To the list of major concerns for the 798,000 inhabitants of the small Indian Ocean archipelago of Comoros -- such as frequent coups and hyperactive volcanoes -- add secession and, um, war with France? An independent country since 1975, Comoros has co-existed awkwardly with a couple of islands in the chain, together known as Mayotte, which has been "politically separate" since independence. Now, as of yesterday, with the endorsement of 95% of Mayotte voters, the islands officially constitute a departement outre-mer of France. In response, Comoros' vice president has, naturally, suggested that this is tantamount to a declaration of war.
While France is probably not about to send its destroyers down into the Indian Ocean, it is interesting to note that, in the past, UN attempts to grant sovereignty of Mayotte to Comoros were stymied by the French Security Council veto. This is not necessarily neo-colonialism, though, as indicated by the heavy support by Mayotte's population for incorporation into the metropole. Economic benefits abound, but there also seems to be a somewhat odd sense of national belonging, somewhat disturbingly expressed by this Mayotte legislator quoted by Reuters: "We may be black, poor and Muslim, but we have been French longer than Nice." Interesting what the island assumes that the French think of "Frenchness."
(image of a Mayotte sunset, from flickr user gunner.romain under a Creative Commons license)
Bec Hamilton features an opportunity for readers to ask Luis Moreno Ocampo a question in her upcoming interview with the ICC Chief Prosecutor. Wonder what it was like to indict the first sitting president with an ICC warrant? Just ask.
The global economic crisis has hit those who can least afford it:
The global economic crisis has contributed to pushing the number of hungry people in the world above 1 billion for the first time, the head of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has warned in an interview with the Financial Times newspaper.
The credit crunch is exacerbating the impact of soaring food price inflation in 2007 and 2008, which had already boosted the ranks of the chronically hungry from less than 850 million before the food crisis to 963 million by the end of last year.
FAO director Jacques Diouf told the FT on Thursday that number had increased, and "unfortunately, we are already quoting a number of 1 billion people on average for this year".
These are staggering figures. One can debate the merits of ethicist Peter Singer's approach to the problem, but it's hard to disagree with Sen. John Kerry, who rightly states that hunger is one of the greatest diplomatic and moral challenges the world faces.
From an Antarctic research base to the Great Pyramids of Egypt and beyond, the world switched off the lights on Saturday for Earth Hour, dimming skyscrapers, city streets and some of the world's most recognizable monuments for 60 minutes to highlight the threat of climate change.
Time zone by time zone, nearly 4,000 cities and towns in 88 countries joined the event sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund to dim nonessential lights from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Via Tim Fernholz at TAPPED, here's a good international cooperation snippet from the op-ed that U.S. Vice President Joe Biden published in 11 major newspapers in Latin America today:
The President and I understand that only by working together can our countries overcome the challenges we face. Today, we are more than just independent nations who happen to be on the same side of the globe. In today’s interconnected world, we are all neighbors who face many common concerns.
The current global economic crisis has touched virtually all of us—every country, every community, every family. Citizens everywhere are searching for answers, looking for hope—and turning to their leaders to provide them. It is our duty as global partners to heed their calls, to together forge a shared solution to a common problem.
Say what you will about the new U.S. administration, they sure know how to place op-eds that cover entire continents.
Full text after the jump.
Somehow I missed these "dirty version" videos (or "provocations") from Good Magazine on World Water Day (last Sunday), but they're compelling--more than provocative--and definitely worth a look.
Crocodile Mile below. In case you forgot, standard procedure when spotting a croc is: you run, you slide, hit the bump, and take a dive. Cool Hand Luke and Psycho after the jump.
Crocodile Mile (Dirty Version)
For the United Nations, this is the money quote from President Obama's much anticipated Af-Pak speech:
My Administration is committed to strengthening international organizations and collective action, and that will be my message next week in Europe. As America does more, we will ask others to join us in doing their part. From our partners and NATO allies, we seek not simply troops, but rather clearly defined capabilities: supporting the Afghan elections, training Afghan Security Forces, and a greater civilian commitment to the Afghan people. For the United Nations, we seek greater progress for its mandate to coordinate international action and assistance, and to strengthen Afghan institutions.
Now what does that mean? And how can the UN deliver? Can the UN deliver?
Newly in the minority, conservative heavyweights Robert Kagan and Bill Kristol have started up a new advocacy group, the Foreign Policy Initiative (FPI), to combat the specter of isolationism they see looming in the United States. The problem is, the worldview that they have set out to oppose is just that -- a specter. According to the comments of another of the group's co-founders, Dan Senor, to FP's Laura Rozen, the Foreign Policy Initiative's mission seems to be relying on a whole bunch of straw men:
"We believe America is the indispensable nation, as President Clinton said," Senor, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, told Foreign Policy. "And we believe it's the exactly wrong time to demote America's role in the world. And we are seeing an emerging bipartisan consensus on a range of issues from cutting the defense budget to a minimalist approach in Afghanistan to the importance of currying favor with the Russian government at the expense of democratic allies Ukraine and Georgia. We think there needs to be consensus on the other side of these issues." [emphasis mine]
They're right -- America is an "indispensable nation." What's disturbing about this critique is the suggestion that, by engaging in more multilateral efforts, by emphasizing diplomacy over confrontation, the United States is somehow "demoting" its role. Foreign affairs is not a zero-sum game -- just the opposite, in fact. By enhancing relationships and improving cooperation between countries, everybody wins; America's role -- not as bully, but as leading partner -- is validated, its alliances are strengthened, and its objectives are more easily achieved. In my eyes, this is a promotion of America's role in the world.
As for the "emerging bipartisan consensus" that Senor alludes to, I'm not exactly sure what government he is observing. The Obama Administration actually plans on increasing the defense budget (and Republicans are certainly on board for this as well), and the President's Afghanistan/Pakistan strategy being unveiled this morning certainly does not curtail current U.S. presence in the former. And again, the beauty of a more open foreign policy is that the United States can both replace saber-rattling with Russia with rapprochement and retain good relations with its democratic neighbors.
A good foreign policy think tank from the minority is a very healthy part of American democracy; hopefully FPI will begin by contesting policies that actually exist.
(image from flickr user Ian Haycox under a Creative Commons license)