Conciliation seems to be more to the purpose, if opposing bodies are expected to work together to govern a country. Humphrey said in his study on From Victim to Victimhood, "By contrast, trials have played a much smaller role during political transition and thus have addressed far fewer victims. They have, however, been very important in re-establishing the authority of law and the state" (2003 184)
What division of labor among states, international institutions and non-governmental organizations is likely to prove most effective in meeting the challenges of the post-Cold War era in the future?
George W. Bush, President of the United States of America, appears to believe that the United States must police the world, leading other nations into controlling what he considers dangerous policies in other countries, while taking preemptive action against them on his own. While Bush knows that the laws of war are different from the laws of peace, he has declared a literal "war on terror" in which he has felt free to impose the laws of war.
In peacetime, governments are bound by strict rules of law enforcement. Police can use lethal force only if necessary to meet an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury. Once a suspect is detained, he or she must be charged and tried. These requirements are codified in international human rights law. In times of war, law-enforcement rules are supplemented by a more permissive set of rules as when a combatant is captured, he or she can be held in custody until the end of the conflict, without any trial (Roth 2).
Going by these rules of war during, within and without the known boundaries of the war (Iraq and Afghanistan), in any country he finds terrorists, Bush has lowered the esteem with which other countries hold the United States in regard. He has chosen to disregard the peacetime "strict rules of law enforcement," chosen instead the war law of holding prisoners in Guantanamo without regard to their personal and international rights. He talks about invading Iran, threatens North Korea and sends troops to Iraq. Being a one-nation Policeman of the World has been a costly prospect not only in the esteem with which other countries regard the United States, but monetarily.
Dividing the labor between the United States and other nations equally would, of course, prove more practical and less costly for those who choose to enforce international law. The problem comes in that the United States appears loathe to give up its lion's share of the job.
The Geneva Conventions, in which war rules were set out, apply to those involved in "armed conflict," but these words are not defined. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), however, in its comments on war, has given tests to ascertain what they are. One of the tests is to look at the intensity of hostilities. Although the United States can claim that it was attacked on September 11, 2001, that its embassies were bombed in Kenya and Tanzania, the U.S.S. Cole was attacked in Yemen and residential compounds were bombed in Saudi Arabia, do these combine to equal a war? (Roth 5).
Another test is the regularity of armed clashes and the degree to which the opposing forces are organized. Political motivation is also a test, but these tests were written not for global terrorism, but for politically motivated conflicts. The nature of a participant's involvement is also one of the tests used. Combatants, however, exclude civilians who not clearly armed members of a service, but may be clandestine or are related in other subtle ways to violent acts of terrorism.
Guantanamo holds such men who are allegedly "sleeper agents," men who are not, but supposedly would be agents in a cell actively seeking to destroy the United States, if called upon by their philosophical leaders. Under the laws of war, President Bush says he may hold these "enemy combatants" and suspend their rights of due process until the war on terrorism is ended, perhaps indefinitely, without charge, and without access to attorneys or trial. These are the laws of war. Under the laws of peacetime, no one may even be arrested without knowing upon what charges they are being held. Others being held in Guantanamo are six Algerian men arrested in Bosnia in October of 2001 (before September 11) who were determined to be above suspicion by the Bosnian Supreme Court, yet they were given over into the custody of the U.S. And they remain in Guantanamo. There are also suspects from Indonesia, Pakistan and Thailand, Malawi and the United States, in Guantanamo, as well.
If the tests of the ICRC are applied world-wide, it would assist international...
International Relations Over the last several decades, the role of the UN has been constantly evolving. Part of the reason for this is because a host of events would underscore the need for an international institution that could address: the various global, economic and political issues facing the world community. The reason why, is because the 19th century would usher in a new era of technological innovation. This would have a
International Relations Theory and United Nations Peace: International Relations (IR) field normally focuses on the study of how various state systems can be made to work more efficiently to improve the power of law, maintain order, manage interstate affairs peacefully, and lessen prospects of war. The word relation in this field is used to denote the inclusion of more than political affairs to aspects like conflict and peace. International relations field
Indeed, NATO is forced to change its attitude towards Russia as the international context is changed dramatically and challenges such as terrorism, Iran, or energy are largely influenced by the Russian state. More precisely, in terms of Iran, Russia has solid influences, as for Afghanistan. As for energy security, Russia is one of the most important players on the market and can thus influence decisively the European energetic security.
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International Relations: Answers to Questions There are two types of actors in international relations -- state and non-state actors. States are the more important actors of the two; however, their activities are influenced to a significant extent by non-state actors. The term 'non-state actors' collectively refers to those individuals, organizations, groups or movements that have substantial influence over a country's international activities although they are not regarded as state institutions[footnoteRef:1]. They
The framework for globalization is set by the stronger nations and their corporations. Even when weaker nations benefit from globalization, they may not be seeing as much benefit as they would have had they had equal bargaining power. It has also been argued that while it is nation-states that implement globalization, they merely do so at the behest of their corporations. It is the corporations, then, that truly drive the
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