UN Security Council has the Duty to Liberate Libya

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UN Security Council has the Duty to Liberate Libya 

Ali Asghar Kazemi 

February 25, 2011 

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The Libyan crisis has come to a critical point that without an immediate all-out intervention from the international community the situation will end up to a human tragedy and disaster. The Libyan dictator has so far refused to submit to the demands of the people and appeals of the international community. He has used every means at its disposal to annihilate the protesters around the country. There is indeed a real case of genocide going on in Libya and something has to be done immediately to halt the horrible situation in oppressed country.

The legitimate organ of the United Nations to intervene in such situation is indeed the Security Council that under Article 39 of Chapter VII of the UN Charter is duty bound to recognize that in fact the crisis has endangered   international peace and order and decides for appropriate actions to terminate the horrible condition. In such case, the members of the Council shall decide on some temporary measures and the enactment of relevant provisions of the Charter including Article 42 allowing military intervention.

Unfortunately, the Security Council has proven to be very slow or inactive in similar cases ‎in the past and this has left many defenseless people under dictatorial oppressions around the world. ‎There is no doubt that, from a legal point, states’ sovereignty is still dominant determinant in international law and the world community so far lacks the appropriate quick and efficient mechanism to face similar crisis situations.

This lacuna should be remedied in due time. But, for the moment an urgent action is needed by the Arab League along with the United Nations. The Security Council shall convene promptly and adopt a Resolution on the matter. This resolution has all the chances to be supported by all permanent and non-permanent members of the Security Council. The modalities of the military intervention under UN flag should be decided according to relevant articles of Chapter VII of the UN Charter.

At this critical point of time, there is no more room for hesitation, deliberations, and political expediency and the whole international community should facilitate proper execution of the Security Council Resolution. Those who are still perplex on the immediate action to liberate Libya shall stay away from the case and do not hamper this urgent humanitarian mission, otherwise, they will encourage more bloodshed and genocide in this horrible crisis.

 We shall continue watching the Libyan situation and will write further comments on the case if necessary. /

* Ali Asghar Kazemi is professor of Law and -International Relations in Tehran-Iran. Students, researchers, academic institutions, media or any party interested in using all or parts ‎of this article are welcomed to do so with the condition of giving full attribution to the author and ‎Strategic Discourse. ©All Copy Rights Reserved.‎

 

The Birth of a New Middle East

Ali Asghar Kazemi

February 24, 2011

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The year 2011 will be remembered as an important landmark in contemporary history of mankind and in particular the Middle East and the Arab world. Indeed, we are currently witnessing history in the making and parts of it are still in the process of achievement. Just like in childbirth, most often the process is accompanied by intense and sometimes prolonged pain.

The throbbing level depends on factors such as physical, psychological and pathological conditions of the person (society) involved. This means that people with prior experience of revolts and revolutions may more easily run through the change and accept its consequences. While, in societies with traditional authoritarian rules, low level of development, education, natural resources, may endure more pain in the process. In some cases, the society involved may fall into a “post-traumatic stress disorder”[1] which can be interpreted as civil wars, and other symptoms associated with internal crises etc.

What happened in North Africa and the Middle East during the past two months, may symbolize the kinds of change that are initiated through an unanticipated marriage of people’s and new international media, which together gives birth to self-consciousness and revolt against rulers and dictators no longer attuned with the necessities of our times.[2]

Tunisia which first set example in the series of revolution and swiftly overthrown the incumbent regime, had a relatively modest experience of democracy but in the long run became under an authoritarian corrupt rule that was no longer accountable to the people. Egyptians had a bit more difficulty in bringing down Mubarak who resisted to the last point but finally he was forced to step down. Unlike Ben Ali who quickly left the country, Mubarak preferred to stay in the country. Eventually, he knew that if he quits Egypt, people will demand his trial, as they did in the case of Ben Ali.

In other places in the Middle East, situation has varied depending on the factors cited above. In Yemen and Bahrain, while the governments have given some concessions to protestors in order to curb at least momentarily the uprising, in Libya the so-called “Mad Man” (Gaddafi) has so far resisted giving up the power and has even used war plane to bombard and deter the unprotected people.

This means that the suffering associated with the birth of the new child is too high to bear, unless a quick surgical operation, eventually with the help of foreign intervention, is taken place. In such case, possibly the whole world will be affected by the event.

The New Middle East will undoubtedly be different from the past. But eventually, the apprehension of some pessimists who fear that it will fall in the hands of Islamic fundamentalists is unfounded. However, democratic peace-loving states should not take this for granted and ought to do everything possible to avoid that opportunist lefts or rights take advantage of the situation.

If things are left at the will and initiative of the enlightened people of the region, without prejudice and grudge, the birth of the “New Middle East” will be a happy event that would pave the way for democracy, prosperity, peace and harmony in the world. /

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[1] I have borrowed this term from regular childbirth literature.

[2] See my article on “ The Power of People Plus Media” Middle East Academic Forum

The Power of People plus Media

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The Power of People plus Media

Ali Asghar Kazemi

February  13, 2011

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In the age of mass media people alone cannot do much to change the course of history, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia. In fact, these two phenomena have synergetic effect upon each other. This means that they have become in a sense corollary and complementary. In other words, one without the other is unable to influence public opinion in domestic and international arena. 

We had witnessed this power before, during many undesired natural or man-made conflicts and disasters throughout the world.  Social and political crises are especially very susceptible to this impact in particular when there are some strategic interests  involved in the affected region. Indeed, Egypt was a case of this sort par excellence.

 

We have seen that during the two or three weeks that ended with the downfall of Mubarak regime, almost all important world television networks had a permanent 24 hours direct coverage from the center of this crisis (Al Tahrir Square). Without this, perhaps the Egyptians would not have continued their protests for that long and Mubarak, who resisted to the last minutes, would have come safe out of the turmoil.

Many affected governments, including Egyptian authorities, have accused international media (Al Jazeera in particular) as irresponsible instigators and agitators of the crisis. But, they fail to understand one important characteristic of today’s media, including satellite TV, internet, Facebook and Twitter. The very nature of these sophisticated tools is to prepare ground for quick and easy communication between people disregard of their substance and final impacts. We remember the role BBC played during the Iranian Revolution in 1979. The same network was later accused of playing villain in the Iran’s post-election uproar in 2009 that was short of bringing down the Islamic regime.

The reason media has gained that huge importance in internal crises situations is very simple. When unarmed, defenseless and unprotected people want to express their wishes and demands to an authoritarian regime, which has all the naked power to deter them, only the power of world public opinion can come to their help.  This is possible only through media that can transfer instantly an event to the world. No matter how much a closed political system tries to stay aloof of the impact of the pressure exerted by the international environment, in the final account it will surrender to the consequences. /

* Ali Asghar Kazemi is professor of Law and -International Relations in Tehran-Iran. Students, researchers, academic institutions, media or any party interested in using all or parts ‎of this article are welcomed to do so with the condition of giving full attribution to the author and ‎Strategic Discourse. ©All Copy Rights Reserved.‎

Quantum Politics: New Methodological Perspective

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Quantum Politics

New Methodological Perspective

Ali Asghar Kazemi

Tehran- February 2011‎

Introduction

Recent events and escalating crises at the start of the year 2011 throughout the Arab states of the Middle East and ‎North Africa, from Tunisia and Egypt, Libya to  Yemen, have truly shocked observers, ‎researchers and ‎specialists who missed the symptoms of these fundamental shifts. ‎It appears that ‎traditional and existing theories have not been ‎able to predict the ‎development of  ‎unexpected changes in the region. This paper ‎is an attempt to ‎explain the matter through new methodological approach built on ‎chaos and ‎quantum theories.‎ ‎

If you are among those students of politics and international relations who are fed-up ‎‎‎with enormous numbers of theories, methods and paradigms in these fields, try to ‎‎‎understand this last one exposed in the present short essay. It may help you to view ‎‎and discuss political phenomenon in a different new way. Of course, the novelty of ‎‎this approach may make its comprehension a little bit difficult. Therefore, I don’t ‎‎guarantee that ‎you will swiftly grasp the subject and make a research case of it. It is ‎‎suggested that the interested reader go through the whole text and references with ‎‎attention and repeat the process if necessary[1].‎ ......

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‎ [1] ‎ ‎This paper is a follow-up of a previous essay by the author on “Dynamic versus Static Political ‎Inquiry” ‎‎which was written last January 2011. It is suggested that the two papers be read together ‎for better ‎‎understanding the subject.‎ See: Academia www.academia1.blogspot.com   ‎

* Ali Asghar Kazemi is professor of Law and -International Relations in Tehran-Iran. Students, researchers, academic institutions, media or any party interested in using all or parts ‎of this article are welcomed to do so with the condition of giving full attribution to the author and ‎Strategic Discourse. ©All Copy Rights Reserved.‎