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U.S. to Join U.N. Human Rights Council
Read more: Washington Post
United Nations -- The Obama administration decided Tuesday to seek a seat on the U.N. Human Rights Council, reversing a decision by the Bush administration to shun the United Nations' premier rights body to protest the influence of repressive states.
Human rights activists have been advocating U.S. membership in the council since its creation in March 2006.
"This is a welcome step that gives the United States and other defenders of human rights a fighting chance to make the institution more effective," said a human rights advocate familiar with the decision. "I think everybody is just desperate to have the United States and Barack Obama run for the human rights council, and countries are willing to bend over backward to make that happen."
I hate to be cynical, but there's no oil in Darfur.
Getting rid of Saddam was a good thing, and we have to choose our battles, but sometimes the choices leave a bad taste in one's mouth.
"For those who plan with audacity and execute with vigor,
progress is the magnificent by product."
All righ...Elections do matter.
I will not throw the first punch but I wil certainly throw the last.....President Barack Obama.
What has this group accomplished or really anything UN related??
According to UNWATCH.ORG:
In an attempt to improve performance, the resolution creating the Council requires it to base its work on “the principles of universality, impartiality, objectivity, and non-selectivity.” It is supposed to promote and protect human rights “without distinction of any kind and in a fair and equal manner.”
The Council’s first few years have gone from bad to worse, showing even more selectivity and politicization than that which marred the Commission. The 47-nation body has condemned Israel in 80% of its country censures, in 20 of 25 resolutions. The other 5 texts criticized North Korea once, and Myanmar four times. The Council has ignored the UN’s other 189 countries, including the world's worst abusers. While Darfur was addressed several times, these resolutions were non-condemnatory, often praising Sudan for "cooperation."
In June 2007, dominated by repressive regimes, the Council eliminated its monitors of abuses in Belarus and Cuba. Then it sacked its expert team on Darfur. Next it cut its expert on violations in Congo (DRC). Liberia was next. Slated for elimination in March 2009 is the expert on Sudan.
In 2008, the Islamic-controlled council overturned the mandate on freedom of expression, so that now the expert investigator is required to report individuals who use "abuse" this freedom, i.e., those who dare say something deemed offensive to Islamic sensitivities.
The universal periodic review (UPR) mechanism, designed to review all 192 UN members states over four years, was supposed to “ensure universality of coverage and equal treatment of all Member States.” Many defenders of the Council have invoked the UPR as its saving grace. In practice, while the concept has merit and the institution has potential, thus far UPR has proven a largely toothless exercise, with repressive regimes praising one another. Most democratic states, moreover, have failed to pose meaningful challenges during the peer review process.
Thanks for the info, Mary. I didn't know much about what was going on. Like Misty said, hopefully Obama can have any kind of small impact from the inside...
On something else unrelated to this I was wondering if you saw my Colbert and Stewert Interview thread. I know you might ignore it because you're one of the more conservative people here, but I mentioned you specifically in it. There was an interview Colbert did with an author of a book about Africa aid. She had an interesting, thought provoking economic approach that instantly made me think of something you would suggest. It was interesting and I don't think we hear enough about approaches like the one suggested.