No time to hesitate: ISIS needs to be crushed

Let´s agree that any move that helps to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also known as ISIS, is deeply appreciated. It should be taken without delay. But let´s also be clear that things have already gone too far and ISIS has taken too much power and influence. It has become more difficult to thrash them. They have gained a very serious impetus thanks to our inability to foresee and take quick action. And now the more we wait the more we will have to deal with them for a very long period of time. We should understand that there is no more space for hesitation. 

Kenya faces major security challenges

One of my colleagues at the UN, a man from a Nordic country, decided to retire by the Kenyan coast, not far from Mombasa. That decision was taken more than 10 years ago. The place was quiet and the weather much nicer than around the Baltic Sea. 

I thought of him and his wife today. The news coming from that part of Africa have not been good. And they have further deteriorated in the last couple of days. People have been massacred by extremists, others have been kidnapped. And above all, the national government seems too weak to be able to tackle the security challenges.

The dangerous situation shows once more that terrorism can spread fast if not properly contained. The chaos that prevails in Somalia, just to the North of Kenya, is a major menace to entire region. And of all the neighbouring countries, Kenya is the most exposed to the expansion of the Somali anarchy. 

An archipelago of collapsing States

There is now an “archipelago of collapse” that goes from Mali to Iraq, through Libya, Egypt and Syria. It´s like an oil slick that tends to expand South, through the Sahel and towards Central Africa, and also to keep moving to the East, to Afghanistan and Pakistan. These “archipelago of collapsing States” is about the failure of proper governance in each one of the countries concerned. But it is also, more and more, an indication that the international community, in particular the Security Council and other key international players, need to think again about their role. Their contribution to international human rights, peace, human security and stability is facing very serious challenges. It has to be thought through again. Intervention? What kind of intervention? How to prevent collapse? How to keep different communities together under the same national flag? What is the responsibility of the international community? What are the lessons learned in Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere?

This is a debate that is getting more and more urgent. But who is ready to take the lead in the discussion?

Disconnected

If you want to momentarily forget the world and all its catastrophic or less tragic challenges, just spend the day in a small beach village like De Haan, on the Belgian coast. I did it and I realised, once again, how easy is to ignore the outside world when everything around you is orderly and predicable, the houses are Belle Époque and the people on the streets are just enjoying the quiet and the beauty of the place.

Then, if you put a sunny day on top of it, you are indeed disconnected.

One should be able to disconnect once in a while. In addition to everything else, it gives us a chance to realise how lucky one is because peace, liberty and security have no price. They remain, here, and elsewhere, in Iraq, Ukraine, in the conflict zones and in countries in economic crisis, the ultimate goal for everyone.

And that we should not fail to recall even in a pretty village. 

Cameron´s strange bedfellows

Friday, 13th June, has not been a very auspicious day for David Cameron. His party has now as fellow parties within the same EU Parliamentary group the likes of the Danish People´s Party, the True Finns and, of all, the German movement that Angela Merkel loves to hate: Alternative für Deutschland, an assembly of anti-euro extremists that the Chancellor considers a serious danger for Germany´s interests in the EU.

It is a very shameful collection of radical right-wingers. Their association with Cameron´s fellows makes Cameron´s position within the EU even more precarious. 

Keep the eyes on the ball

The Football World Cup started today in São Paulo. The TV screens will be full of soccer news during the next few weeks. At a time when the crises in South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Mali, Libya, Ukraine, Iraq, Pakistan and other places keep deepening, people´s attention will be busy and focused on the ball. As they say, keep the eyes on the ball, we will take care of the rest…

Iraq: The Western allies have forgotten the country

The Iraqi situation is deteriorating faster than we had thought yesterday. Today, the Islamists managed to advance further towards the capital city. The armed forces have been able to fight a few battles, here and there, but they seem to lack proper leadership. And the country´s political leaders are now collecting the results of a very divisive governance.

On top of this, the key Western allies of Iraq, those who were quite fast at moving in in 2003, seem to be in another planet. There has been little movement, in the last few days, to try to get the West together in support of a country that has been, in the recent past, so much present in our political agenda.  

Iraq should urgently seize the Security Council

Iraq is again in deep trouble. The radical combatants of the “Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant” (ISIS) are a very serious menace for peace and stability in the country. Their taking control of Mossul is a very serious indication that the Iraqi armed forces are not prepared to respond to the challenge. It is true that Mossul has always been an unstable city in a restless province. But today´s take over by the extremists of ISIS marks a new stage in a rapidly deteriorating situation.

The government needs external support to effectively stop the ISIS progression towards other regions and in the direction of Bagdad. They should take that request for support to the Security Council without any further delay. 

The European social-democrats are getting me confused

Is the European democratic socialism in crisis?

That was today´s question in a small group that met to discuss what next for the social-democrat movements in Europe. And I have to add that the debate was not very conclusive. To start with, it is getting more and more difficult to make a difference between the left wingers and their opposite parties of the centre right. Then, there are those who place greater emphasis on behavioural matters, such as the gay and lesbian issues, and others that keep the focus on the economy, job creation and equality matters. But you find people from both the right and the left saying the same things about these issues. And one gets confused then.  

Chaos as usual in the CAR

The Central African Republic has disappeared from the news. But the internal situation in the country is as chaotic and violent as it has been in the recent past. Lawlessness is the rule, ethnic cleansing is the daily reality. The international community´s response remains insufficient and unfocused. The UN presence is struggling to cope with the humanitarian challenges but lacks political strategy and a clear sense of direction.