The UN’s Failure to Confront Despots is Breeding Monsters

Arms dealer to tyrants around the world, Russia’s new moniker of peace broker is incongruous. It’s like inviting a tax dodging Irish rock star (you know who you are) to the G8 summit to discuss ways of clamping down on, well, tax dodging rock stars. Turkeys, on the whole, don’t vote for Christmas.

As the UN Security Council meets this week, Russia will veto a resolution that would trigger punitive measures against the Assad regime. The “trigger” would be his failure to comply with the Geneva peace agreement. Basic human psychology dictates that all carrot and no stick is futile and, history tells us it’s a fatal strategy when dealing with ruthless despots. Have we learned nothing from Rwanda, Bosnia and Sudan?

The template for the Syria crisis is not new. The plot, script and supporting cast are the same. A brutal regime subjugates its own people for years. The oppressed, with nothing left to lose, engage in minor acts of rebellion (public demonstrations, graffiti on walls). The indignant dictator quashes any dissent with disproportionate force (mass murder and torture) and when the country descends into chaos, the international media tag it civil war (which implies moral equivalence). Cue public protestations of, “it’s none of our business”, let them fight it out amongst themselves”.

As the story unfolds, attempts to report it accurately are hampered (“foreign reporters” are banned). Mortality rates, news of torture, rape and civilians casualties are best guesses. The truth gets lost in the fog of government propaganda. Inevitably, eventually, someone gains access and evidence of the regimes’ crimes against humanity become impossible, even for the UN to ignore. In Bosnia it was Srebrenica.

At last the media spotlight will shine a light on the faces of the dead and disfigured children. The lens will penetrate the toxic haze and show the world the eyes behind which lie an abyss of broken hearts and minds. Then the world will look away.

Not immediately perhaps but slowly, surely, we will abandon the children of Syria just as we abandoned the children of Rwanda, Bosnia, Palestine and Sudan. Threats of sanctions, UN resolutions and chapter 7 mandates, all serve to reassure us the UN is on the case. The children will be safe at last. But after 10 years of tough talk, securing a chapter 7 mandate (despite Russia and China’s attempts at sabotage) and passing 16 resolutions (none of which have been implemented), children continue to be slaughtered and starved to death on a daily basis in Sudan.

As presidential candidate in 2007, Obama said, When you see a genocide in Rwanda, Bosnia or in Darfur [Sudan], that is a stain on all of us…We can’t say ‘never again’ and then allow it to happen again, and as a president of the United States I don’t intend to abandon people or turn a blind eye to slaughter.”

Having briefed David Cameron’s office ahead of a visit to Darfur in 2006, he returned protesting, “This is ethnic cleansing and we cannot remain silent in the face of this horror."

Yet, with the reins of power firmly in their grip,political expediency trumps the genocide of black Africans. Again.

So, when Obama warned that backing down on despots who slaughter their own people emboldens tyrants everywhere, he was right. It was arguably his and the UN’s failure to stand up to the genocidaire in Khartoum that created the monster in Damascus.

As the UN meets this week to decide the fate of Syria, world leaders must also be reminded of their obligations under the Genocide Convention (1948) to the beleaguered, depleting civilians of Sudan. Their lives are no less worthy of protection, are they?

"Our Deepest Fear is That We are Powerful Beyond Measure...."

I’m in the midst of preparing my presentation for an international Women’s Empowerment Summit in Crete at the end of the month (I know, it’s a tough job but someone’s got to do it). I dug this gem out of my treasure trove...

“Our deepest fear is that we are powerful
beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness
that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who
am I to be brilliant, talented and
fabulous. Actually, who are you not to be”?

(Nelson Mandela 1994, from a speech written for him by
Marianne Williamson).

Thanks to those of you who send kind messages, info & interesting papers etc via my website.

A Victory for “Lose the Lad Mags” Campaign & Women Everywhere!

And the award for most female friendly retailer goes to…..The Co-Op! On Wednesday the company announced it was banning lad mags from its shelves. Well done to the team at UK Feminista & Object. Anyone who hasn’t done so already, I urge you to sign their online petition to persuade Tesco & co to follow The Co-Ops lead.

Having said that, Camden School for Girls feminist society are the real trail blazers. Back in February they took on their local Tesco & won. They made a documentary featuring interviews from girls at the school talking about the effect the daily diet of “soft” porn images of women, displayed at eye level, had on their self esteem. They obviously made a compelling case. An inspirational example of targeted grass roots campaigning.

Now all we need to do is persuade Mr Murdoch that page 3 is sooo last century. In the meantime, I'll continue with my acts of civil disobedience. If you see copies of "Good Housekeeping" obscuring the lad rags in your local retailer, you probably live near me.

* Apologies for gap since last blog. I've been working on an intense project & warding off energy vampires...