BRICS in Global Governance – A Progressive Force?
Niu Haibin
FES Perspective
April 2012
ISBN: 978-3-86498-138-8
On the regional level the BRICS States have proven to be strong players in maintaining regional security and dealing with economic challenges. Given their increasing economic size they are also gaining influence on the international stage. This publication analyzes the role of the emerging powers with regard to the reform of the Security Council, the G20 and the international financial institutions.
Reforming the current global institutions has become a priority issue for emerging powers who want their values and visions reflected in the future world order. While the BRICS States have been able to coordinate their politics on a number of issues, for example by contributing to the global recovery plan of the G20, this political unity is lacking with regards to the SC reform, which makes the reform process even tougher. In sum, the author sees the need for a mutual and gradual adaption of the emerging powers into the system to make global governance structures more representative and effective.
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From Preparations to Negotiations for an Arms Trade Treaty
Katherine Prizeman
FES International Policy Analysis
March 2012
A majority of states is of the opinion that arms transfers should operate according to a common set of international standards. Hence, there is general support for negotiating an Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), set to commence in July 2012. But as this International Policy Analysis highlights, numerous still-contentious issues must be addressed regarding the ultimate objective of such a treaty. This publication analyzes the complex political hurdles towards a legally-binding ATT. Subsequently, possibilities for compromise and for the investment of political capital that are likely to increase the chances of negotiating a robust ATT are presented. Lastly, it makes the case for establishing solid processes for implementation and review beyond July 2012.
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Global Threats and the Role of United Nations Sanctions
Enrico Carisch and Loraine Rickard-Martin
FES International Policy Analysis
December 2011
After the end of the Cold War, the UN Security Council has increasingly deployed sanctions as a coercive tool in response to peace and security threats. This International Policy Analysis describes how sanctions have evolved from a blunt tool to a precision instrument. It also analyzes the ongoing challenges to the UN sanction regime and the need to improve the coherence among different actors, such as national governments, private sector, NGOs and regional organizations. The authors explain why targeted sanctions are not a panacea and what is needed to improve further UN sanctions regimes.
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The Security Council’s Credibility Problem
Richard Gowan
FES Perspective
December 2011
In this new FES New York Perspective Richard Gowan argues that 2011 was ultimately a disappointing year for the UN Security Council. Although initially playing a central role in the international response to the crises in Libya and Côte d’Ivoire, the Council lost momentum as its members fell out over the Libyan war and the Syrian crisis. As the loss of credibility is viewed differently by Western and non-Western Council members, in the near future their cooperation on strengthening the Council’s capabilities for conflict prevention would be the best way to restore some faith in the Council.
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Minding the Gap: Approaches and Challenges to Robust Civilian Protection
Robert Schütte
FES Perspective
December 2011
In the last two decades the international community’s toolbox for the protection of civilians from mass atrocity crimes has evolved gradually. Today, not only exists a multitude of non-coercive measures, but also a wide array of robust and coercive forms of intervention. Chapter-VII-mandated Peacekeeping missions or Mass Atrocity Response Operations (MARO) serve as vivid examples. However, a comprehensive doctrine for the implementation of civilian protection is currently not at hand, which leads, according to Robert Schütte, to sketchy mission objectives and ill prepared troop deployment. Schütte argues in favor of a comprehensive and UN-wide doctrine for the protection of civilians, which would explicitly define the role of civil and military components in protecting civilians in conflict environments.
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Reforming the Working Methods of the UN Security Council
Colin Keating
FES Perspective
December 2011
This FES Perspective argues that the continuing discussion about the reform of the UN Security Council should not only focus on the highly contentious issues of composition and membership. Rather, attention should be given to low-profile measure such as the overhauling of the body’s procedural practices. Colin Keating demonstrates that the improvement of the Council’s working methods could serve as a relatively quick fix for boosting the body’s overall performance. Procedural reforms appear to be a less controversial issue among Member States, and do not require any interminable amendment of the Charter. Among the first measures to be implemented are a revitalized focus on Peacebuilding, better involvement of troop-contributing countries, and the development of a proactive culture of conflict prevention.
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Fools Rush in Where Angels Fear to Tread – Challenges for South Sudan and the International Community
Angus Clarkson
FES Perspective
November 2011
This FES Perspective argues that state building to promote lasting peace for South Sudan is a long-term political process. International involvement in South Sudan faces a paradox in that constructive engagement can yield the positive outcomes it seeks only in the long-term, whereas rushed or ill-conceived engagement can do harm in the short term. The author argues that meaningful international support should appreciate the security dilemmas and political pressures of South Sudan and gauge the nature of their partnership and content of their policies toward the new state accordingly.
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Reform of the Security Council – a new approach?
Alischa Kugel
FES Briefing Paper No. 12
2009
UN Member States have been discussing reform of the Security Council for decades without major breakthroughs. This Briefing Paper takes a close look at the current round of deliberations, drawing upon interviews with UN Member States and the analysis of UN reports. The author concludes that the negotiations do provide for a newly forged – albeit still shaky – common ground on which progress can be made.
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Does the UN Peacebuilding Commission change the mode of peacebuilding in Africa?
Severine M. Rugumamu
FES Briefing Paper No. 8
2009
The UN Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) serves as a dedicated institutional mechanism for post-conflict responds, addressing the fragmentary nature of peacebuilding initiatives by the UN and outside actors. Analyzing the PBC’s strategies in Sierra Leone and Burundi, this paper argues that while the PBC offers rudimentary new approaches to peacebuilding, many shortcomings within the PBC and the international development regime need to be addressed. The paper concludes with several policy recommendations, such as greater authority for the PBC in decision-making processes, a revision of the policy framework for war-torn economies, and reformed governance structures in post-conflict societies.
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The future of peacekeeping operations : fighting political fatigue and overstretch
Richard Gowan
FES Briefing Paper No. 3
2009
Drawing from the insights of an international policy debate on peacekeeping overstretch co-organized by FES, Gowan identifies major stresses of the UN and non-UN peacekeeping system. Analyzing the biggest UN (DRC) and NATO (Afghanistan) peace operations, he blames “risk transferral” and mistrust as key obstacles, driving political divergences and operational mismanagement. He proposes five policy options for greater transparency and trust, allowing better peacekeeping strategies, e.g. a head-of-government conference to foster strategic discussion.
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The UN, the AU and ECOWAS : a triangle for peace and security in West Africa?
Titilope Ajayi
FES Briefing Paper No. 11
2008
With peacekeeping capacities stretched thin and a new dimension of global-regional cooperation evolving e.g. with the UN-AU hybrid mission in Darfur, new questions arise on the relationship between the UN and (sub-) regional organizations. What role should the global, regional and sub-regional level play in security governance? How to use the comparative advantages of each level while ensuring complementarity and maintaining the primacy of the UN? Titilope Ajayi analyses the relationship between UN, OAU/ AU and ECOWAS in West Africa, presents lessons learnt from joint peacekeeping operations and identifies opportunities for further collaboration. The author concludes that the respective roles must be defined in a common framework, while the principle of reciprocity must inform all future UN-AU and UN-ECOWAS collaborations.
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Can the NPT regime be fixed or should it be abandoned?
Ramesh Thakur et al.
Occasional Papers No. 40
2008
Nuclear issues are back on the global political agenda. Apart from the day-to-day fire fighting, a more wide-ranging debate on how to tackle nuclear challenges has emerged. With this paper by Professors Ramesh Thakur, Jane Boulden and Thomas G. Weiss, FES wishes to contribute to this debate. The authors conclude provocatively that the NPT has passed its use-by date in world politics, creating a situation of “nuclear apartheid” which confronts the world with a highly precarious and unsustainable balance. They anticipate a post-NPT world of either multiplying nuclear weapons states (NWS) or one without nuclear weapons, and explore a potential role of the United Nations in underpinning, shaping, and transforming nuclear orders.
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“The relationship between Africa and the UN : from disenchantment to a more effective cooperation”
Volker Lehmann
Conference Report
2008
International Conference, in association with the Centre for Conflict Resolution (CCR), Cape Town, South Africa, June 20-21, 2008 in Tarrytown, New York.
This Workshop intended to strengthen the dialogue between African states and the UN. Discussions on challenges for Africa’s social and economic development, peacekeeping, and the emerging peace and security architecture highlighted the relevance of democracy and political leadership for the future of Africa-UN relations.
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Fighting drugs and building peace : towards policy coherence between counter-narcotics and peace building
Barnett R. Rubin and Alexandra Guáqueta
Occasional Papers No. 37
2007
ISBN 978-3-89892-8
A frequently overlooked feature of the fight against drugs is the linkages between the production of illegal narcotics and the political dynamics in post-conflict countries. Afghanistan and Colombia are cases in point. Post-conflict situations not only attract the cultivation of crops used for the production of illegal drugs. Events in Guinea-Bissau and Haiti illustrate that the same sad logic applies to the international drug mafia’s selection of trading “hot spots”. It is against this background that a debate has ensued on the policy coherence between the international community’s fight against drugs and its parallel efforts to sustain peace in post-conflict countries.
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The evolution of UN peacekeeping (2) : reforming DPKO
Timo Pelz and Volker Lehmann
Fact Sheet
2007
The current increase in UN peacekeeping operations has strained the institutional capacities of the UN Secretariat. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s reform, which adds to the Department of Peacekeeping Operation a new Department of Field Support, is only the last in a series of changes of the UN peacekeeping architecture aiming to balance unity of command and division of labor.
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The evolution of UN peacekeeping (1) : hybrid missions
Timo Pelz and Volker Lehmann
Fact Sheet
2007
The planned UN-AU hybrid peacekeeping operation in Darfur (UNAMID) will be the largest UN peacekeeping operation ever. Whereas UNAMID’s success will largely depend on the political circumstances on the ground, its evolution also demonstrates how the UN tries to muster its limited resources in response to an increasing need for peace operations.
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The U.N. Counter-Terrorism Committee : an institutional analysis
C. S. R. Murthy
FES Briefing Paper No. 15
2007
In his paper, C.S.R. Murty briefly outlines the genealogy of the United Nation’s counter terrorism strategies. He analyses the institutional design of the U.N. Counter-Terrorism Committee and describes its policies and activities until today. Finally, he proposes a set of policy recommendations to strengthen the committee beyond its current mandate that will end in December 2007.
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Between paternalism and hybrid partnership : the emerging UN and Africa relationship in peace operations
Tim Murithi
FES Briefing Paper No. 2
2007
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Engendering peace : how the peacebuilding commission can live up to UN Security Council resolution 1325
Thelma Ekiyor
FES Briefing Paper
2007
In 2005, UN General Assembly (UNGA) and the UN Security Council (UNSC) adopted resolutions for the creation of a new Peacebuilding Commission. The new body will serve as a subsidiary organ of the General Assembly and will “marshal resources at the disposal of the international community to advise and propose integrated strategies for post-conflict recovery, focusing attention on reconstruction, institution-building and sustainable development in countries emerging from conflict”. However, the Peacebuilding Commission is in its formative stages and provides an opportunity for gender concerns to be considered and integrated into the institution and its activities from the design stage. This paper provides suggestions for how the ideals and goals of UN Resolution 1325 can serve as a guide for engendering the Peacebuilding Commission.
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Asian dialogue on the UN Peacebuilding Commission – benefits and challenges : report of the conference in Islamabad
Volker Lehmann
Conference Report
2006
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Understanding Beijing’s policy on the Iranian nuclear issue
Liangxiang Jin
FES Briefing Paper No. 17
2006
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Getting the Peacebuilding Commission off the ground: including civil society
Vanessa Hawkins Wyeth
FES Briefing Paper
2006
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Peace building in Africa
Volker Lehmann
Conference Report
2006
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The UN Peacebuilding Commission: benefits and challenges
Background paper prepared by the International Peace Academy for the regional seminars organized by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung
2006
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Picking up the pieces : what to expect from the peacebuilding commission
Catherine Guicherd
FES Briefing Paper
2005
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Em busca de um mundo mais seguro? : relatório do Grupo de Alto nível sobre as Ameaças, desafios e mudanças
Kevin Ozgercin and Jochen Steinhilber
FES Briefing Paper
2005
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Hacia un mundo más seguro? : Informe del Grupo de Alto nivel sobre las Amenazas, los Desafíos y el Cambio ; (UN High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change)
Kevin Ozgercin and Jochen Steinhilber.
FES Briefing Paper
2005
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Crisis prevention and development cooperation
Anita Sharma and Ana Grier Cutter
Overview of the workshop held on April 19, 2000
2000
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