Winter 2006 Vol 30:1

Jan Pronk

Interview with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General

The head of the UN in the Sudan shares his vision of a holistic approach to peacekeeping. Peace being “indivisible,” the UN’s priorities should encompass security as well as reconstruction and human rights issues; the south, as well as Darfur and the east.

Rex Sean O’Fahey

Does Darfur Have a Future in the Sudan? 

In a historic tour de force populated by General Charles Gordon and the Mahdi, sultans and slave-traders, explorers, merchants, and brothel owners, O’Fahey examines the relatively short history of Darfur within the construct of the modern Sudan.

Adam Azzain Mohamed

The Problem of Uneven Regional Development in the Northern Sudan

Government failure to allocate resources equitably has led to violence in the northern Sudan, seriously hampering national integration. Development indicators reveal that complaints about marginalization are justified. One model for equal and fair development in the north might be found in the form of an existing agreement that covers transition in the south.

Kieran Prendergast

Interview with the Former UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs 

Diplomatic heavyweight and former British ambassador Prendergast reflects on the failures, successes, and responsibilities of the UN; the UN Millennium Summit; the United States’ hasty negotiations over Iraq; the concept of legitimacy in the Middle East; and Turkey’s identity as it moves toward the European Union.

Shinichi Kitaoka

Interview with the Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations

One of Japan’s three ambassadors to the UN speaks to The Forum about Japan’s ambitions to attain a permanent seat in the Security Council and discusses which legal and political challenges lie ahead of those wishing to advance Security Council reform.

Hans Blix

Interview with the Chairman of the WMD Commission

The former chief UN weapons inspector in Iraq tells The Forum how he Views current concerns over Iran and North Korea NPT compliance, declares his preference for Venus over Mars in diplomatic dealings, contemplates peaceful nuclear energy and its dual use in environmental and security terms, and reflects on his personal legacy in the fields of nonproliferation and diplomacy.

Robert McMahon

Remember UNMOVIC

Three years removed from the spotlight, the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission for Iraq occupies a kind of international legal limbo. It should formally be tasked, together with the IAEA, with engaging Baghdad’s new leaders in the process of making a final declaration on the status of its weapons programs.

Ashraf Ghani, Clare Lockhart, and Michael Carnahan

An Agenda for State-Building in the Twenty-First Century

Despite the expenditure of billions of dollars and deployment of tens of thousands of international peacekeepers, the risk of state-failure in fragile states or in postconflict countries remains high. A comprehensive development strategy with state-building as its ultimate goal requires equal attention to the creation of markets and the constitution of civil society.

R. Bruce Hitchner

From Dayton to Brussels: The Story Behind the Constitutional and Governmental Reform Process in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Ten years after the conclusion of the Dayton Peace Accords, Bosnia’s political leaders seek constitutional and governmental reforms aimed at moving the country beyond the structure of the Dayton Agreement and into Euro-Atlantic institutions.

Matthias Goldmann

Does Peace Follow Justice or Vice Versa? Plans for Postconflict Justice in Burundi

For a fragile state like Burundi, post-conflict justice needs to foster peace, or, at the very least, not endanger it. The envisaged postconflict justice mechanisms, which include a National Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the unprecedented International Judicial Commission of Inquiry, must be evaluated in light of past experience with similar mechanisms.

Thomas N. Hale and Anne-Marie Slaughter

Transparency: Possibilities and Limitations 

Transparency in recent years has developed from a buzzword into a substantive policy tool. Levers such as market pressure, personal and institutional values, and dialogue with society take transparency on an international level beyond mere monitoring to provide actual enforcement.

Frank Ledwidge and Lucas Oppenheim

Preventing Torture: Realities and Perceptions

Torture is a crime in every member state of the OSCE and yet can be observed frequently. Success in enforcing its prohibition requires an understanding of how torturers think—and such insights must be translated into disincentives to torture and real threats of punishment.

Hassan Abbas

Pakistan Through the Lens of the “Triple A” Theory

How has a state whose founding fathers were secular people who believed in rule of law and democracy drifted toward religious extremism and authoritarianism? Three primary factors—variations on the Triple A theory of influence (Allah, the Army, and America)—have led Pakistan down this path: a powerful independent military, the mushrooming of religious militant groups, and the hydra-headed monster that is the intelligence services.

Makumi Mwagiru

Issues, Problems, and Prospects in Managing the Diplomatic Services in Small States

The foreign policy of small and medium sized states is intrinsically linked with the management of their foreign service. Kenya provides a good illustration of the importance of pursuing a strategic vision for one’s foreign service.

Dimitris Keridis

Earthquakes, Diplomacy, and New Thinking in Foreign Policy

The recent devastating earthquake in Southeast Asia hit both sides of the contested Kashmir border, but left President Musharraf’s regime struggling to deal with the disaster’s aftermath. India and Pakistan should learn from the rapprochement that took place between Greece and Turkey in the wake of a 1999 earthquake and seize the opportunity to work toward peace in the region.

Arnold M. Howitt and Herman B. “Dutch” Leonard

Katrina and the Core Challenges of Disaster Response 

The weakness in American emergency response capabilities exposed by Hurricane Katrina stresses the need to address core strategic deficiencies on a nation-wide basis. Non-routine emergencies such as major natural disasters, disease outbreaks, or terrorist attacks require the ability to identify novelty factors and improvise accordingly.

Susannah Sirkin

The Debacle of Hurricane Katrina: A Human Rights Response

Katrina stands for more than a dodged humanitarian response. The disaster in New Orleans was as much due to the ingrained marginalization of certain social groups as to a whim of nature. If we want to avoid perpetuating such chronic deprivations, it is time to advocate for structural change that must involve the recognition of economic and social rights as basic human rights.

Ethnic Conflicts in Southeast Asia

Edited by Kusuma Snitwongse and W. Scott Thompson
Reviewed by Phar Kim Beng

U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East: The Role of Lobbies and Special Interest Groups

By Janice J. Terry
Reviewed by Brock L. Bevan

Blood and Oil: The Dangers and Consequences of America’s Growing Dependency on Imported Petroleum

By Michael T. Klare
Reviewed by Elizabeth Chalecki

Editor's Note 

Table of Contents | Winter 2006 Vol 30:1 

Stephen W. Bosworth
Forword by the Dean of The Fletcher School

Shashi Tharoor
Congratulatory Remarks by the UN Under Secretary-General for Communication and Public Information