Immigration: a political vacuum of collective European irresponsibility

The numbers keep adding every day. They also make it obvious that there is no European strategy to deal with the migrant flows across the Mediterranean Sea. The navy ships do their job, rescue the poor souls at sea and bring them to the shores. And after that, there is an empty policy space – a political vacuum of collective European irresponsibility – with everybody else hoping the Italians will take care of the immense problem. 

Bilderberg meeting: big egos and plenty of smoke

The annual meeting of Bilderberg “club” starts tomorrow. During three days pretty influential people from the global corporate world will sit together with politicians, opinion-makers and some very senior security service masters to review some of the megatrends – as they call the key challenges of today´s world.

The leader of this initiative is the current boss of AXA, the major international insurance company. He is a well-connected Frenchman.

This is a very secretive conference. Journalists are not allowed in as such. A couple of them will be there but as invitees, in their capacity as leading opinion-makers. They will be there because their writings –opinion columns – do influence a good number of decision makers. Secrecy leads to suspicion. Some people have called the Bilderberg crowd –about 120 to 150 of them every year –the real masters of the universe, the key plotters in terms of the next world events.

Such label is an exaggeration. Many of those in attendance have real power, in their own circles, others have prestige but little power left in their guns –they belong to the category one calls the “has been”. Obviously, there are many very powerful people outside this “club”.

Bilderberg is one of several power meetings. It is above all a networking exercise. It is of course of particular importance when compared with other similar networking opportunities – like Davos –because the number of Bilderberg participants is smaller and therefore the interaction and the bonds among them have a chance of being much more intense.

In the end, there is a lot of smoke and mystery, but very little movement beyond the private interests of the companies represented and the group therapy it provides to people with big egos.

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) should move ahead

There was a great deal of confusion today in the European Parliament. The Members (MEPs) were supposed to take a vote on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), the trade agreement between the EU and the US. The move would clear the EU´s negotiating position and give the European negotiators additional discussion authority.

The vote ended up by being postponed because more than 200 amendments were tabled by the MEPs. The main challenges came from the Socialist group and are related to the choice of mechanisms to resolve potential trade disputes between US firms and EU institutions.

This is a complex matter and needs to be carefully carried out.

But we should be clear that the TTIP is important for the Europeans, both in terms of jobs – greater access to the US market will have an impact on our industries and agriculture-related activities – and access to a larger choice of goods. It will certainly have a multiplier effect on the modernisation of our productive and commercial systems as well.

We should also underline that the sooner the agreement is reached the better. Amendments and other tactical moves cannot aim at delaying the process. If they are intended to improve the final accord, that´s very much appreciated. If they are based on genuine concerns, that can also be discussed.

Opposition to TTIP is no problem. That is the normal currency of democracy. But obstruction through parliamentary procedures is just not acceptable. It´s lack of political clarity and courage.

EU is meeting the Latin American States

As I am about to witness another summit meeting in Brussels, this time with Latin American leaders, I also realise that Latin America does not feature high in terms of the EU priorities. As such, I wonder what will come out of such meeting. Is it more than a mere diplomatic move?

In the meantime, I take note that the EU-Latin America consultation will be immediately followed by a summit with Mexico. And again, I am curious about the possible outcome of that conference.

In any case, enhanced relations with Latin America will give leverage to Spain´s position with the EU. Somehow, Portugal will gain a bit as well. That’s not a bad thing as it contributes to a greater balance between the different nations in Europe. 

Japan at the head of the G7

Japan will take over the leadership of the G7. That´s bad news for China, I presume. The tensions at sea in their part of the world will certainly gain a new emphasis during the next 12 months. And China will play the role of the villain. Several other players will appreciate it.

Merkel as the leader of the G7

We might not always agree with Chancellor Merkel´s views. But there is little doubt she is a strong leader and one that is level-headed, a feature I consider of particular importance when looking at leadership qualities. Her taking over the command of the G7 is good news. Particularly at this stage, when the international community is preparing for the discussion in September, at the UN General Assembly, of the new set goals to fight underdevelopment and poverty. Angela Merkel has pledged to pay special attention to getting the G7 fully committed to the Sustainable Development Goals that will be then approved.

She has also expressed her willingness to contribute to the approval of concrete results at the December Paris Conference on Climate Change. That´s a key moment in terms of our common future. We should see the key world leaders aware of its importance and keen enough to get the climate agenda off the ground. It is a good chunk of our future that is at stake. Leaders should not shy away and take refuge in their own national problems, as they so often like to do. Let´s hope Merkel will be able to set the example.

Finally, there is the question of gender equality. The status of women and girls is still a big issue, in many parts of the world. Merkel has expressed a special interest in this matter. Her voice needs to be loud and clear. 

Greece´s poker game

The Greek government is playing hard ball. They are convinced, I guess, that in the end the EU creditors will do whatever it takes to keep Greece within the Eurozone. And their poker hand is based on that assumption.

It´s a risky position. Athens might know more than we know about the concessions the other Europeans could possibly be ready to accept. But I am not sure they know. They just take the chance and hope to be right, that´s what I believe.

At this stage it is difficult to forecast the events of next week or so. We are certainly close to a clarification. And that moment of truth might be a difficult one for the Greek people. 

Notes on peace operations

GENEVA CENTER FOR SECURITY POLICY

Notes for my seminar of 02 June 2015

Victor Angelo

 Reinventing Peace Operations?

(Reflections and question marks)

World is changing rapidly. But are today´s conflicts very different from the ones 15-20 ago? Yes and no.

Examples:

            South Sudan, CAR and Congo: clear failure of the state building processes. The same in Libya.

            Syria: the national dimensions combined with regional dimensions.

            Very different from civil war in Mozambique in late 80´s or the Cambodia conflict of early 90´s or the Sierra Leone crisis of 1999/2000?

o   The big difference might be at the level of the Non-State Actors:

ü In the past, we had insurgencies, national liberation movements, separatists, revolutionaries with a cause, warlord’s armies…

ü Now, the players are more difficult to categorise and to fight/contact, they are more fragmented, we witness continuous changes of alliances, they make greater use of terrorist methods and pose news threats to peacekeepers and civilians, they have closer links with Organised Crime, they do not accept the role of the UN, they do not seek a peace agreement – they want to win.

From forcing an agreement, that was the past line, to today´s approach, which is about winning the argument.

o   Also, the use of different means of waging war, combining kinetic with soft power: propaganda, social networks; there is indeed a greater emphasis on winning the narrative

The story that is told to the population and the world matters

o   Furthermore, the information is now global. Actions are taken to get international attention

v Above all, what is changing is our approach to conflict management and resolution: from a one-dimension approach to an integrated, comprehensive approach; but we are not yet good enough at dealing with:

            Asymmetric threats

            The narrative/image

Each conflict is different, but they all have in the end a number of common features:

Ø Poor leadership:

We should pay more attention to issues of leadership, time-bound mandates, political legitimacy, inclusiveness, power balancing between the executive, the legislative and the judiciary, power-sharing, constitutional issues

Ø Governance performance and state failure:

Many years of unsatisfactory governance, unable to respond to the basic aspirations of the populations, including the human security dimension and human rights, and widespread corruption

Ø The extreme competition for and the control of natural resources:

In the past, diamonds, coltan – short for columbite–tantalite

Now, water in Darfur, and access to rangeland in the Sahel and CAR

Ø A combination of domestic and regional dimensions:

Domestic political crisis are further aggravated by the interference of regional conflicting interests: Syria is a striking example

Ø They are chaotic and their management is about the ability to manage the chaos

Complexity is a key feature of any violent conflict; the response cannot be one-size-fits-all

International order: Are we getting into a more dangerous world?

Depends on one´s perspective. We could spend quite a bit of time discussing the question.

·        However, a more connected world is certainly a more dangerous world. Local problems become easily regional and then international threats to peace, stability and security.

·        The world media channels bring the problems to our homes and we feel threatened

·        There is also a new race for dominance: the West, the Fundamentalist Islam, Russia, China, other emerging powers

·        And a clash of values and cultures, somehow; some type of an anti-West surge

Is the use of force the solution?

Again, yes and no.

We are seeing a new arms race and the witnessing the call for increased investments in defence, after many years when the dominant views were about cooperation, defence budget reductions and disarmament

At the same time, there are calls for greater security cooperation through the Interpol and a better exchange of information: that was the case last week, when the Security Council discussed again the approaches to respond to terrorism.

But we live in culture that tends to give priority attention to the military and the national security issues first, to answer to the issues with a hammer and consider the police as lesser tool

The only long-lasting solution to a conflict is a political agreement that strikes a balance between conflicting interests; this means, politics first and in the end

The UN Security Council is eventually the only source to authorise the legitimate use of force

A few positive comments on the UN SC:

·        Let´s be positive and objective about the Council; a cynical position leads nowhere; we all know about its deficit of representativeness and the need to reform; however, nobody knows when the reform will happen

·        Every State wants to have the Council on its side; the Council´s agreement and support are considered as critical for the international image of any State

·        The UN SC pays special attention to peace operations – in particular to peacekeeping – and has accumulated a lot of experience in the supervision of such operations

·        It is a better position than any other authority to impose an integrated response by the UN agencies, funds and programmes

However, there are a number of short-comings the UN SC should address:

·        Its current divisions; they have been exacerbated in the aftermath of the Libyan crisis of 2011; they are inspired by tensions between the P5, geopolitical interests; they block the decisions on major crisis, such as the one on Syria

·        Strike a better balance between peacekeeping and special political missions; the SC shows greater interest for peacekeeping operations for different reasons (military, police, budgetary, …)

·        Better define the links between peace operations and peace building; peace building approaches are still very much based on phasing out and cost reductions

·        Be able to take into account the interests and grievances of Non-State Actors; the Council´s perspective is still too much based on the State (and the government of the day) as being the key interlocutor and the player; also, there is a need to go beyond the national borders and bring in the regional dimensions – work better with the regional organisations

·        Improve the understanding of the integrated response concept; it cannot be just the approval of a huge and diversified mandate and the expectation that the SRSG will be able to bring together the different parts of the UN

·         Focus more on providing strategic direction when dealing with the UN Secretariat and the peace missions

·        Re-assess the pertinence of the peacekeeping principles – Consent of the parties, Impartiality and Non-use of force except in self-defence and defence of the mandate – and define better the “robustness approach”

On Robustness:

ü 2/3 of the UN peacekeepers are deployed in countries where ther is no peace to keep

ü The accent is on force not on the politics and dialogue process

ü Tactical use of force: it calls for the UN SC approval and the consent of the host country;

ü Makes the UN a party to the conflict

ü Creates divisions among the Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs)  and UN key member states

Looking ahead, we can expect robust operations to be the new norm

The approval should be guided by:

Ø The seriousness and the urgency of the threat; atrocities, Protection of Civilians, extreme humanitarian urgency

Ø A reasonable motive: the military action has to be seen as the best way to stop the threat

Ø Last resort

Ø Proportionate;  just the necessary force

Ø Based on a clear understanding of all its consequences

Ø Clearly explained to the public opinion

But, in my opinion, robust operations should be carried out by either:

Ø Coalition of Forces under a UN SC mandate

Ø Regional organisations  ( AU, AL, NATO, EU, CSTO…)

Ø Making better use of international police systems, shared information and enhanced combination of military/police/civilian responses

It´s indeed time to have a better coordination between the UN and the regional organisations. That´s a key path towards the future.

It´s also time to address the marginalisation of the UN in peace operations; the UN is very busy, the demand is increasing, but it is kept away from the major conflicts. Or it cannot be seen as just a machinery to address the conflicts of the poor countries.

Putin´s ban list: forget!

The Russian government has issued a list with the names of those barred from travelling to Russia.

I have reviewed it with some detail. It is a mixed bag of second rate EU personalities, nothing more. It pulls together members of parliament, a few politicians, including local ones, another couple of opinion makers, and a handful of senior civil servants from different EU countries.

It is obviously a list to retaliate. Most of those on the list have little power to decide about the European relations with Moscow. They might be vocal, in a few cases, but I am not even sure the EU leaders listen to them.

The best approach to the Putin list is to ignore it. 

My wild neighbours

It is not easy to survive in the park next to my house. The wild birds have many enemies, including the crows and the neighbourhood cats, and the rabbits keep hiding from the dogs. I haven´t seen many rabbits this spring, by the way.

Even the ducks, who are always ready for a fight, have their own problems. This year, meaning now, this is the season, only one couple has been able to bring a single duckling to life.

In view of this, you can imagine my joy when I saw this morning that the moorhen – also known as the swamp hen – that had been sitting on her eggs for many weeks in the middle of pond was now proudly looking after a brood of four little chicks.

I had feared the local turtles had eaten the eggs before hatching. It did not happen. And I thought that in the end, there is always a small victory on the side of renewal.