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International commissions and the power of ideas International commissions and the power of ideas Edited by Ramesh Thakur, Andrew F. Cooper and John English United Nations a University Press TOKYO u NEW YORK u PARIS 6 United Nations University, 2005 The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations University. United Nations University Press United Nations University, 53-70, Jingumae 5-chome, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-8925, Japan Tel: þ81-3-3499-2811 Fax: þ81-3-3406-7345 E-mail: [email protected] general enquiries: [email protected] http://www.unu.edu United Nations University Office at the United Nations, New York 2 United Nations Plaza, Room DC2-2062, New York, NY 10017, USA Tel: þ1-212-963-6387 Fax: þ1-212-371-9454 E-mail: [email protected] United Nations University Press is the publishing division of the United Nations University. Cover design by Mea Rhee Cover photographs (clockwise from top left): Gro Harlem Brundtland 6 UN/DPI Photo Kofi Annan 6 UN/DPI Photo Gareth Evans 6 by Mike Pinder Photography, 2000 Mohamed Sahnoun 6 by Mike Pinder Photography, 2000 Willy Brandt 6 by Engelbert Reineke, 1980, Bundesbildstelle Berlin Olof Palme 6 AFP=Jiji Printed in the United States of America UNUP-1110 ISBN 92-808-1110-X Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data International commissions and the power of ideas / edited by Ramesh Thakur, Andrew F. Cooper, and John English. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 928081110X (pbk.) 1. International agencies. 2. International organization. 3. International cooperation. I. Thakur, Ramesh Chandra, 1948– II. Cooper, Andrew Fenton, 1950– III. English, John, 1945– JZ1318.I559 2005 341.2—dc22 2004028336 Contents Abbreviations ......................................................... vii ForwardbyGarethEvans ............................................ x Acknowledgements . ................................................. xiii 1 International commissions and the mind of global governance......................................................... 1 Andrew F. Cooper and John English 2 The Brandt Commission: The end of an era in North–South politics ............................................................. 27 Jean-Phillipe The´rien 3 The Palme Commission: New thinking about security . 46 Geoffrey Wiseman 4 The World Commission on Environment and Development: Ideasandinstitutionsintersect ................................... 76 Heather A. Smith 5 Equivocating on the future of world order: The Commission onGlobalGovernance............................................ 99 W. Andy Knight v vi CONTENTS 6 Regulating the possession and use of nuclear weapons: Ideas, commissions, and agency in international security politics – the caseoftheCanberraCommission ............................... 123 Marianne Hanson 7 Beyond temples and tombs: Towards effective governance for sustainable development through the World Commission on Dams .............................................................. 142 Sanjeev Khagram 8 Fair assessment: The Independent International Commission onKosovo......................................................... 167 Richard J. Goldstone and Nicole Fritz 9 Intervention, sovereignty, and the responsibility to protect . 180 Ramesh Thakur 10 The responsibility to protect: Assessing the report of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty ....................................................... 198 Jennifer Welsh, Carolin J. Thielking, and S. Neil MacFarlane 11 The responsibility to protect: Humanitarian intervention and the principle of non-intervention in the Americas . .......... 221 Jorge Heine 12 Ideas, institutions, and the evolution of women’s human rights 246 Elizabeth Riddell-Dixon 13 Ideas,think-tanks,commissions,andglobalpolitics............ 266 Jon Pedersen 14 UNReformCommissions:Isanyonelistening? ................ 277 Edward C. Luck Appendix: International Commission on Weapons of Mass Destruction........................................................ 288 Ambassador Jayantha Dhanapala Contributors .......................................................... 295 Index .................................................................. 300 Abbreviations ARF ASEAN Regional Forum ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations ASEANþ3 ASEAN plus Three (China, Japan and South Korea) AusAID Australian Agency for International Development BCR Brandt Commission Research agency BWC Biological Weapons Convention CBMs confidence-building measures CD Conference on Disarmament CFE Conventional Forces in Europe COPRI Copenhagen Peace Research Institute (formerly Copenhagen Centre for Peace and Conflict Research) CSCAP Council for Security and Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific CTBT Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty CTBTO Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty Organization (PrepCom – Preparatory Committee) CWC Chemical Weapons Convention DID Development International Desjardins (Canada) DSM Dispute Settlement Mechanism EAC Economic Commission for Africa ECOSOC Economic and Social Council (of the UN) ENGOs environmental non-governmental organizations ESCAP Economic and Social Commission for the Asia–Pacific Region EU European Union Fafo InstituteforAppliedSocial Science(Norway) G-77 Group of Seventy-Seven (developing countries) vii viii ABBREVIATIONS GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade GIC good international citizenship GLCs government-linked companies GNP gross national product HEU highly enriched uranium HI Humanitarian Intervention IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency ICC International Chamber of Commerce ICISS International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty ICOLD International Commission on Large Dams ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross IDPs Internally Displaced Persons IGOs International government organizations/Intergovernmental organizations ILO International Labour Organization (of the UN) IMEMO Institute of the World Economy and International Relations (Russia) IMF International Monetary Fund INF intermediate-range nuclear forces INGOs international non-governmental organizations INTERFET International Force for East Timor IOs international organizations IUCN International Union for the Conservation of Nature NAFTA North American Free Trade Agreement NAM Non-Aligned Movement NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization NGOs non-governmental organizations NICs newly industrializing countries NPT Non Proliferation Treaty NPTREC Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review and Extension Conference NSAs non-state actors NTB non-tariff barriers NWFZs nuclear-weapon-free zones NWS nuclear weapon states OAS Organization of American States OAU Organization of African Unity OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development OPCW Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons OSCE Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe PMEAs ‘‘People of Middle Eastern Aspect’’ PRIO Peace Research Institute of Oslo R&D research and development SAARC South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation SADC Southern African Development Community SAL structural adjustment loan ABBREVIATIONS ix SAP social action programme SDI Strategic Defence Initiative (US) SIPRI Stockholm International Peace Research Institute SPD Social Democratic Party (Germany) START Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty TINGOs temporary international non-governmental organizations UNA-USA United Nations Association of the USA UNCED United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (1992) UNCHE United Nations Conference on the Human Environment UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNEP United Nations Environment Programme UNGA United Nations General Assembly UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund UNSSOD United Nations Special Session on Disarmament UNWSSD United Nations World Summit for Sustainable Development WB World Bank WCD World Conference on Dams/World Commission on Dams IUCN World Conservation Union WCED World Commission on Environment and Development WHO World Health Organization WMD weapons of mass destruction WPI wholesale price index WSSD World Summit on Social Development WTO World Trade Organization WWF World Wildlife Fund Foreword The role that international or independent commissions have played in linking ideas and institutions has not received the attention it merits. The names of many of the key commissions, often best remembered by the individuals who headed them – Brandt, Palme, Brundtland, Carls- son/Ramphal,