Showing posts with label Diplomacy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Diplomacy. Show all posts
Monday, June 29, 2009
C'mon Honduras! Coups are Sooooo 20th Century! "The return of the coup", Foreign Policy Magzine
The return of the coupComplete, with links, at FP Passport
Mon, 06/29/2009 - 12:21pm
The Wall Street Journal's Mary O'Grady argues that the ouster of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was not in fact a coup, since the president was himself holding a referendum in violation of an order by the country's supreme court. But I don't think one need defend Zelaya to argue that sending troops to break into a president's house and put him on a plane out of the country is generally not the best way to protect "the independence of institutions that keep presidents from becoming dictators."
If this weekend's coup seems like a bit of a throwback to the Cold War era, that's because it is...
Not A Photoshop Job... Just A Blatant Forgery - Honduran President Zelaya's "Resignation Letter"
Meanwhile, "Honduras's New Government Vows to Maintain Power" taken illegitimately in a coup led by "School Of The Americas" 'graduate' General Romeo Vasquez even as a "Resolution from the OAS Diplomatically Isolates Honduran Leaders"One day after the country’s president, Manuel Zelaya, was abruptly awakened, ousted and deported by the army here, hundreds of protesters massed at the presidential offices in an increasingly tense face-off with hundreds of camouflage-clad soldiers carrying riot shields and automatic weapons.
The protesters, many wearing masks and carrying wooden or metal sticks, yelled taunts at the soldiers across the fences ringing the compound and braced for the army to try to dispel them.One Honduran had this to say about it:
“We’re defending our president,” said one protester, Umberto Guebara, who appeared to be in his 30s. “I’m not afraid. I’d give my life for my country.”
The usual suspect in South of the border coups... The US government is being umm... circumlocutory:
In Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the last senior member of the administration to visit Honduras, just three weeks ago, said that the United States was working toward “full restoration of democratic order (emphasis on 'Weasel words' mine) in Honduras.”
She said that the situation in Honduras “has evolved into a coup.” But when pressed by a reporter, she refused to say explicitly that the United States was demanding that Mr. Zelaya be returned to power, [In full, Protesters Confront Soldiers After Coup in Honduras (NYTimes)]
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Simple Phrases "Diplomats" Can Say To Ensure Endless War
H/t: Abu Muqawama
("Your daughter is beautiful" and other things you should not say to a rural Pashtun)
Just call this the OMFG! Story Of The Day:
Holbrooke to Pashtun father: “I would like to dishonor your daughter”
Nice work Holbrooke. Via WaPo, h/t BruceR:U.S. envoy Richard C. Holbrooke, red-faced and sweaty, sat on the dirt floor of a stifling tent as Aslam Khan, a 38-year-old laborer, spoke haltingly of his family’s panicked flight from a Pakistani army offensive against Taliban forces in their mountain village, three hours north of here.Yeah that’s what you should do, tell rural Pashtun men that you’d like to take their daughter for a test drive,"
Holbrooke asked some questions about the Taliban but got few answers. “Are these all your children?” he asked with a smile. Yes, Khan said, he had nine.
“Your daughter is beautiful,” Holbrooke continued, nodding toward a young woman who sat quietly at the edge of the family. Her head was covered in a royal-blue scarf that revealed only her stunningly dark eyes.
“That’s not my daughter,” Khan said abruptly.
[In Full @ Ghosts Of Alexander]
Monday, March 31, 2008
How to Start Your Own Country in Four Easy Steps - Foreign Policy Magazine
"The United States has no official policy on what is required for recognition, according to its State Department. Instead, the decision to recognize a state is made by the president. Then the president decides whether to establish diplomatic relations with the state based on U.S. national interests. There’s no cookie-cutter approach, so when you ask for recognition, be sure to explain how your independence will be good for America. In the old days, proving your anti-communist cred was usually good enough. Today, U.S. strategic priorities are a bit more complex, though as Kosovo proves, ticking off the Russians still helps."With Kosovo unilaterally declaring independence and a host of wannabe states looking to follow its lead, you might be thinking it’s about time to set up your own country.
You’ve picked out a flag, written a national anthem, even printed up money with your face on it. But what’s the next step?
Creating a new country isn’t as easy as you think.
Step 1: Make sure you are eligible
As tempting as it might be to declare your cubicle a sovereign state, customary international law actually does specify minimum standards for statehood.
- You must have a defined territory.
- You must have a permanent population.
- You must have a government.
- Your government must be capable of interacting with other states. (This one is somewhat controversial. It was included as a qualification in the 1933 Montevideo Convention, which established the United States’ “good neighbor” policy of nonintervention in Latin America, but is generally not recognized as international law.)
Step 2: Declare independence
However, now that your state is established, there are certain benefits you can expect, even if you’re not recognized by anyone. “Once an entity has established itself as a de facto state, it will benefit from territorial integrity and certain guarantees of sovereignty,” says Stefan Talmon, professor of public international law at Oxford University and author of Recognition in International Law. “For instance, now that Kosovo is established as a state, Serbia can no longer freely attack it...
Friday, March 28, 2008
What Can The US Do About Their War In Iraq? Foreign Policy Association Town Hall Video 3/26/2008
The writeup from Informed Comment Global Affairs by Augustus Norton:
On March 26, 2009, the Foreign Policy Association sponsored a town hall discussion in Manhattan on Iraq. The speakers were Frederick Kagan and Augustus R. Norton and the chair was Larry Korb. The Foreign Policy Association website a streaming video of the event as well as speakers' bios, and related materials.It's slightly over an hour long...
A popout player is the only sensible thing.
Click the image.
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