Monday, March 28, 2011

At the UN It's Your World and Welcome to It!

A visit to the United Nations website opened up a whole new world.

عربيمرحبـاالأمم المتحدة — إنها عالمك
中文ً欢迎光临联合国,您的世界
EnglishWelcomeUnited Nations — It's your world!
FrançaisBienvenueNations Unies — C'est votre monde!
РусскийДобро пожаловатьОрганизация Объединенных Наций — это ваш мир!
EspañolBienvenidosLas Naciones Unidas son su mundo

Not everyone is welcome in the world. As part of UN Security Council Resolutions 1970 and 1973 a number Qadhafi regime supporters have been banned from international travel.

PersonJustification
Muammar Mohammed Abu Minyar QadhafiLeader of the Revolution, Supreme Commander of Armed Forces. Responsibility for ordering repression of demonstrations, human rights abuses.
Sayyid Mohammed Qadhaf Al-damCousin of Muammar Qadhafi. In the 1980s, Sayyid was involved in the dissident assassination campaign and allegedly responsible for several deaths in Europe. He is also thought to have been involved in arms procurement.
Aisha Muammar QadhafiDaughter of Muammar Qadhafi. Closeness of association with regime.
Hannibal Muammar QadhafiSon of Muammar Qadhafi. Closeness of association with regime.
Khamis Muammar QadhafiSon of Muammar Qadhafi. Closeness of association with regime. Command of military units involved in repression of demonstrations.
Mohammed Muammar QadhafiSon of Muammar Qadhafi. Closeness of association with regime.
Mutassim QadhafiNational Security Adviser. Son of Muammar Qadhafi. Closeness of association with regime.
Saadi QadhafiCommander Special Forces. Son of Muammar Qadhafi. Closeness of association with regime. Command of military units involved in repression of demonstrations.
Saif al-Arab QadhafiSon of Muammar Qadhafi. Closeness of association with regime.
Saif al-Islam QadhafiDirector, Qadhafi Foundation. Son of Muammar Qadhafi. Closeness of association with regime. Inflammatory public statements encouraging violence against demonstrators.
Colonel Abdullah Al-SenussiDirector Military Intelligence. Military Intelligence involvement in suppression of demonstrations. Past history includes suspicion of involvement in Abu Selim prison massacre. Convicted in absentia for bombing of UTA flight. Brother-in-law of Muammar Qadhafi.
Quren Salih Quren Al QadhafiLibyan Ambassador to Chad. Involved directly in recruiting and coordinating mercenaries for the regime.
Dr. Abdulqader Mohammed Al-BaghdadiHead of the Liaison Office of the Revolutionary Committees involved in violence against demonstrators.
Abdulqader Yusef DibriHead of Muammar Qadhafi’s personal security. Responsibility for regime security. History of directing violence against dissidents.
Abu Zayd Umar DordaDirector, External Security Organisation. Regime loyalist. Head of external intelligence agency.
Major General Abu Bakr Yunis JabirDefence Minister. Overall responsibility for actions of armed forces.
Matuq Mohammed MatuqSecretary for Utilities. Senior member of regime. Involvement with Revolutionary Committees. Past history of involvement in suppression of dissent and violence.
Colonel Amid Husain Al KuniGovernor of Ghat (South Libya). Directly involved in recruiting mercenaries.

The easiest way to get on this list is to have the name Qadhafi but there are 6 or 7 others too. If these are the "bad guys" in Libya it is surprising that it takes so few to keep a dictatorship going. Of course a lot of other people - soldiers, police, and civil servants - have to follow orders for a dictatorship to work.

The U.S. military action in Libya is being conducted under UN Security Council Resolution 1973. That's interesting reading.

It takes a while for the resolution to get to the point as the council starts off by recalling, deploring, expressing, reiterating, reaffirming, condemning, further condemning, considering, recalling, expressing its determination, recalling, taking note, taking note also, taking note further, recalling, reiterating its concern, deploring, considering, expressing concern, welcoming, reaffirming, determining, before finally acting.

The resolution contains 29 action points in all ending with this one: "Decides to remain actively seized of the matter." That of course is fundamentally the problem with the UN. When it comes to military action it can do little beyond "remaining actively seized." It falls to the member states to act, which almost always means the United States of America. But every other member state, there are 192 member states and 15 members of the security council., wants to be on the committee that tells the United States what it should and should not do. That is a recipe for inaction.

It's nice to see Qadhafi on the UN's list, he certainly had it coming. But let's be honest. There are probably 20 nations with dictatorships whose leaders should be equally shunned by the international community but that would require a resolve and unity of purpose that just isn't there.Welcome to our world.

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