T. Christian Miller and Dafna Linzer write in ProPublica that the United Nations cannot account for "tens of millions of dollars provided to the troubled Afghan election commission." They cite two audits and interviews with current and former UNAMA staff to back up these claims.
These are clearly troubling accusations. Exclusive to UN Dispatch, UN Development Program spokesperson Stephane Dujarric sent the following letter to ProPublica last night:
Spencer Ackerman says:
there’s no doubt that diplomatic outreach to Iran on the nuclear question suffers tremendously if Iran rejects the Vienna deal. Desired strategies have to bow to emergent realities, in the final analysis, and Iran just doesn’t appear like it will accept an eminently reasonable deal that would buy time for a diplomatic thaw. If this is indeed Iran’s formal response to Vienna, than sanctions look more likely now, and, frankly, appropriate.
The General Assembly today will endorse a landmark agreement to fight the illegal and irresponsible trade of small arms and conventional weapons. Now, the General Assembly resolution is not an agreement itself, but it does set out a timetable for negotiations on an agreement on ways to curb arms sales to insurgent groups, volatile regions, or irresponsible governments. The vote tomorrow is very significant, however, for the fact that for the first time
The saga of the potential Iranian low-enriched uranium export deal continues. The New York Times reports that Iran is preparing a counter-offer, which may or may not include sending partial shipments of its low-enriched-uranium outside the country for further processing. This sort of back and forth is to be expected. But what caught my eye was this:
Each year for as far back as I can remember, the General Assembly passes a resolution condemning the American embargo on Cuba. The resolution typically passes with only three no votes: The US, Israel, and the Palau. This year was no exception, despite the fact that the Obama administration has been inching ever closer toward a rapprochement with Cuba. Steve Clemons wanted the U.S. to abstain.
More terrible news from Afghanistan. A Taliban suicide attack on a compound housing UN employees and other international staff has killed nine people, six of whom worked for the UN mission in Afghanistan. According to the BBC, "the Taliban spokesman said they had threatened to target anyone working on the Afghan run-off presidential election between incumbent Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah."
Amnesty International issued a new report today accusing Israel of unjust division of water resources. Or, as they put it, “denying Palestinians the right to access adequate water by maintaining total control over the shared water resources and pursuing discriminatory policies.” They state that Israel uses more than 80% of the Mountain Aquifer, one of many water sources for Israel and the only one for the West Bank.
John Kerry gave a major address on Afghanistan at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C. today. The top head line is certainly to be that Kerry opposes sending 40,000 new troops to Afghanistan as was requested by General Stanley McChrystal. He favors, instead, a more narrow focus on training local Afghan military and police to strengthen the capacity of the Afghan government.
Among the many benefits the United Nations confers upon its members is something that international relations scholars call "lowering transaction costs." In other words, international institutions like the UN streamline international cooperation by offering standard procedures by which individuals and countries can interact. For example, the fact that we have a World Health Organization makes it easier to coordinate a global response to the H1N1 outbreak than if the WHO did not exist.
