| November
1, 2002
Contact: Stephen M. Apatow
Director of Research
& Development
Humanitarian Resource
Institute International Peace Center
Eastern USA: (203) 668-0282
Western USA: (775) 884-4680
International Peace Center:
http://www.humanitarian.net/peace
Email: s.m.apatow@humanitarian.net
CAN THE UNITED NATIONS
PROTECT THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY?
The potential threat is imminent
and the need for action immediate.
Recent discussions regarding
the challenge of nonproliferation (www.humanitarian.net/law/nonproliferation1082002.html),
material breach of UN resolutions during the last decade and non enforcement
for violations, has threatened the state of international security while
prompting serious questions about the United Nations capacity to enforce
international law.
If a rogue country is in
possession of weapons of mass destruction, and the intelligence community
has sufficient information that an imminent threat exists for a terrorist
attack, can the United Nations and Security Council prevent an international
incident via preemptive action? Jayantha Dhanapala, Under-Secretary-General
for Disarmament Affairs, United Nations, in a speech given at American
Bar Association, Spring Meeting 2002 articulates:
"Perhaps the weakest area
of the rule of law now concerns the issue of enforcement. It is a truism
that international law lacks the police functions that are found in domestic
legal systems -- it is instead a system that still relies largely upon
self-help when it comes to enforcement. The ability of the UN Security
Council to perform its enforcement responsibilities under the Charter is
limited by its need to operate in consensus and by its practical inability
to order enforcement actions -- especially involving the use of military
force -- against one of its permanent members."
In addition to issues associated
with weapons of mass destruction, the topic of widespread human rights
abuses (195 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2001: www.usis.usemb.se/human/2001/overview.html)
present challenges that threaten regional and world stability and peace,
endangering the security of external governments, economies and citizens.
As the topic of international
security is examined and the current state of the United Nations system
is under close scrutiny,
Humanitarian Resource Institute
invites the submission of articles and papers addressing the scope of these
current challenges in the context of the war against terrorism.
Submissions can be made via
email to: fwp.dialogue@humanitarian.net Following peer review, articles
and papers will be
accessible on the Forum
for World Peace web site (www.humanitarian.net/peace/forum).
The Forum for World Peace
is a global communication network developed in accordance with Article
7 of the International
Interfaith Peace Declaration
(www.humanitarian.net/peace/declaration.html)
to facilitate dialogue among leaders and
representatives of the major
faith groups, interfaith organizations, intergovernmental, NGO's, diplomatic
contacts, newspaper,
radio and television, corporate
and community action organizations in approximately 195 countries.
The Humanitarian Resource
Institute International Peace Center is a collaborative initiative to share
information and enhance
academic discussion of issues
related to Crisis Management/Intervention and the prevention and settlement
of conflicts between and within states, with emphasis on policy research
and development. On the web: www.humanitarian.net/peace
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