February 21, 2008

Angry Serbs Assault U.S. Embassy In Belgrade

Hundreds of protesters are attacking the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade, Serbia's capital. Video footage captured one protester scaling the building to rip down the American flag, and fires can be seen in and around the compound.

"As long as we live, Kosovo is Serbia," Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said at another rally in front of the former parliament building. That gathering was peaceful, and drew around 200,000 people.

At the embassy, Serbs were throwing rocks and other objects at riot police and attempting to break through the police presence to raid the building. Serbs angry over Kosovo's declaration of independence -- a decision supported by the White House and much of the EU -- chanted "Kosovo is ours! Kosovo is Serbia!" and "We'll never give up Kosovo, never!" according to various media reports. (See accounts from AP, Reuters, BBC News and the London Guardian.)

The State Department tried to downplay the situation, emphasizing that the embassy was probably closed at the time. According to CNN, U.S. officials are denying that protesters actually penetrated the building.

"It has been up and running. It's been functioning. They've been carrying out their diplomatic functions and activities," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack at the afternoon briefing. "The question is whether or not it was open to the public."

McCormack stressed that the White House is sympathetic to the concerns of Serbs, angry because they consider Kosovo part of their religious and cultural heritage. NATO forced an end to ethnic cleansing of mostly Muslim Albanians in the former Yugoslavia in the late 1990s. Since then, the mostly Albanian province of Kosovo and the mostly Orthodox Christian Serbia have existed in an uneasy peace.

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Posted at 3:32 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, EU, Europe, Russia, U.N.
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January 22, 2008

U.N. Power Players Huddle On Iran

The U.N. Security Council meets in Berlin today to try to reach a consensus stance toward Iran -- a tough job, due to the differing positions of the five permanent members of the council, as well as Germany. President Bush emphasized the need to take a unified position opposing Iran on his recent sweep of the Middle East, about a month after a U.S. report suggested Iran had suspended its nuclear program years ago.

"Much of the momentum was lost when the National Intelligence Estimate came out,'' one analyst told Bloomberg News. "I think they will find it difficult to regain the momentum soon.''

Two permanent members of the Security Council, China and Russia, are opposed to taking further action against Tehran, and either country could veto new sanctions proposed by other members of the group.

Bloomberg has more background, and AP explains the goals of the talks.

Posted at 8:04 AM
Posted to: Iran, Middle East, U.N.
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December 19, 2007

Global Health Survey Finds Regional Differences

Health care has been a prominent issue on the campaign trail in the U.S. this year, with presidential candidates, particularly on the Democratic side, vowing to expand access to health care coverage for the over 40 million Americans without insurance. According to a new study, these concerns about the quality and availability of health care are also shared worldwide, albeit in different ways.

The global survey [PDF] from the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Pew Global Attitudes Project shows that while health care ranks high among citizens' political priorities around the world, attitudes toward the issue vary widely according to where people live, their economic status and their experiences with particular diseases.

Overall, the survey of over 45,000 people in 46 countries finds that health is a "local phenomenon." Not surprisingly, respondents in areas hardest hit by disease and malnutrition, particularly sub-Saharan Africa, were more likely to rank health as the top problem for their countries. In other regions, including Latin America, Asia and Europe, crime, terrorism, drugs and pollution were perceived as greater threats than the spread of infectious diseases.

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Posted at 12:30 PM
Posted to: Africa, Campaigns, Economy, HIV/AIDS, Health, U.N., WH 2008
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December 11, 2007

U.N. Offices Targeted In Algeria Bombings

Two car bombs exploded in Algiers this morning, killing at least 47 people. One of the bombs exploded in a street that contains offices for both the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and the U.N. Development Program.

CNN reports that 10 U.N. workers were killed in the blast. A spokesman for the refugee agency also said the building itself sustained "extensive damage." The other explosion occurred outside a court building in a nearby neighborhood 10 minutes before the bomb near the U.N. offices.

Algerian Interior Minister Noureddine Yazid Zerhouni said today that a suicide bomber detonated the blast in front of the U.N. office.

No individual or group has come forward to claim responsibility for the attacks in the Algerian capital. In April, another bomb in Algiers killed more than 30 people; the northern African branch of al-Qaida claimed responsibility for that attack.

Posted at 8:14 AM
Posted to: Africa, U.N.
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December 10, 2007

Kosovo Moves Closer To Independence

After months of U.N. talks about the future of Kosovo yielded few results, leaders of the region today said that they will begin the process of declaring independence from Serbia without an official agreement. A U.N. deadline to settle the issue expired today with no agreement in sight.

The U.S., EU and Russia had tried to mediate talks between Serbia and Kosovo, but most people expected Kosovo to announce its independence in May regardless; now, it looks as though the announcement could come sooner. EU leaders now say they are close to having a unified position to recognize Kosovo's independence.

"From today, Kosovo is starting intense consultations with its international partners with the aim of coordinating steps for declaring independence, and the official demands for recognising independence," Skender Hyseni of the Kosovo Albanian negotiating team told reporters.

Kosovo's ethnic Albanians have long chafed under Serbia's control. The U.N. has controlled the tiny province since 1999, when a NATO force stepped in to end a bloody campaign against the Albanians led by former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, who died in 2006 during his trial for war crimes.

The Detroit Free Press has a useful Q&A about the history of Kosovo, and Bloomberg News has more on Europe's reaction.

Posted at 7:57 AM
Posted to: EU, Europe, U.N.
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December 07, 2007

Bali Summit Rattled By Earthquake & Dubious Progress

The 10,000 attendees of the U.N.'s two-week climate change conference got a reminder of the Earth's fragility today, when an earthquake hit 150 miles southwest of Bali, Indonesia.

The quake wasn't strong enough to cause damage or injury -- just 5.4 on the Richter scale -- but the walls and floors in the complex hosting the conference shook for about 10 seconds. Attendees from 190 countries are working on striking a deal to address global warming and other international environmental concerns.

Organizers of the conference may have been struck another kind of blow, as well: A U.N. official said today that it's unlikely the U.S. will agree to any binding deal to cut its greenhouse gas emissions. Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the U.N. Convention on Climate Change, said the discussion started "very enthusiastically," but several developing nations along with the U.S. will probably reject the standards and the international community has failed to agree on an approach to global warming.

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Posted at 9:10 AM
Posted to: Asia, Climate Change, U.N.
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November 15, 2007

America To World: Howdy, Partners

The United States' lonely venture in Iraq has taken its toll on the American public, according to a new poll commissioned by the U.N. Foundation and the Better World Campaign. The bipartisan survey and follow-up focus group discussions, conducted by Public Opinion Strategies (R) and Garin-Hart-Yang (D), reveal a shift in the public's international priorities and what pollster Bill McInturff calls a "repudiation" of President Bush's "go it alone" foreign policy.

The overwhelming majority of those surveyed said America's reputation has suffered in the last few years, and 86 percent of likely voters said that, in order to achieve its foreign policy goals in the future, America needs to renew its partnerships with other countries and work through international organizations rather than act alone.

For more on the survey, including voters' foreign-policy wish list for the next president, see today's Poll Track (subscription).

Posted at 2:10 PM
Posted to: Iraq, President Bush, U.N., WH 2008
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October 25, 2007

Myanmar Official Meets With Opposition Leader

Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's pro-democracy opposition leader, met for more than an hour today with a government official in the first sign that the military junta that has ruled the country since 1962 might be loosening its grip on power.

The latest protests in Myanmar and the ensuing military crackdown have caused outrage worldwide and have prompted foreign governments to consider punitive actions. President Bush announced last week that the U.S. would impose tougher economic conditions on the country if its leaders did not stop the brutal repression of its citizens; he expressed hope that other nations would take similar steps. However, China, Russia and India have refused to implement such sanctions, and their opposition to retaliatory measures has prevented the United Nations from taking more than symbolic action.

U.N. envoy Ibrahim Gambari traveled to the country in early October to pressure government leaders to broker peace with Suu Kyi. In response, the Myanmar government appointed a "minister for relations," who is in charge of managing Suu Kyi's interaction with the government and the U.N. Aung Kyi, a retired major general with a reputation of being more open and available than many of Myanmar's other officials, held the talks with Suu Kyi today.

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Posted at 4:15 PM
Posted to: Asia, President Bush, U.N.
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October 16, 2007

Superpower Watch: Picking Sides, Choosing Teams

Once again, the Bush administration is reminded that while it would be preferable to have the world at its back as it attempts to stabilize the Middle East, it simply does not. Iran and Russia have sealed an agreement among the Caspian Sea nations that "under no circumstances will they allow [the use of their] territories by third countries to launch aggression or other military action against any of the member states." Doesn't take a genius to figure out which third country might top that list.

This declaration accomplishes several things, none of which bode well for Washington's push for Iran to come clean on its nuclear program.

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Posted at 1:36 PM
Posted to: Asia, Bush Administration, China, Europe, IAEA, Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, Military, Nuclear Weapons, President Bush, Robert Gates, Russia, Terrorism, U.N., Vladimir Putin
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October 15, 2007

Rice: Palestinian Statehood Now

In a sign that the Bush administration views a two-state Mideast solution as a critical accomplishment before the clock winds down to 2009, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that now was the time for the Palestinians to achieve statehood.

"Frankly, it's time for the establishment of a Palestinian state," Rice said today during a visit to the West Bank.

Rice appeared to indicate that she had grown weary of the negotiations process, which has been fraught with leadership changes and other stops and starts since President Bush rejuvenated Washington's role there in 2003.

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Posted at 12:14 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Condoleezza Rice, Fatah, Hamas, Israel, Middle East, Palestinians, President Bush, U.N.
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October 05, 2007

Myanmar Unrest Sets Stage For Another U.N. Face-Off

As the U.S. and its allies lay the groundwork for possible U.N. action against the military dictatorship that rules Myanmar, China and Russia are forming an axis of opposition to the endeavor.

China is one of Myanmar's most generous benefactors, and in a meeting of the U.N. Security Council, warned members not to interfere in the junta's crackdown on an army of monks.

"It is quite understandable for the outside world to express concern and expectation regarding the situation on the ground, however, pressure would not serve any purpose or would lead to confrontation or even the loss of dialogue and cooperation between Myanmar and the international community, including the United Nations," said the Chinese ambassador, Wang Guangya. "If the situation in Myanmar takes a worse turn because of external intervention, it would be the people of Myanmar who will bear the brunt."

According to the New York Times, Russia and China are arguing that "the crisis does not constitute the kind of threat to international peace and security that calls for the involvement of the Council."

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Posted at 3:30 PM
Posted to: Africa, Asia, China, Sudan, U.N.
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October 02, 2007

Wyatt Admits To Role In Oil-For-Food Scandal

Jurors got a surprise yesterday in the trial of Oscar Wyatt: Well into the third week of testimony, the Texas oil mogul pleaded guilty to charges that he'd paid kickbacks to Saddam Hussein's government.

The octogenarian billionaire accepted a deal of an 18- to 24-month sentence for admitting to one count of wire fraud -- as opposed to the 70-year sentence he would have been handed if found guilty on all five counts. Wyatt had maintained his innocence since he was arrested in Houston two years ago.

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Posted at 7:41 AM
Posted to: Iraq, Middle East, U.N.
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September 28, 2007

New Vote On Iran Sanctions Delayed

UPDATED.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice did not go out of her way to hide her disappointment at the latest setback in U.S. efforts to clamp down further on Iran.

"The international community has to have a greater sense of urgency about some of these issues," she said, speaking to reporters at the U.N. this afternoon. "We have two unanimous Security Council resolutions in place on Iran. We're working on a third, and using that track to try to invigorate the negotiations track." Rice conceded that there was already a "certain level of cooperation in Iran."

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Posted at 3:25 PM
Posted to: Asia, Bush Administration, China, Condoleezza Rice, EU, Europe, France, Germany, IAEA, Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, Nuclear Weapons, Russia, Terrorism, U.K., U.N.
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September 26, 2007

U.N. General Assembly: Like Last Year, Only Worse

The astute Brits at the Economist called it.

By granting so many interviews to curious American journalists and agreeing to take questions from college students at Columbia, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made sure that this year's meeting of the U.N. General Assembly would revolve around him. It helps that his BFF in these parts, Venezuelan firebrand Hugo Chavez, sat this one out, which means Ahmadinejad's "no gays in Iran" statement remains the craziest (and most sinister) thing said all week.

Ahmadinejad put on his "serious" face (no smiling) yesterday when he delivered his U.S.-centric speech before the General Assembly. The American delegation didn't bother to stick around for its entirety, such was its predictability. If this scenario reminds you of last year's meeting at the U.N., it should. The bottom line for the Security Council has been no nuclear material for Iran, period. Yesterday, Ahmadinejad ensured that the U.N. will act to shut him down, one way or another.

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Posted at 1:15 PM
Posted to: Asia, Bush Administration, Chechnya, China, Condoleezza Rice, Hugo Chavez, IAEA, Iran, Iraq, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, North Korea, Nuclear Weapons, President Bush, Russia, Terrorism, U.N.
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September 25, 2007

Bush's Other Legacy On Display At U.N.

President Bush called on the U.N. General Assembly to renew its focus on human rights, as he reminded increasingly distant member nations of America's outsized role in humanitarian work around the globe.

Placing the spotlight on the U.N.'s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Bush told the audience, "The nations in this chamber have our differences. Yet there are some areas where we can all agree."

The president ticked off a laundry list of ills, some of them ancient, still plaguing the globe, from malaria to HIV/AIDS, starvation to closed markets, impositions on the freedom of speech and assembly, and "tyranny and violence."

The Universal Declaration is not being upheld, Bush said, "when innocent people are trapped in a life of murder and fear" or "when millions of children starve to death or die from a mosquito bite."

"Changing these underlying conditions is what the declaration calls the work of underlying freedom," he said.

Bush then turned his attention to the representatives of Myanmar.

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Posted at 12:17 PM
Posted to: Asia, Bill Clinton, Bush Administration, China, Climate Change, HIV/AIDS, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, President Bush, Russia, Terrorism, U.N.
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September 18, 2007

In Case You Missed It...

... we're going to war with Iran. France is on board, too. (With us, not Iran.)

What?

The surreality of global relations this week is enough to make us wonder if we're trapped inside one of John Bolton's fevered dreams. Let's untangle this web of crazy carefully, lest all our heads collectively explode.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner is now seeking to assure allies that his country will "negotiate, negotiate, negotiate" before resorting to the option of war with Iran. On Sunday, the socialist ignited a firestorm when he told an interviewer, "We must prepare for the worst," adding, "The worst, sir, is war."

Kouchner said that France was "preparing" itself for the prospect of war in the event efforts to dismantle Iran's nuclear program were unsuccessful.

En route to a meeting with his counterpart in Moscow today, Kouchner sought to dial back his earlier remarks. "I do not want it said that I'm a warmonger. My message was one of peace, serious and determined," he told traveling reporters. Later, he blamed the media for running wild with what he'd said on Sunday. "As usual with journalists, they take one phrase and you don't know what came after," he said on a Russian radio talk show.

That's fair. Then again, maybe France picked a really bad time to propose Germany dump its historical baggage and dive into the nukes business.

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Posted at 6:30 PM
Posted to: Asia, Bush Administration, China, Europe, France, Germany, Iran, Middle East, North Korea, Nuclear Weapons, Russia, Syria, Terrorism, U.K., U.N.
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September 14, 2007

Report: Germany Wavers, U.S. Revives Iran Planning

About a month ago, we wondered why White House officials were leaking word that Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps was to be designated a terrorist organization. Looks like we may have an answer.

Reuters reports that the leak may have been a hawkish attempt to goad the State Department into taking a tougher line on Tehran. The White House alleges Iran is arming and funding Shiite insurgents in Iraq, compounding existing frustration over Iran's nuclear ambitions. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has mostly laughed off U.N. economic sanctions aimed at his uranium enrichment program.

Now, there are indications the sanctions process may have hit a roadblock.

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Posted at 11:41 AM
Posted to: Asia, Bush Administration, China, EU, Europe, France, Germany, IAEA, Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, North Korea, Nuclear Weapons, President Bush, Russia, Terrorism, U.N.
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July 26, 2007

Iraqi Refugee Crisis Worsening

The U.N. refugee agency announced at a conference that 50,000 Iraqis are fleeing their country every month, joining the more than 2 million Iraqis who've already been displaced by the violence there.

Jordan, which is home to many of those refugees, is hosting a summit on the crisis. Representatives from Iraq's neighbors as well as the U.N., U.S. and Britain are hammering out how to handle the overflow of refugees.

Syria, home to 1.4 million of the Iraqis, and other countries complain that their resources are being stretched to the limit by the newcomers. Iraq's neighbors have security concerns as well.

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Posted at 11:42 AM
Posted to: Iraq, Middle East, U.N.
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