Trithart, Assistant Editor The authors are particularly grateful to those who provided Madeline Brennan, Assistant Production Editor advice and feedback on various earlier drafts of the HIPPO Scorecard, including Christian Burckhardt, Cedric de Suggested Citation: Coning, Dirk Druet, Michael Grant, Michele Griffin, Youssef Arthur Boutellis and Lesley Connolly, “The State of UN Peace Operations Mahmoud, Renato Mariani, Ian Martin, Delphine Mechoulan, Reform: An Implementation Scorecard,” Naomi Miyashita, Jang-ho Park, Halvor Sætre, Adam Smith, New York: International Peace Institute, and Dawit Yirga. -
The Wazzani Water Dispute: More Tension Along the Israel-Lebanon Border | the Washington Institute
MENU Policy Analysis / PolicyWatch 397 The Wazzani Water Dispute: More Tension along the Israel-Lebanon Border Sep 20, 2002 Brief Analysis ccording to the September 17, 2002, issue of Ha'aretz, a delegation of American water experts toured the A Wazzani River in southern Lebanon on September 16 to review Lebanese government projects aimed at directing water to nearby villages. Ever since the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) unilaterally withdrew from southern Lebanon in May 2000, relations between Israel and Lebanon have been tense, a result of the Lebanese government's tolerance of Hizballah attacks on Israeli targets along the border. Hizballah's provocations have so far elicited limited, proportional Israeli military responses due to Israel's reluctance to open a second front alongside its ongoing conflict with the Palestinians. Yet, the new Lebanese initiative to divert water from the Wazzani River—the main source of the Hatzbani, which contributes approximately 25 percent of the Jordan River's water—is deepening the rift between Israel and Lebanon. The project—carried out by the Council of the South, a government body affiliated with the Shi'i movement Amal— will divert by pipeline as much as 9,000 cubic meters of water daily to dozens of villages. This portion of the project is expected to be complete by the end of the year, after which the Lebanese plan to construct a pumping station and a reservoir from which the water will be channeled. The amount of water that such a project could divert from Israel would be enough to lower the level of the Sea of Galilee by almost an inch. -
THE SYRIAN CIVIL WAR and ITS CONSEQUENCES for HEZBOLLAH by Benedetta Berti
DECEMBER 2015 THE SYRIAN CIVIL WAR AND ITS CONSEQUENCES FOR HEZBOLLAH By Benedetta Berti Benedetta Berti is a TED Senior Fellow, a Fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) and an independent human security consultant. Her work focuses on human security and internal conflicts, as well as on post-conflict stabilization and peacebuilding. Dr. Berti is the author of three books, including Armed Political Organizations. From Conflict to Integration (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2013) and her work has appeared, among others, in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and Al- Jazeera. In 2015 the Italian government awarded her the Order of the Star of Italy (order of Knighthood). Beginning as a largely non-violent, non-sectarian political mobilization, the Syrian revolution gradually morphed into a protracted and bloody civil war as well as into a regional proxy conflict that has directly involved both regional states and non-state actors alike. Today, the Syrian conflict remains deeply internationalized, militarized and fractionalized. The domestic battlefield is characterized by a crucible of different political and armed movements. But while the fragmentation and proliferation of armed groups within the anti-Assad camp is well known, the Syrian regime has also been relying on a number of non-state allies. These include Syrian local ‘community-defense’ groups and other pro-regime paramilitary organizations; Shiite militia groups (mostly from Iraq) and, most notably, the Lebanese Hezbollah. Indeed since the very beginning of the Syrian revolution, Hezbollah clearly sided with the Bashar-al Assad regime, shifting from offering political support and solidarity to becoming one of the warring parties. -
The Popular Consultation and the United Nations Mission in East Timor
Out of the Ashes: Destruction and Reconstruction of East Timor Abstract for chapter 8 Author: Ian Martin ‘The popular consultation and the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) – first reflections’ is a personal account by the Head of UNAMET of the process which allowed East Timor to hold a popular consultation to determine its future. The author begins with the Agreement of 5 May 1999 which provided that if the East Timorese rejected the proposed autonomy, there would be a peaceful and orderly transfer of authority to the UN, enabling East Timor to begin a process of transition to independence. This process started with the establishment and deployment of UNAMET which oversaw a total of 446 666 registered people voting. Prior to the ballot UNAMET attempted to get the opposing factions to ‘lay down their arms’, but the level of violence after the ballot was so great that UNAMET was forced to retreat, handing over responsibility to UNTAET. The death and destruction in East Timor after the ballot provoked various questions which the author responds to, arguing that violence would have been reduced if the popular consultation had taken place with an armed international presence mandated to guarantee security. Keywords autonomy, B. J. Habibie, ballot, CNRT, Dili, Falintil, General Wiranto, human rights violations, IDP, independence, INTERFET, intimidation, militia, MPR, popular consultation, Secretary-General, Security Council, TNI, UNAMET, United Nations, UNTAET Xanana Gusmão Published by ANU E Press, 2003 8 The popular consultation and the United Nations mission in East Timor – first reflections Ian Martin1 On 22 October 1999, Xanana Gusmão, the independence fighter who had assumed the leadership of a seemingly broken Falintil two decades before, who had been captured by the Indonesian army in 1992 and sentenced to life imprisonment, returned to East Timor. -
Avoiding Another War Between Israel and Hezbollah
COUNTING THE COST Avoiding Another War between Israel and Hezbollah By Nicholas Blanford and Assaf Orion “He who wishes to fight must first count the cost.” Sun Tzu, The Art of War ABOUT THE SCOWCROFT MIDDLE EAST SECURITY INITIATIVE The Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative honors the legacy of Brent Scowcroft and his tireless efforts to build a new security architecture for the region. Our work in this area addresses the full range of security threats and challenges including the danger of interstate warfare, the role of terrorist groups and other nonstate actors, and the underlying security threats facing countries in the region. Through all of the Council’s Middle East programming, we work with allies and partners in Europe and the wider Middle East to protect US interests, build peace and security, and unlock the human potential of the region. You can read more about our programs at www.atlanticcouncil.org/ programs/middle-east-programs/. May 2020 ISBN-13: 978-1-61977-099-7 This report is written and published in accordance with the Atlantic Council Policy on Intellectual Independence. The authors are solely responsible for its analysis and recommendations. The Atlantic Council and its donors do not determine, nor do they necessarily endorse or advocate for, any of this report’s conclusions. This report is made possible by general support to the Atlantic Council’s Middle East Programs. COUNTING THE COST Avoiding Another War between Israel and Hezbollah CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................2 -
Annual Report 2014
ANNUAL REPORT 2014 ANNUALREPORT2013.indd 1 11/11/2014 10:50:45 FABIAN EXECUTIVE 2013-14 Jessica Asato Chair, Fabian Society ur aim for the Fabian Society this year was to provide to the Executive for providing support and challenge, to Vice- ballast to underpin the Labour Party’s policy review and Chairs Kate Green MP and Steve Race, and to David Chaplin for Oto keep radical thinking at the heart of our deliberations his sure-footed managing of the budget. Thanks too to General on the left. The small, but dedicated team in our new offices in Secretary Andy Harrop and his Deputy Marcus Roberts for their Petty France haven’t disappointed. Influential reports such as unstinting work towards a better progressive future. Let’s hope Measure for Measure challenged the underlying measures of eco- next year brings not just a Labour government, but a new era of nomic success which failed to prevent the economic crisis, while radical progressive thinking in our politics. the Future Spending Choices Commission set out practical steps for reducing the deficit. FABIAN SOCIETY EXECUTIVE In turn, the media coverage of Fabian reports and events 2013-14 has burgeoned, ensuring we remain one of the most influential centre-left think tanks in the UK. It’s a good reminder in our 130th year of how powerful the practical application of ideas Jessica Asato (Chair) can be. We’re also proud to provide a space for interventions by Shadow Cabinet Ministers as they reach for the policies which Kate Green MP (Vice Chair) could help to catapult Labour back into government and are Steve Race (Vice Chair) pleased to have working closely with Labour’s Policy Review Chair, Jon Cruddas MP. -
UN Crisis Diplomacy and Peacekeeping: an Emergency Health Check1
45 Oslo Forum 2014 – The Oslo Forum Network of Mediators UN crisis diplomacy and peacekeeping: an emergency health check1 1. The UN: in need of a check-up? The United Nations (UN) is currently in poor health but the severity of its condition is not yet clear. Over the last six months, the organisation has repeatedly shown signs of operational feebleness and political paralysis. Symptoms have ranged from the failure of the UN mission in South Sudan to foresee the country’s implosion last December to the prolonged agony (and predictable futility) of bringing the Syrian government and opposition together in Geneva in January. The organisation’s initial response to the Ukrainian crisis was equally messy, as the Secretary-General’s envoy Robert Serry was expelled from Crimea by pro-Russian forces and the Security Council was unable to react because of Moscow’s veto. From Darfur and Somalia to the Central African Republic (CAR) and Mali, UN peace operations and political missions have had to contend with poor resources, personnel and security. But while these symptoms are worrying, their significance is uncertain. Are these merely the spasms and chills that inevitably affect any organisation involved in crisis management? Or could they be evidence of a chronic disability with the potential to cripple the organisation’s long-term contribution to peace and security? Section 4 – There are reasons for optimism. UN missions and officials have demonstrated resilience in the face of recent setbacks. Although caught off-guard in South Sudan, the peacekeepers there sheltered over 80,000 civilians in their camps despite incurring fatalities. -
International Organizations
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY (E.S.A.) Headquarters: 8–10 Rue Mario Nikis, 75738 Paris, CEDEX 15, France phone 011–33–1–5369–7654, fax 011–33–1–5369–7651 Chairman of the Council.—Alain Bensoussan (France). Director General.—Antonio Rodota (Italy). Member Countries: Austria Germany Portugal Belgium Ireland Spain Denmark Italy Sweden Finland Netherlands Switzerland France Norway United Kingdom Cooperative Agreement.—Canada. European Space Operations Center (E.S.O.C.), Robert Bosch-Strasse 5, 61, Darmstadt, Germany, phone 011–49–6151–900, telex: 419453, fax 011–49–6151–90495. European Space Research and Technology Center (E.S.T.E.C.), Keplerlaan 1, 2201, AZ Noordwijk, Zh, Netherlands, phone 011–31–71–565–6565; Telex: 844–39098, fax 011–31–71–565–6040. Information Retrieval Service (E.S.R.I.N.), Via Galileo Galilei, Casella Postale 64, 00044 Frascati, Italy. Phone, 011–39–6–94–18–01; Telex: 610637, fax 011–39–94–180361. Washington Office (E.S.A.), Suite 7800, 955 L’Enfant Plaza SW. 20024. Head of Office.—I.W. Pryke, 488–4158, fax: (202) 488–4930, [email protected]. INTER-AMERICAN DEFENSE BOARD 2600 16th Street 20441, phone 939–6041, fax 939–6620 Chairman.—MG Carl H. Freeman, U.S. Army. Vice Chairman.—Brigadier General Jose´ Mayo, Air Force, Paraguay. Secretary.—Col. Robert P. Warrick, U.S. Air Force. Vice Secretary.—CDR Carlos Luis Rivera Cordova, Navy. Deputy Secretary for Administration.—LTC Frederick J. Holland, U.S. Army. Conference.—Maj. Robert L. Larson, U.S. Army. Finance.—Maj. Stephen D. Zacharczyk, U.S. Army. Information Management.—Maj. -
UNAMA NEWS Kabul, Afghanistan
_____________________________________________________________________ Compiled by the Strategic Communication and Spokespersons Unit UNAMA NEWS Kabul, Afghanistan United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan 4 - 11 March 2010 Website: www.unama.unmissions.org ____________________________________________________________ UN Secretary-General appoints Martin 'A Strategy for Transition to Afghan Leadership' by Kai Eide Kobler of Germany Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan 6 March 2010 - On his last day in Afghanistan as the UN's top envoy in the country, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General, Kai Eide, releases a major policy 10 March 2010 - United Nations Secretary- paper calling for "a change of mindset" by the Afghan Government and international General Ban Ki-moon has announced the community. appointment of Martin Kobler of Germany as his Deputy Special Representative Introduction from the Special Representative’s paper (Political) for Afghanistan, replacing Peter This year will be the most challenging we have faced since the fall of the Taliban. It is a year when Galbraith of the United States. negative trends will have to be reversed or they could become irreversible. Following two years of strong headwinds and a long period of political uncertainty, new political energy must urgently be The new Deputy Special Representative will be mobilised. Furthermore, a change of mindset is required by the Afghan Government and the responsible for political issues, including international community. If such changes cannot be produced soon, the overall situation will continue electoral and parliamentary matters, as well as to deteriorate and become irreparable. questions relating to peace and stability, security-sector reform and human rights. The political calendar is crowded and complex, with a national Peace Jirga, an international Kabul Conference and parliamentary elections all taking place in a period of six months. -
VULNERABLE to MANIPULATION Interviews with Migrant Youth and Youth Remittance-Recipients in the Kyrgyz Republic MAY 2016
Photo: Timothy Harris VULNERABLE TO MANIPULATION Interviews with Migrant Youth and Youth Remittance-Recipients in the Kyrgyz Republic MAY 2016 Executive Summary Research conducted by Mercy Corps and Foundation for Tolerance International (FTI) in Kyrgyzstan1 reveals a number of risk factors related to violence that exist within the studied youth population of southern Kyrgyzstan. This research was conducted between March and May 2016 in the southern provinces of Osh, Jalalabad, Batken, and in the northern province of Issyk-Kul. In 2010, southern Kyrgyzstan saw an outbreak of violence between ethnic Kyrgyz and ethnic Uzbek citizens. Known locally as the Osh Events, this violence resulted in mass casualties, displacement and destruction of physical infrastructure in the South. In addition, southern Kyrgyzstan is a known origin of people migrating to Syria to join Jabhat al-Nusra or the so-called Islamic State, with official figures citing fewer than 500 people from Kyrgyzstan.2 While this research did not specifically seek out people who migrated to join the fight in the Middle East, some respondents were directly aware of neighbors, friends, acquaintances or people from their communities who had gone. Issyk-Kul was selected as a comparator province for this study due to its multi-ethnic composition and lack of conflict history. Kyrgyzstan is characterized by a young, rapidly expanding population, high levels of rural poverty, insufficient domestic jobs for working-age people, and a high dependence on Russia as a source of remittances. The precipitous reduction in remittances from Russia due to contractions in the Russian economy in the last two years and changes in the ruble/som exchange rate have spurred questions about the population’s vulnerability to destabilization or recruitment to jihadi organizations.