Why the U.N. Must Vote

An argument for the rule of law, UN reform, and the benefits and limits of collective security–the dominant theory behind the United Nations Security Council:

In the Kellogg-Briand Pact of 1928 and in the United Nations Charter of 1945, the world rejected this system. States were forbidden to enforce the law on their own and had to work through a system of collective security.

For all its obvious failings, the United Nations system has made for a more peaceful world than the one that preceded it. No leader may claim the right to collect debts or gain thrones by going to war. States may fracture into smaller pieces, but they don’t get conquered. Gunboat diplomacy is also out of the question.

The desire to respond to the atrocities in Syria with force is natural. The slaughter of civilians is impossible to watch without feeling morally impelled to act. The dysfunctional Security Council’s refusal to act leaves us feeling helpless in the face of evil.

But the choice between military force or nothing is a false one. Most of international law relies not on force for its enforcement, but on the collective power of nations to deprive states of the benefits of membership in a system of states. Mr. Obama can cut off any remaining government contracts with foreign companies that do business with Mr. Assad’s regime. He can work with Congress to do much more for Syrian rebels and refugees — including providing antidotes to nerve agents, which are in short supply. He can use his rhetorical power to shame and pressure Russia and China.

via On Syria, a U.N. Vote Isn’t Optional – NYTimes.com.

Rodman Returns to North Korea to See Kim – NYTimes.com

What do you make of this latest round of “basketball diplomacy” where the Worm meets Kim?

“I’m not going to North Korea to discuss freeing Kenneth Bae,” Mr. Rodman, a Basketball Hall of Fame member, told Reuters in a telephone interview. “I’m just going there on another basketball diplomacy tour.” Mr. Kim is known to be a fervent basketball fan, and the two watched a game together during Mr. Rodman’s previous visit.

via Rodman Returns to North Korea to See Kim – NYTimes.com.

At the same time, U.S. Special Envoy Robert King’s invitation was rescinded. (He is a BYU graduate and spoke at the Kennedy Center last year.)

Is Diplomatic Security Working at the U.S. State Department?

Want to be a U.S. diplomat?  It can be a dangerous profession.  Attacks are increasing from terrorists, new construction creates Fortress America-style buildings, and it appears that the bureaucratic lines within the State Department are bogged down.

The State Department late last year appointed for the first time a senior official — a deputy assistant secretary of state — to ensure that embassies and consulates in dangerous places got sufficient attention. But this review found that step insufficient, noting that in Washington, clear lines of authority and responsibility for diplomatic security were lacking. The report said a new under secretary would be responsible for “conducting threat and vulnerability assessments to identify risk” and recommending safeguards.

via Diplomatic Security Must Be Priority at State Dept., Panel Says – NYTimes.com.

A Day in the Life of Ban Ki-moon, UN Sec Gen

Ever wonder what you day is like as Secretary General of the UN?  Long days, long nights–and a little golf with the Korean Ambassador, apparently.

EARLY BIRD I think at the latest I get up on Sunday at 6 o’clock. But normal days, the latest I normally get up at 5. It has become my habit. I do not stay long in bed, even on Sundays or Saturdays I normally get up early. Because of time differences around the world, I have to deal with so many telephone calls with world leaders.

via Work, Work, Family, Work – NYTimes.com.

And watch this for a great overview of his workday–including behind-the-scenes footage:

 

Is It Nuts to Give to the Poor Without Strings Attached? – NYTimes.com

Perhaps we have it all wrong.  With widespread failure and dependency becoming a more broadly accepted view among experts maybe the answer is just to make stuff free?

Dozens of countries imitated Mexico’s example and their results inspired the founders of GiveDirectly, a handful of graduate students at Harvard and M.I.T., who were studying the economics of various developing countries. They chose to situate the charity in Kenya because it was a poor country with a well-developed system for sending money to anyone with a cheap cellphone. But they also planned to differentiate their charity; whereas most of the government programs give people money for as long as they qualify, GiveDirectly offers people a one-time grant, spread over the course of several months, and without any requirements.

via Is It Nuts to Give to the Poor Without Strings Attached? – NYTimes.com.

Should we add another category  William Easterly‘s framework for the types of development actors: Planners (top-down, big plans that are imposed by outside actors), Searchers (bottom-up, piecemeal solution-oriented) and now, a new one called Samaritans?  Is free–a la gmail, Dropbox, and other tech solutions–the answer in development?

Hint: The Peabody-winning radio program This American Life explored this issue and found that it worked for some, not for others.