EU staff on strike

EU civil servants were on strike today over salary matters. As the EU Council prepares to discuss the budget framework for 2014-2020, Germany and a couple of other countries have expressed the view that the European bureaucrats are dearly paid. They consider that their salary and compensation packages are excessive. Therefore, in line with the austerity that is being implemented in many states, the EU functionaries should accept some cuts to their pay.   

Nobody likes to see his or her salary chopped. But it is also true that many middle ranking EU staff are much better paid than the cabinet ministers in their home countries. But that is the rule of the international game. Salaries are always compared with the best in the sector, not with payments made in low income countries.

However, that is not a justification for a strike by privileged people. They should express their dissatisfaction at their desks and through other means without calling for a strike.

In my 32 years at the UN we had several situations of discontentment with the level of the pay slip. Particularly in New York, where the cost of living is extremely high and the UN salaries barely cover the reasonable needs of a family. But I do not remember we ever engaged on a strike.   

Mali is not Afghanistan

Containing the Islamist threat as Gaddafi’s ghost casts shadow in the Sahel

By Victor Angelo and Marc de Bernis

France finds itself relatively isolated in its intervention in Mali. While its European partners and the U.S. government have expressed support to the French operation aimed at preventing armed Islamic groups from seizing power, this has not translated into concrete co-operation, except for token logistical assistance.

One reason for the reluctance of France's western allies to engage on the ground is the fear that Mali could become an inextricable quagmire comparable to Afghanistan. This perception is wrong. Superficial comparisons lead to procrastination which could result in the escalation of a threat that could have been contained. 

Mali, like Afghanistan, is a developing country whose population is mainly Muslim. The similarity stops here. From a military and operational point of view, the Mali context is much less favourable to jihadists than Afghanistan. The various Islamists groups involved in northern Mali include no more than a few thousand fighters – with estimates of less than 3,000 – who operate within a vast but sparsely populated territory, home to less than two million people. In this desert and flat area – except for a mountainous zone in the north-west, the Adrar des Ifoghas – it is very difficult to hide, including within the local population, thus movements are easily spotted. Jihadist enclaves can be easily identified through intelligence which renders them  extremely vulnerable to air strikes. More importantly, there is no Pakistan equivalent that lies adjacent to Mali to offer safe haven to militants. The Taliban would never have been able to establish their power over Afghanistan and to resist NATO forces without the refuge offered to them next door, in Pakistan. Jihadists in Mali have no access to an external sanctuary or base to train their fighters. Certainly not in Algeria, Niger or Mauritania. Not even in the more fractured Libya.

From a cultural and religious standpoint, the region is dominated by the Tuaregs who co-exist with a mix of other ethnic groups, including Maures, Songhai and Peuls. The Muslim population follows a moderate and peaceful interpretation of Islam, in harmony with the ancestral traditions of Africa. Religious practice is not a primary characteristic of the Tuareg lifestyle. Even if a tiny fraction may be lured into a more extremist form of Islam, as advocated by Salafist groups, with impressionable young men falling prey to the proselytism of jihadist recruiters, it is unlikely that the cultural landscape would allow for the development of a strong extremist movement comparable to that of the Taliban. Recent events have shown the Malian population to unanimously reject the Sharia law as imposed by the Islamist groups in areas under their control.

In economic and political terms, Mali is fragile but not a failed state. Despite of its limited resources, the country, which is among the world’s poorest, has managed to democratise. The real problem lies in the lack of good governance which has led northern Mali to become a smuggling corridor between Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe for all forms of trafficking – in drugs, arms, tobacco, and people. However, the country’s economy is not dependant on illegal commodities, contrary to the case of Afghanistan, which is plagued by the narcotics trade.

The crisis in Mali is related to the collapse of the Gaddafi regime in Libya. Many Tuareg men had been employed by Gaddafi as militias. Having lost their jobs, these fighters had returned to the Sahel, particularly to northern Mali, to establish an alliance with various Islamic movements inspired by Al Qaeda. The recent break-up of this coalition demonstrates the incompatibility between the Tuareg National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), which is deeply rooted in the region’s history, and Islamist terrorists. The latter have no legitimacy within the population and no means to control the territory on a sustainable basis, both economically and militarily. As such they can be eliminated through concerted and determined international action in co-operation with the states of the region, including Algeria. At the same time, long term solutions require a renewed dialogue between the Tuareg MNLA and the different Sahelian governments. This should start now, as military operations progress. Meanwhile, the international community should review the delivery of development assistance to the Sahel to achieve a more targeted approach to state capacity-building and poverty alleviation. Particular attention should be given to the urban youth, as their engagement is key to curb militancy and violent uprising.

(721 words)

Victor Angelo was a former UN Under-Secretary-General and the UNSG’s Special Representative for the Central African Republic and Chad.

Marc de Bernis was a former UN Development Programme’s Resident Representative in Algeria and Niger.

Politics is a very strange game

Berlusconi promised today to return 4 billion Euros of property taxes money to the Italian families, if he gets to power after the general elections that take place at the end of this month.  

This man is a consummate populist. This announcement is another demonstration of his immense capacity to offer fantasies and thin air as the solutions to the vast problems Italy is facing. You and I would think that the voters would see how implausible such a promise is. Be aware! The opinion polls are showing that Berlusconi’s party is getting stronger and stronger. Many citizens love to be deceived!

Politics of hope or fear

If you are in politics and public affairs, do not forget to read Cicero’s speeches from time to time. They are a major source of wisdom and oratory. Cicero lived long ago, from 106 to 43 BC, in the Ancient Rome, but his observations about the powerful and human nature remain current.

Today, I looked again at the following observation he made in his work “Oratory”:

“Men are influenced in their verdicts much more by prejudice…or anger…or by some excitement of their feelings, than either by the facts of the case…or by any rules or principles…”

My comment: That’s why objectivity in politics carries very little water!

My conclusion: Better to create hope, then!

Destabilising West Africa

The French President will visit Mali tomorrow. I have no idea of the messages he intends to put across. But there is one I would like to suggest. It concerns the funding of the African peacekeeping forces that are now deploying into the country. At this week’s donor conference $450 million have been pledged against a budget that is estimated at $1 billion. The gap is too big and needs to be filled. F. Hollande should emphasise that he wants to have an effective African deployment in Mali. He should call on donor countries to take the funding as a matter of their own national interest.

But there is more to this matter. If the African forces are not fully compensated that will spell big crises in their countries of origin, once they are back from the front. I have seen that in the 90s and during the last decade in West Africa. And I am afraid the same might happen again now. Soldiers that have become battle hardened and do not receive the allowances they have been promised are a major source of trouble and instability in most of West Africa. They become convinced that their generals and the politicians have kept the money given by the donors – they do not believe in funding gaps or in pledges that did not materialise – and they seek retribution.

I see this financial shortcoming as a major cause for further destabilisation in the region. It needs to be addressed. 

Human rights and reconciliation

In Northern Mali, now that the French military operations brought state control back to the urban areas, the next challenge is to make sure that the national army respects the human rights of the Tuareg populations. The soldiers come from the south of the country and tend to see everyone that looks Arab or Tuareg as a suspect Islamist, or, at least, as a collaborator of the extremists. This needs to be prevented. There have been already some reprisal killings by the Malian army and the non-black residents of the North are terrified. Their human rights have to be safeguarded.

In addition, it is time for political dialogue and reconciliation between the communities.

All these issues need to be high on the international agenda as some type of assistance is being gathered by donor countries. To start with, France, the EU and the US should make clear statements about the need for a political process, for human rights and tolerance in Mali. 

The tough path to leadership

Some people believe that to become a leader is like deciding to go for a walk in the Central Park. You just put your walking shoes, go there and do it! Leadership and the competition to be in charge are a bit more complex. Getting to be a leader requires a very strong will, sheer determination and absolute dedication. You cannot have one foot in and the other out!

In a world where everything must be comfortable and pleasant, predictable and easy, only very few are ready to impose on themselves the focus, the personal sacrifice and the discipline indispensable, what it takes, bluntly said, to become a leader. That’s why there is a serious crisis of leadership in the world of today. 

On the UN and conflict management

The United Nations is the most important actor in the areas of conflict management and peace building. It is also the key source of legitimacy for the international community. Furthermore, the UN has been able to develop a body of doctrine and the respective instruments that place the organization at the forefront of the international peace efforts.

But it is equally a machinery that is fragmented and complex, composed of entities that often are reluctant to accept effective coordination and tend to compete among themselves. The so-called “turf wars” are quite common at headquarters, with different agency personnel vying for visibility and resources, at the expense of coherence and impact.

 It is also a very decentralized organization, which is an advantage, as it brings the decision-making close to the potential beneficiaries. The decentralization gives a large degree of authority to the UN representatives in the field and the trend seems to be to further strengthen such authority.

For an external partner, the office of the UN field representative is the most appropriate entry point to explore opportunities for joint collaboration and coordinate efforts. 

The responsibilities of a leading country

John Kerry has now been endorsed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to be the next US Secretary of State. Although expected, this is good news. He follows the work of a great woman, Hilary Clinton, in one of the most demanding political jobs on earth.

I retain from his testimony to the Committee that he expressed a comprehensive view of American foreign policy. He went beyond military might and conflict resolution, which are certainly critical for peace, to include food and energy security, humanitarian assistance, the fight against disease, development aid, and climate change as integral parts of the American response to today's global issues. These are matters that would benefit tremendously from a deeper US involvement. What else should we anticipate from a leading country? Where should the example come from?

The point is to translate the intent into a coherent policy. I agree that words are important. But deeds speak louder.

I wish him well. 

Leaders stand tall

Over a year ago, when addressing an international meeting of political scientists, I made use of an image that I wish to recall today:

Picture this scenario: If a protester sees a rock, he will use it as a weapon. An artist will use the same rock to sculpt a dream. A true leader will use it as a symbol of principled governance. And he or she might stand on it, to have a wider view of the horizon.

I keep asking myself where I stand.

And by the way, key politicians should also pose the same question. Because, at the end of it, everything is a matter of perspective and leadership is about standing tall and opening the horizon.