Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs - United Nations

Golda to Henry: 'Why Do You Think We Put Them There?'

Charles G. Cogan — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:50:28 -0500

"The hope that Israel might backtrack from its untenable policy on the settlements was dashed in the first Obama Administration. According to a new report by an Independent Study Group being published by the Henry L. Stimson Center, it might be a good idea to shift the attention to establishing a border between Israel and a Palestinian State."

What the Suez Crisis Can Remind Us About U.S. Power

David Ignatius — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 13:52:12 -0500

"Chuck Hagel means it when he describes himself as an “Eisenhower Republican.” He kept a bust of President Dwight Eisenhower in his Senate office for a dozen years and has a portrait of Ike on the wall of his current office at Georgetown University.

But the most compelling evidence of Hagel’s fascination is that he purchased three dozen copies of an Eisenhower biography and gave copies to President Obama, Vice President Biden and then-Defense Secretary Bob Gates, according to the book’s author, David Nichols," writes David Ignatius in The Washing Post.

Real Steps For a Post-Assad Syria

David Ignatius — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 11:20:09 -0500

"The Obama administration and the Syrian opposition are beginning to grapple seriously with the core problem in Syria, which is how to topple President Bashar al-Assad without creating a political vacuum in which terrorists, warlords and regime die-hards could thrive," writes David Ignatius for the Washington Post.

The Evolution of the IAEA: Using Nuclear Crises as Windows of Opportunity (or Not)

Trevor Findlay — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 18:53:55 -0500

This seminar considered how the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has reacted to nuclear crises. The IAEA often appears not just to have weathered such crises, but to have successfully leaped through windows of opportunity presented by them. This has resulted in periodic expansions of its mandate, capabilities, and resources. The 2011 Fukushima disaster appears to be a puzzling exception, raising the question of what concatenation of factors needs to be present for the IAEA to take advantage of nuclear crises.

A Climate Diplomacy Proposal: Carbon Pricing Consultations

Adele Morris, Warwick McKibbin and Peter Wilcoxen — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 13:44:06 -0500

The United States has considerable tax administration and cap-and-trade expertise that could highlight potentially successful carbon pricing approaches. Although this experience is not climate-related, the United States deploys an efficient and highly compliant excise tax system, and it could assist developing country efforts to build their own capacity to tax carbon. The United States also has long experience with cap-and-trade systems for criteria air pollutants, much of which is transferable to greenhouse-gas emissions trading.

China's North Korea Dilemma

Hui Zhang — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 13:41:02 -0600

"From China's perspective, the crisis is driven by Washington and Pyongyang. North Korea is unlikely to give up its nuclear ambitions until it gets from the U.S. what it covets most: a reliable security assurance. This would mean an end to Washington's pursuit of regime change. If Washington does not move in this direction, Pyongyang will continue to escalate the crisis. Any resolution of the impasse has to address the reasonable security concerns of North Korea."

Conversations in Diplomacy: Esther Brimmer

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 17:55:13 -0600

March 5, 2013

Esther Brimmer, US Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs joins the podcast for a discussion on the role of collaboration through multilateral institutions in American foreign policy.

'In 2020, the DRC…

Calestous Juma, John C. Bradshaw and Gwendolyn Mikell — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 10:17:48 -0600

"The post-election era will require economic construction. Much of this will start with building essential infrastructure needed for growth — especially in transportation, energy and in telecommunications. The World Bank estimates the DRC's infrastructure needs at over US $5 billion a year over the next decade. After all, the country is the size of Western Europe, but has only 2,800 kilometres of all-weather paved roads running through it. This is about the same as Rwanda's networks of roads — even if Rwanda is some 90 times smaller than the DRC. The DRC also has extensive potential navigable waterways that need to be developed. And massive investment in air transportation infrastructure could make the country a hub for the rest of Africa, given the DRC's geographical centrality on the continent."

UN's Cold, but Correct, Call on Haiti

Juliette Kayyem — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:38:04 -0600

"Putting aside whether the UN's attitude has been sympathetic enough, whether it should vet peacekeeping forces better before deploying them, and whether the organization has a moral obligation to give Haiti more help with its public health needs, Ban's decision will protect all relief efforts in the future. It is the only outcome that provides the necessary protections to those who are asked to work voluntarily in dangerous situations. Most importantly, it will maintain an incentive for nations to support UN efforts for assistance or peacekeeping missions that have, by any measure, done far more good than harm."

Forging New Diplomatic Bonds Through Science and Technology

Calestous Juma — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 16:29:57 -0600

"Slovenia and Kenya are inventing a form of science and technology diplomacy that is based on commitment to taking on global challenges irrespective of size and level of development. The cooperation points to a new future in which science and technology will increasingly become the bond that ties nations together in new diplomatic arrangements."

What's the Most Critical and Under-appreciated Issue in International Security? World Peace

Scott Moore — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 09:12:43 -0600

"...[I]t is clear that the international community possessed neither the analytic tools nor the institutional capabilities to deal with a world order in which ethno-religious groups, and not nation-states, were the primary operative actors. Which brings us back to the question: what if organized state violence and warfare is the exception rather than the rule in international security?"

Persecuting Biotechnology

Calestous Juma — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 10:41:00 -0600

"Nearly two decades of propaganda and advocacy based on questionable scientific evidence forced many countries to forego the benefits of a new technology even before its merits had been assessed. In effect, these restrictions have introduced a new class of risks associated with not being able adopt a new technology even where it would confer benefits to farmers, consumers, and industrialists."

A Syrian Way Out of the Civil War

David Ignatius — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 12:47:43 -0600

"To help oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, an opposition group has drafted a plan for a transitional justice system that would impose harsh penalties against die-hard members of his inner circle but provide amnesty for most of his Alawite supporters.

The goal is to provide a legal framework that reassures Alawites this isn’t a fight to the death and that they will have a place in a post-Assad Syria. The plan would also encourage the rule of law in areas that have been liberated from Assad’s control, stemming the growing trend toward warlordism and revenge killings," writes David Ignatius for the Washington Post.

Not Even an Itsy-Bitsy Step

Charles G. Cogan — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 13:36:03 -0600

"Israel demonstrated once more, implicitly, that it does not favor a two-state solution. It also demonstrated once more that it has no strategic vision as to how to end its 45-year-old occupation of the Palestinian territories. And while it calls on the Palestinians to return to the negotiating table 'without preconditions,' while it continues to build settlements in these territories...."

Japan's Nationalism is a Sign of Weakness

Joseph S. Nye — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 15:32:18 -0600

"Japanese public opinion is shifting to the right and in a more nationalistic direction. Not only has Mr Abe recently visited the Yasukuni Shrine, a controversial second world war memorial, but politicians to his right have formed new parties and staked out nationalistic positions. Shintaro Ishihara, the former Tokyo mayor who helped spur the dispute with China over the Senkaku Islands, speaks of Japan acquiring nuclear weapons."

Renew the Mideast Peace Process? Not Now

Chuck Freilich — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 16:26:03 -0600

"The United States too cannot afford a further blow to its regional status. One aspect of American power is the perception that it can force the sides to reach agreement — and succeed in brokering a deal. Another aborted attempt would merely reinforce the Arab image of the U.S. as a weak, declining power, making it that much harder for the U.S. to play an effective role when the time is right."

Antiproliferation: Tackling Proliferation by Engaging the Private Sector

Ian J. Stewart — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 08:18:54 -0500

Illicit trade from the international marketplace plays a direct role in sustaining the nuclear and missile programs of several countries, including Iran, in defiance of UN sanctions. This paper sets out what measures the private sector should take in order to manage the legal, financial and reputational risks associated with involvement in proliferation-related trade, and makes recommendations to national authorities for how for how to help the private sector identify and prevent potential proliferation.

Iran: No 'Loose Cannon' in Jerusalem

Chuck Freilich — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 23:05:31 -0500

"The entire Israeli national security establishment, at all levels, has been deeply engaged on this issue since the early '90s. Indeed, it is hard to think of any other issue in Israel in recent decades that has been the subject of such extensive and careful attention. Regardless of what one thinks of the ultimate decision, it will not be for lack of painstaking consideration of the options."

Russia, China on 'Wrong Side of History' in Arab World

Chuck Freilich — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 18:45:43 -0500

"China, a great power in the making, and Russia, a fading but nonetheless aspiring power, have repeatedly positioned themselves on 'the wrong side of history' in regard to the Iranian nuclear program, events in Syria, and more. Great power status confers not just prestige and influence, but also a need to share responsibility for international security and the 'global good.' With their uncaring pursuit of narrow national interests, neither is demonstrating a predilection to do so."

South Korea's Counterpiracy Operations in the Gulf of Aden

Terence Roehrig — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 18:16:02 -0500

In March 2009, the South Korean National Assembly approved the first foreign deployment of South Korea's naval forces to join the U.S.-led Combined Task Force (CTF-151). The purpose of CTF-151 is to conduct antipiracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and off Somalia's east coast by the Horn of Africa. South Korea joined the navies of twenty four other countries that participate in the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) through one of three combined task forces, CTF-150, CTF-151, and CTF-152, to help ensure maritime security in this region. The CMF is an international effort to conduct maritime security operations in the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean.

Global Korea: South Korea's Contributions to International Security

Scott Bruce, John Hemmings, Balbina Y. Hwang, Terence Roehrig and Scott Snyder — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 17:40:44 -0500

Given the seriousness of the ongoing standoff on the Korean peninsula, South Korea's emergence as an active contributor to international security addressing challenges far from the Korean peninsula is a striking new development, marking South Korea's emergence as a producer rather than a consumer of global security resources. This volume outlines South Korea's progress and accomplishments toward enhancing its role and reputation as a contributor to international security.

Khadafy Son Should Be Tried by Libya

Juliette Kayyem — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 15:32:08 -0500

"The ICC represents the proposition that newly free nations should punish their abusive former leaders through court, rather than summary execution. It suggests that a legal reckoning with the past can help countries break free of horrible legacies. Instead of challenging Libya's efforts to do just that, the ICC could have assisted in its investigation and provided the technical advice necessary to help Libya become a nation under rule of law."

The Post–Cold War Cold Peace: Chalk One for the Russians

Charles G. Cogan — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 12:44:13 -0500

"...[T]he Russians have gathered together a formidable axis with which to contest the Western aim in Syria, which is to remove Bashar al Assad from power: the fellow veto-wielder in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), China, which has joined with the Russians in stymieing repeated UNSC attempts to end the conflict in Syria and bring about a change of regime. The Russians also have certain regional power backing for their Syrian policy of support to the Bashar al Assad regime: Shia Iran definitely; Shia Hezbollah definitely; and Shia Iraq, to some extent."

WMD Free Zone in Mideast: An Opportunity for Detente with Iran

Tytti Erästö — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 17:05:24 -0500

"The P5+1 and Iran should take note of the fact that there is a new window opening, and try to make most of it. The new opportunity comes in the form of a historic conference for the establishment of a weapons of mass destruction free zone (WMDFZ) in the Middle East—a conference which will be held in Finland in the coming December. What is special about this opportunity is that it allows Iran and the P5+1 to step outside of the negative dynamics created by their previous interactions, and to approach the nuclear issue from a different perspective."

Liberating Kosovo: Coercive Diplomacy and U.S. Intervention

David L. Phillips — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 18:02:18 -0500

In Liberating Kosovo, David Phillips offers a compelling account of the negotiations and military actions that culminated in Kosovo's independence. Drawing on his own participation in the diplomatic process and interviews with leading participants, Phillips chronicles Slobodan Milosevic's rise to power, the sufferings of the Kosovars, and the events that led to the disintegration of Yugoslavia. He analyzes how NATO, the United Nations, and the United States employed diplomacy, aerial bombing, and peacekeeping forces to set in motion the process that led to independence for Kosovo.

American President: Out on a Limb

Charles G. Cogan — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 17:39:36 -0500

"So assuming that negotiations over the Iranian nuclear program will resume after the American presidential elections, as most observers think they will, we will have to see if the policy of stiffing the Iranians — who abhor foreign pressure, in view of their both glorious and inglorious past — will continue not to work; or whether U.S. concessions, which have not been forthcoming so far, will dent the ideological obduracy of the Iranian position."

Containing Iran: Strategies for Addressing the Iranian Nuclear Challenge

Robert Reardon — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 17:19:02 -0500

This study assesses current U.S. policy options on the Iranian nuclear question. It suggests that U.S. goals can be met through patient and forward-looking policymaking. Specifically, the United States can begin to lay the groundwork for an effective containment policy while continuing efforts to forestall Iranian weaponization. A successful containment policy will promote long-term positive political change in Iran while avoiding counterproductive provocation.

Climate Negotiations Open a Window: Key Implications of the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action

Joseph E. Aldy and Robert N. Stavins — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 19:48:38 -0500

The Durban Platform for Enhanced Action represents an important milestone in the history of climate negotiations. The challenge is to find a way to include all key countries in a structure that brings about meaningful emission reduction on an appropriate timetable at acceptable cost, while recognizing the different circumstances of countries in a way that is more subtle, more sophisticated, and more effective than the dichotomous distinction of years past. This policy brief expands upon the authors' Science article, "Climate Negotiators Create an Opportunity for Scholars."

Measuring the Impacts of Truth and Reconciliation Commissions: Placing the Global 'Success' of TRCs in Local Perspective

Michal Ben-Josef Hirsch, Megan Mackenzie and Mohamed Sesay — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 13:42:01 -0500

"Truth and reconciliation commissions (TRCs) have emerged as an international norm and are assumed to be an essential element of national reconciliation, democratization, and post-conflict development. Despite the increase in the number of TRCs being initiated around the globe and the international consensus regarding their positive effects, there is little understanding of the longterm effects and consequences of TRCs. Specifically, currently there are no established methods or mechanisms for measuring the impacts of TRCs; furthermore, the few examples of efforts to measure these impacts have serious limitations. This article explores both the rise in TRCs as an international norm and the contradictions and inadequacies in existing efforts to measure the impacts and successes of commissions."

Climate Negotiators Create an Opportunity for Scholars

Joseph E. Aldy and Robert N. Stavins — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 12:41:04 -0500

The 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) launched a process to confront risks posed by global climate change. It has led to a dichotomy between countries with serious emission-reduction responsibilities and others with no responsibilities whatsoever. This has prevented progress, but the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action suggests the prospect for a better way forward and an openness to outside-the-box thinking. Scholars and practitioners have a new opportunity to contribute innovative proposals for a future international climate policy architecture.