Suchergebnisse

Sowohl Venezuela, als auch Brasilien haben in den letzten Monaten große Waffenkäufe getätigt. In Kolumbien wird die ohnehin schon große Militärpräsenz der USA ausgeweitet. Droht ein Wettrüsten in Lateinamerika? (Lat.am Nachr/GIGA)

In January 2010, the UN Security Council will decide whether to renew the mandate of the UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN), established almost three years ago to assist Nepalis in implementing their 2006 peace agreements. Tasked with an arms monitoring & electoral assistance mandate, this "boutique mission" -- with a comparatively small footprint -- features a number of notable innovations in structure & design. It is widely credited with having played an important role in creating conditions for free & fair elections to a Constituent Assembly in April 2008. Since then, the peace process seems to have run aground with the unresolved fate of around 20,000 cantoned Maoist combatants constituting a major stumbling block for progress. The mission, hobbled by an unusually constrained mandate, has little room for maneuver to help revive the peace process, & its presence on the ground is showing diminishing returns. Against this background, the UN faces a dilemma: if it renews the mission's mandate, it risks being criticized for ineffectiveness or being held co- responsible for any further deterioration; if the UN withdraws the mission, it risks being accused of premature exit & failing to bring the peace process to its conclusion. Adapted from the source document.

Ten years ago, the UN Security Council committed itself to respond, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, to situations in which civilians have been targeted or humanitarian assistance has been deliberately obstructed. The record thus far is sobering: The promise of protecting civilians has often gone unfulfilled (as was the case during the 2008 Congo crisis). Member states need to act to address "disconnect between mandates, intentions, expectations, interpretations and real implementation capacity" that the UN Secretary-General outlined in his most recent report to the Security Council. In particular, far more investments in prevention and mediation as well as the capacity of missions on the ground -- in terms of availability, equipment, training, doctrine, and rules of engagement -- are urgently needed. Adapted from the source document.