[FCNL-prevent-war] (1/18/05): Current Conflicts in the News

[Guest guest]

FCNL: War Prevention Update (January 18, 2005)

 

Welcome to the FCNL Prevent War Review. Each Prevent War

Review focuses

on one of three issues: Current Conflicts in the News,

Policy and

Papers, and Forgotten Wars. This review highlights

developments in

particular crisis areas and new resources to help you make

sense of the

issues and take positive action.

 

This edition of the Prevent War Review focuses on Current

Conflicts in

the News (January 2005).

 

* Iraq Updates: Security, elections, and the coming

supplemental

* Sudan: North-South Peace agreement reached

* Israel/Palestine Updates: Abbas wins election and wall

construction

continues

* PPDC in the news: CrisisWatch resource; Rep. Leach

affirms PPDC;

Prevention Report released

* In light of the Tsunami: The Sustainability of Aid- a

look at relief

versus development

* Developments on the Central African Republic (CAR) and

the

International Criminal Court (ICC)

 

(Inclusion of particular resources in the Prevent War

Review does not

imply FCNL support or agreement with all of the points

contained

therein. For FCNL's positions on issues, please see our web

site at

www.FCNL.org)

 

***Iraq Updates

 

FCNL Newsletter Statement and Quotes on Withdrawal

FCNL released its latest newsletter article " Free Iraq -

The

Responsibility of Withdrawal " (January 2004) which outlines

FCNL's

position regarding how to alleviate the situation in Iraq.

Additionally,

the PPDC program has just released a compilation of

comments on U.S.

withdrawal from Iraq from a wide array of military,

security and policy

leaders. Both can be found on the FCNL Iraq page at:

http://www.fcnl.org/issues/item.php?item_id=1180 & issue_id=35

 

$80 - $100 Billion Dollar Iraq Supplemental Coming Soon

A supplemental bill giving more money for military action

in Iraq is

expected to be announced in the coming weeks. Experts

estimate that the

administration will ask for $80 - $100 billion dollars.

Watch for

Congress' reaction to this next request in February or

March.

 

International Crisis Group (ICG) Report Released: " What Can

the U.S. Do

in Iraq? " 12/22/04 The ICG calls for a change in the

situation in Iraq

to move towards security and sustainability. ICG calls for

a dual

disengagement, " a gradual U.S. political and military

disengagement from

Iraq and, no less important, a clear Iraqi political

disengagement from

the U.S. The new Iraqi state must define itself at least

partially in

opposition to U.S. policies or it runs the risk of defining

itself in

opposition to many of its own citizens. " The report

provides

recommendations for this dual disengagement both for the

U.S. government

and for Iraq. For the full report and the executive summary

see:

http://www.icg.org/home/index.cfm?id=3196 & l=1

 

Continued Insecurity in Iraq

All eyes will be on Iraq for the upcoming elections

scheduled January

30. Elections and democratic freedom were two significant

reasons used

for an almost two-year invasion and occupation of Iraq with

costs well

over 100,000 lives and hundreds of billions of dollars.

 

Juan Cole shows a BBC World Monitoring translation of the

platform for

the United Iraq Alliance, one of the leading parties vying

for power in

Iraq. The party platform principle includes the demand for

a timetable

of the withdrawal of all multinational forces from Iraq.

Cole states,

" I'm not sure most Americans realize that the biggest and

most important

party coalition in Iraq, which will almost certainly form

the next

government, has explicitly stated in its platform that it

wants a

specific timetable announced for withdrawal of U.S. troops

from the

country. " For more on the Iraqi elections and party

platforms see:

http://www.juancole.com/2004/12/platform-of-united-iraqi-alliance.html

 

Robert Reid writing for the Associated Press states that

" Iraq in 2005

faces the likelihood of the most profound shift of

political power in

its modern history, while struggling with an insurgency

that has

confounded U.S. strategists and their optimistic forecasts

that preceded

the war. Starting with national elections on January 30,

Iraqis are

supposed to go to the polls three times next year - first

to choose a

new parliament, then to decide on a new constitution and

finally - if

the charter is ratified - to choose yet another legislature

by the end

of the year. " see " Profound Shifts in 2005 " at

http://www.jordantimes.com/thu/news/news4.htm

 

For more on the Iraqi elections see the " Special Report on

Elections "

(Integrated Regional Information Networks) at:

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/6c06af2a7b900c114514da619c

7c0bf0.htm

 

North-South Sudanese peace deal signed (1/10/05)

On Sunday January 9, 2005, the Khartoum government of Sudan

and the

Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) signed a landmark

peace

agreement, hoping to move away from more than 20 years of

war that has

taken more than 1 million lives. Tenuous compromises on

land control and

resource sharing have lead to this peace agreement. Though

the agreement

only refers to the North-South conflict, " If the government

applies the

blueprint [peace deal], it offers and moves vigorously

towards peace in

Darfur, " the International Crisis Group said in a press

release

( " Sudan's Partial Peace, " 1/7/05). It continues: " Unless a

comprehensive

international effort is crafted, parts of Sudan will

continue to burn,

leaving peace in any one part of the country at grave risk.

Continuing

to deal with Sudan in a piecemeal way ensures the fire will

never be

extinguished completely. " Policy-makers urge Darfur to stay

a central

concern. Learn more about Darfur at

www.icg.org/home/index.cfm?id=3060 & I=1

 

Senators Corzine and Brownback Remind American Public about

Darfur In

the context of great attention to the tsunami disaster

Senators Corzine

(NJ) and Brownback (KS) urge Americans not to forget about

the genocide

in Darfur. Corzine and Brownback have been the bipartisan

leadership

behind the Senate resolution calling the situation in

Darfur a genocide,

now more than five months ago. There is still much to be

done including:

deploying a real peacekeeping force, expanding the African

Union's

mandate to protect civilians, putting more pressure on the

Khartoum

government, and providing support for accountability and

justice in the

region. See their editorial ( " Stop the Genocide, "

Washington Post,

1/11/05)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64425-2005Jan10.html

 

Israel/Palestine Updates

 

Abbas Wins in a Palestinian Landslide (1/10/05)

After the death of Palestinian icon Yassir Arafat,

Palestinian elections

represent a moment of opportunity and hope towards Middle

East peace.

Despite the fear of violence, Palestinians came out in

droves to vote

for Mahmoud Abbas. These elections have been seen as an

impressive

demonstration of a peaceful transition of power. Many hope

that this, in

addition to the unilateral Israeli withdraw from Gaza will

offer an

opportunity to advance peace talks in Israel and the

occupied

Palestinian territories.

 

On the post-Arafat situation:

http://www.icg.org/home/index.cfm?id=3197 & l=1

On the potential for peace and fulfillment of the roadmap:

http://cmep.org/newsletter/2004December.htm

On the results of the elections:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4176759.stm

 

Israel/Palestine: The Wall is Still Being Built

The Foundation for Middle East Peace just released a new

report entitled

" The Separation Barrier and the Abuse of Security. " This

report is about

the developments on the wall not only in Jerusalem but

throughout Israel

and the occupied Palestinian territories. Read the report

at

http://www.fmep.org

 

PPDC Tools

 

CrisisWatch Bulletin - A Valuable Resource

The CrisisWatch Bulletin provides a helpful up-to-date

overview of

current crises. An excerpt from the January 1, 2005 report:

" All

conflict related developments around the world in December

2004 were

overshadowed by the devastating natural disaster of the 26

December

Indian Ocean tsunami, with a death toll now estimated at

over 150,000.

The longer term implications of the tragedy for conflicts

in the

countries most severely hit are as yet unclear...[in other

news]

Violence surged in Iraq as insurgents stepped up their

efforts to derail

the 30 January elections, and fighting between Maoists and

the military

escalated across Nepal with the approach of a 13 January

government

deadline for the Maoists to agree to peace talks. The

situations in

Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe also

worsened in

December...In Sudan, the long-awaited signing on 31

December in Naivasha

of a final peace accord between the government and Southern

SPLA rebels

was offset by deteriorating security in Darfur. " For the

full

CrisisWatch see:

http://www.icg.org/home/index.cfm?id=2937 & l=1-C1

 

Terror War Is Diverting Attention from the Root Causes of

Insecurity.

The latest edition of the World Watch Institute's " State of

the World

Report " called poverty, disease, and environmental decline

the " true

axis of evil " . The report (seen at

http://www.worldwatch.org/pubs/sow/2005/ ) urges

policymakers to adopt a

policy of " preventive engagement " to address these

challenges: This is

exactly what FCNL calls peaceful prevention. Chris Flavin,

president of

WorldWatch said that " unless these threats are recognized

and responded

to, the world runs the risk of being blindsided by the new

forces of

instability, just as the United States was surprised by the

terrorist

attacks of September 11 (2001). "

'Current concerns such as poverty, international crime,

population

movement, and increased competition for resources are

" likely to worsen

in the coming years and, in any case, cannot be resolved by

raising

military expenditures or dispatching troops. Nor can they

be contained

by sealing borders or maintaining the status quo in a

highly unequal

world, " ' stated an Inter Press Service article ( " Terror War

Diverting

Attention from Roots of Insecurity " ). " Global military

spending is now

approaching one trillion dollars a year, " Michael Renner

(co-director of

the State of the World Project) said. " Preventive

strategies to deal

with social and environment problems generally cost so much

less. "

The summary article is: " Terror War Diverting Attention

from Roots of

Insecurity " Lobe, Jim. Inter Press Service 1/13/05.

 

World's Aid Evaporated from Earlier Disasters

A recent article published in the New York Times examined

the

sustainability of relief efforts surrounding natural

disasters

(Thompson, Ginger and Nazila Fathi. " For Honduras and Iran,

World's Aid

Evaporated. " The New York Times, 1/11/05.) As we think

about the tsunami

and its affects on populations across Asia and Africa, the

PPDC program

is also thinking about how to integrate into immediate

relief efforts

visions of prevention through poverty alleviation, debt

cancellation,

sustainable relief, and above all development. " All too

often when

disaster strikes - from here in Honduras to Iran, where the

ancient city

of Bam was shattered by an earthquake a year ago, to

Mozambique, which

endured floods in 2000 - that mission seems to last only as

long as the

media attention... 'We are forgotten.' " As Secretary of

State Powell has

continually stated, international commitment must be put

not only into

immediate relief but into long-term sustainable

development.

 

Developments on the Central African Republic (CAR) and the

International

Criminal Court (ICC) The Office of the Prosecutor of the

International

Criminal Court has received a referral from the Central

African Republic

to investigate crimes in 2002 within the jurisdiction of

the Court

committed anywhere in the Central African Republic since

July 1, 2002,

the date of entry into force of the Rome Statute. The CAR

has been beset

by instability and violence for many years, and the UN has

had a

peace-building office in place there since February

2000.This referral

is the third that has been submitted, following referrals

from Uganda

and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Many speculate a

fourth

referral might come in the near future on the Darfur crisis

in Sudan.

 

" Prosecutor receives referral concerning CAR, ICC Press

Release, 1/6/05;

 

http://www.icc-cpi.int/press/pressreleases/87.html

 

 

Due to staff transitions, FCNL's Prevent War Review will

not be active

for the spring of 2005. We will be backing the summer!

Check FCNL's web

site for updates on issues you care about.

 

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______________________

Friends Committee on National Legislation

245 Second St. NE, Washington, DC 20002-5795

fcnl * www.fcnl.org

phone: (202)547-6000 * toll-free: (800) 630-1330

 

 

Sangeeta Tripathi

Peaceful Prevention of Deadly Conflict Intern

Friends Committee on National Legislation

 

Sangeeta

202.547.6000 x113

 

..paix.peace.salaam.paz.shanti.shalom.khotso.runyararo.

 

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