Fill and replace diplomacy

Efficiency matters:

Whenever tragedy strikes in some far-off land, the world’s top diplomat, U.N. Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon, customarily sends off a note conveying the world’s sympathies…with so many natural disasters, conflicts, and humanitarian crises unfolding at once, the U.N. chief needs to be efficient. And so his staff has apparently developed a standard response that can be used in the event of any crisis. Just change the name of the country, the nature of the disaster, and hit send.

UN Official claims Karzai is a druggie

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has been making a number of speeches recently that are highly critical of the US’s presence in Afghanistan. Observers have a attributed this to a number of causes, such as frustration, exhaustion, depression, and the need to look tough at home. These are all plausible, if disheartening, arguments. The best one of the lot, however comes from the former deputy of the UN Mission in Afghanistan, Peter Galbraith. In an interview on MSNBC yesterday, Galbraith said hypothesized that Karzi’s addiction to heroin or opium (it is not clear which) is the cause of his recent anti-US tirades. Seriously. It comes about two minutes into the interview.

It is important to put the comment in context, however. Karzai basically kicked Galbraith out of Afghanistan because he accused Karzai of stealing last year’s presidential election.

Obama way behind the curve on democracy

Around the world, we are witnessing new and ambitious strategies to advance democracy.  The European Union recently released the EU Agenda for Action on Democracy Support.  The strategy boldly states that, “everyone has the right to take part in government” and that “democracy has evolved into a universal value.”  The Government of Canada has announced it will set up a new democracy assistance organization, the Canadian Centre for Advancing Democracy.  The UN Democracy Fund has just announced its fourth round of funding.  And what of the Obama administration?  Entrepreneurship, Science and Technology, and Education.  (sigh)  These things are fine, but the fall far short of affirming that democracy is a universal value.

President Obama uses stirring rhetoric on democracy, such as his recent speech on Afghanistan at West Point:

…we must make it clear to every man, woman and child around the world who lives under the dark cloud of tyranny that America will speak out on behalf of their human rights, and tend to the light of freedom and justice and opportunity and respect for the dignity of all peoples. That is who we are. That is the source, the moral source, of America’s authority.

Sorry Mr. President, the road to freedom, justice, and opportunity is not through entrepreneurship, science and technology, and education.  It’s through democracy.  Speaking out on behalf of entrepreneurship, science and technology, and education doesn’t bring moral authority.  Standing up for democracy brings moral authority.  I expect that the Obama administration will eventually come around to supporting democracy more forthrightly.  Until they do, I will pound away at them on it.  After all, it’s my right in a democracy.

Michael Allen at Democracy Digest has more.

Is the UN going wobbly in Afghanistan?

Allisa Rubin in today’s New York Times:

The United Nations mission in Afghanistan announced plans on Thursday to relocate hundreds of foreign staff members, sending some out of the country, in the wake of a lethal attack on its workers at a guesthouse last week.

The relocation of its workers here, while temporary, is one more signal of mounting pressure on United Nations operations as security deteriorates around the region. The move comes four days after the United Nations announced that it was withdrawing its international workers from northwestern Pakistan, where insurgents are fighting Pakistani troops and have carried out a string of attacks…

A United Nations spokesman, Adrian Edwards, said Thursday that about 600 international staff members would be temporarily relocated either to other places in Afghanistan or outside the country, primarily Dubai and Central Asian countries.

Brain Katulis at Foreign Policy frames the issue well.

More on authoritarian cooperation

Authoritarian regimes are successfully obstructing the work of the United Nations Human Rights Council, according to a new report from Freedom House. The report singles out China, Cuba and Egypt, in particular, as devoting a lot of attention to undermining the council’s work.