Uzbekistan Uses Location as Leverage

"Saying everything is O.K. in Uzbekistan is like saying it's peaceful in Baghdad," said Vasila Innoyatova, a human rights worker in Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan is attempting to cover for gunning down its own citizens exactly three years ago. The government is now allowing the International Committee of the Red Cross to survey its prisons, and has also released human rights advocates that were previously locked up. Changes also involve revisions of the judicial system; this includes eliminating the death penalty and including habeas corpus. Yet there is still denial of rights, the use of torture, and repression of government dissenters.

But western governments are arguing that Uzbekistan may have the political upper hand. When Washington harshly criticized the nation, the country immediately removed the United States from the military base, which was strategic in terms of the war in Afghanistan. Now, the Uzbeks are allowing limited access to a German base at Termez and NATO is allowed to use a railroad for endeavors in Afghanistan. But possible sanctions from the US are now threatening the agreements. The nation is essentially challenging the influence of the Washington, which feels threatened by the leniency of the West in dealing with Uzbekistan, particularly because of its strategic location. But other problems come up—can the US exercise jurisdiction when many of the offenses that Uzbekistan has been criticized for (indefinite detentions, torture, etc), and what the end result will be of sanctions given Uzbekistan’s ability to close of Western powers from strategic locations near Afghanistan. Wisest would be to use another European power to negotiate with Uzbekistan and intervene, rather than the over-stretched American hegemony with it's tarnished reputation.

Grandpa Wen is Hip

Facebook is now home to a figure nicknamed “Granpa Wen,” the Chinese Premier who has become the symbol of grief and relief as he has traveled to many disaster sights after China’s earthquake on May 12th left so many dead and displaced.

Both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the State Council Press Office both claim they were unaware of the creation of Wen Jiabao’s page, which now has 14,000 supporters after only two weeks, in contrast to President Bush’s 11,700 and Senator Obama’s whopping 862,000 supporters.

Despite the usual appearance of Wen as being cold and distant, his appearance at the Sichuan province, which was severely affected by the earthquake, a rail road station that was disrupted after a storm in January leaving , among other places, has gained the leader a place in the hearts of the Chinese as well as his own facebook site—a tribute to his popularity among younger generations.

SG Ban Acknowledges Myanmar's "Cooperation"

It was with the main goal of speeding up humanitarian relief in Myanmar that United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met with Myanmar’s junta leaders. Myanmar’s corruption on various levels escaped critique; discussions of the detainment of a pro-democracy leader, improper voting procedures during the latest election, and human rights abuses were not mentioned. This was a bargaining tactic that the Secretary General was ready to play as he ultimately concluded the talks with dozens of visas for UN relief workers.

It was with the with the two to three million displaced and now homeless individuals in Myanmar that Ban had in mind when he avoided talks on politics that he felt would only make the leader of Myanmar unwilling to communicate or accept aid. While some believe that this was an opportunity to put pressure on the government, others say it was a smart more. The Secretary General also left before the second round of voting on a constituional referendum that would give the military junta further control over he government and its people in order to avoid the image that he was in any way supportive. Although Ban expressed his disappointment at not being able to address other problems, he did ackowledge the “new spirit of cooperation.” It is indeed a rare showing of what is now considered “cooperation,” with at least some humanitarian aid trickling in. In my own opinion, it is absolutely necessary to cater to the needs of people, especially in such a dire situation. The government has been a source of problems for years, but it's time for the international community to be committed to the "now" when the people of Myanmar continue to suffer.

Lenience in Cluster Bomb Treaty

Diplomats from 100 nations assembled in Dublin, Ireland to agree upon the prohibition of clustorbombs and agreed upon the decision to call for the complete destruction of stockpiles within the next eight years. Despite the large number of nations represented at the talks, the six greatest producers and users of cluster bombs were not present; the United States, Russia, China, Israel, India, and Pakistan.

Despite the widely understood inhumane consequences of the use of cluster bombs, the remain an integral weapon to the United States. During operations, bombs are released in groups that are supposed to detonate simultaneously over a large area—yet some of the bombs do not detonate and are left for innocent by-passers—sometimes farmers or even curious children that get near enough and cause them to detonate. While the US strongly opposed the treaty, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was strongly supportive and displayed Britain’s willingness to sacrifice its two cluster munitions.

The treaty further defined cluster bombs and set certain specifications on new designs that provided a certain amount of bomblets allotted and the minimum weight—this is in the hopes that new weaponry will detonate properly.

The ban is considerably lenient for political reason—while such treaties often require that signatories not cooperate with non-signatories, NATO felt that this would make peacekeeping operations too complicated. It is a beautiful example of realism at its best, it is evident that nations are really acting in their own interest and sometimes this does not take into consideration civilian lives. It is also an example of the short-comings of international order; some things just can't be done without the super powers.
[treaty text available here]

Candidates Agree On One Thing

All three potential candidates for the presidency have been able to agree on one thing—accusing the Sudanese government of “atrocities against civilians in Darfur.” Senator Barack Obama, Senator Hillary Clinton, and Senator John McCain signed a statement by the Save Darfur Coalition that was showing the New York Times this week. The ad in the NTY recognizes the ongoing conflict in Sudan as”genocide” and calls for an end to the violence.

Yet the statement is currently merely symbolic, as none of the candidates are yet in the position to make a decision regarding any sort of intervention or aid. The purpose is arguably to pressure the Sudanese government of Omar Hassan el-Bashir to make a visible effort to end the conflict. Yet while much of the violence is generated and perpetuated by the government, mere pressure may make no difference at this point.

So who will take care of this violence? Mr. McCaine with his plan of staying in Iraq for the next 100 years may not have the resources with a perpetuated was to be probing in Africa. I think we can have some hope for Obama, who is hoping to end the disastrous war in Iraq and then put in some time to save Darfur. But the question is exactly why Iraq was put higher on the priority list than Sudan in the first place.

Taiwan and China Agree to Meetings

After almost sixty years, China is still unable to let go of Taiwan despite overwhelming international recognition of Taiwan’s sovereignty. Yet after ongoing clashes, the Chinese government has now opened up talks with Taiwan. Although dialogue is no yet set, the Chinese President Hu Jintao has expressed his interest in holding talks “as early as possible,” a sign that China and Taiwan could at least have a healthier relationship. Many feel that these talks should address the topic of commute between Taiwan and China, in light of current restrictions on travel that require office approval for traveling to Taiwan from China.

In a gesture of good will, President Hu offered Tawian ruling Kuamintang Party Chairan Wu Poh-hsiung the opportunity to attend the upcoming Beijing Olympics, which Wu accepted. This controversial offer now involves a Taiwanese government official attending an event that caused protests around the world in relation to China’s controversial treatment of Taiwan.

The meeting between Hu and Wu comes soon after the May 20th inauguration of Ma Yin-jeou as Taiwan’s new president, who is being more cautious about perusing independence than the previous president, Chen Shui-bian. While he does not seek complete independence, he is pushing for closer economic ties—particularly smart in a time where China’s economy is booming and there is more to be gained than lost.

IAEA/Security Council Still Suspicious of Iran

Despite current charges of non-cooperation, Iran was originally cooperative with the IAEA and weapons inspectors, even past the requirements of the non-proliferation treaty in allowing inspectors to go to military sites and take snap inspections. It is not as though Iran has completely eliminated access to its facilities, but while it allowed short-notice intrusive inspections of the facilities prior to 2006 (which is not required under the NPT) after being reported to the Security Council in 2006 it only cooperates in regards to its obligations.

Yet after harsh sanctions imposed by the Security Council, Iran has less incentive to allow inspectors into the country. "We recommend them not to clandestinely keep passing Iran's nuclear dossier between the IAEA and 5-plus-1 group. This parliament won't allow such deception," said Ali Larjiani, chief Iran negotiator that was recently appointed to be parliament speaker. The 5-plus-1 group is a reference to the Security Council plus Germany, which has taken upon itself the task of punishing Iran from noncompliance. The Security Council generally creates resolutions that can be implemented and deals with issues of global security and pressing regional concerns. Iran, however, feels that the secret information passed between the IAEA and the Security Council lacks substance and that the conjoining of the two organizations is an unfair treatment of Iran.

Iran has been engaged in enriching uranium, a process that can either be used for electricity and general energy or for the production of nuclear weapons. While the international community continues to inspect and research into the possibility of nuclear weapons in Iran, the nation is becoming more hostile to foreign intrusion.


The threat of sanctions in 2008