the ambiguous attitude of the united nations towards democracy
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The ambiguous attitude of the united nations towards democracy. Jean-Marc Coicaud Professor of Law and Global Affairs Director of the Division of Global Affairs. Opportunities for Democracy and the Rule of Law emerged with the end of the Cold War. Among Nations Within Nations. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
THE AMBIGUOUS ATTITUDE OF THE UNITED NATIONS TOWARDS DEMOCRACY
Jean-Marc CoicaudProfessor of Law and Global Affairs
Director of the Division of Global Affairs
Opportunities for Democracy and the Rule of Law emerged with the end of the Cold War
Among Nations Within Nations
I. Democracy in the UN Context
I. Democracy in the UN ContextAgenda for Peace
I. Democracy in the UN ContextAgenda for Development
I. Democracy in the UN Context Agenda for Democracy
II. UN Ambiguity in the Agenda for Democracy
II. UN Ambiguity in the Agenda for Democracy
Terms of the UN’s Ambiguity Towards Democracy On the one hand: A strong commitment
of the UN to some of the values and principles at the core of democracy. Both within and among nations. This is
eminently the case when it comes to the UN commitment to human rights.
II. UN Ambiguity in the Agenda for Democracy
On the other hand such UN commitment to democratic values and principles (human rights) has very strong limitations
This generic tension is an illustration of the overall ambiguity of the UN towards democracy
III. Modalities More specifically the tensions and limitations can be illustrated at three levels: Institutional Normative Operational
IV. Institutional Standpoint UN Charter Membership General Assembly vs. Security Council The Exclusivity of the Security Council
IV. Institutional Standpoints
United Nations Charter: We the People vs. Governments
IV. Institutional Standpoint Membership:
Democracy Preferred but not Required
IV. Institutional Standpoint General Assembly vs. Security Council:
Universality vs. Select Few Symbolic vs. Executive Power
V. Normative Standpoint On the one hand significant normative
and legal developments in favor of key democratic values and principles in the fields of Human Rights International Treaties: Social, Economic,
Cultural, Political Rights Rule of Law
V. Normative StandpointThis Evolution is Illustrated and Enables the Move from Absolute Sovereignty to Conditional Sovereignty Humanitarian Interventions Human Security Responsibility to protect
V. Normative Standpoint
On the Other Hand, International Distribution of Power Overrides the International Rule of Law National Interest vs. International Interest Self-Defense vs. Collective Security
V. Normative Standpoint
In the End, at the International Level There are Moral Obligations but No Legal Obligations. Illustrative of this is: Convention for the Prevention and
Punishment for the Crime of Genocide International Treaties Responsibility to Protect
VI. Operational Dimension International Interventions in the 1990s International Interventions in the 2000s
VI. Operational Dimension Peacekeeping Operations in the 1990s
Desire to Defend Civilians and End Crises At the same time very limited
Somalia Bosnia Kosovo Worst case scenario, Rwanda
VI. Operational Dimension International Interventions in the 2000s
Limited Commitment in Libya No Commitment in Syria
VII. The Way Forward Reforming the Institutions Reforming the Global System Reforming what it is to be Human
VII. The Way ForwardReforming Institutions In the UN Context
Reforming the Security Council Creating a UN People Assembly with true
legislative power (see the work of Thomas Franck for example)
VII. The Way ForwardReforming the Global System Possible Models:
Jürgen Habermas: World Domestic Policy David Held: Global Democracy Jean-Marc Coicaud: Moving from Global Norms
to Global Policy
VII. The Way ForwardChallenges and Crises Crisis of Political Representation and
Participation National Level International Level
Global Economic Crisis Financialization of the Economy Gap Between the Wealthy and the Poor Growth Model?
VII. The Way ForwardIn Order to Overcome Challenges and Crises Requires:
Thinking about Economic and Political Models that Generate more Economic and Political Integration Within Nations Among Nations
Move from Global Western-Centric Models to Wide, Open, Inclusive, and Integrated Global Models
VII. The Way ForwardReforming How to be Human: The Self, The Other, and The World 18th Century Social Reform Connected the
Political with the Human The solution is not purely institutional
and political but also about who we are, who we can be, and who we ought to be
VII. The Way Forward Democracy is about Promoting:
Individual Agency Social Cooperation
National Level International Level
Beyond Material Poverty and Spiritual Poverty
VII. The Way Forward As They Say: “Winter Is Coming”
Ways to Prepare: Two Paradigms for the Future
VII. The Way ForwardRonald Reagan Paradigm
“In our obsession with antagonisms of the moment, we often forget how much unites all the members of humanity.…I occasionally think how quickly our differences worldwide would vanish if we were facing an alien threat from outside this
world.”
VII. The Way ForwardMaster Shifu Paradigm
“Anything is Possible if you have Inner Peace”
Uniting the Two Paradigms
In order to achieve peace and democracy we should have one eye on the stars to see whether or not Martians are coming, and one eye looking
within.