Last night I had the pleasure of participation in a presentation at the Council on Foreign Relations given by Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.  As conveyors’ of the Washington Working Group on the ICC we had helped him set up a few meetings on the Hill.  Our Program Coordinator, Abby Long helped out tremendously in this effort. 

My friend Mark Goldberg at the UN Dispatch wrote an excellent piece on Ocampo’s key points.

I want to emphasize two points that Mark mentioned and one that he didn’t:

First, the true relevance of the Court is its global impact. Ocampo said that:

“Even before any ruling in the Lubanga case, the issue of child recruitment gained new momentum, triggered debates in remote countries like Colombia or Sri Lanka and child soldiers were released in Nepal. The Special representative of the UN Secretary-General on children in armed conflicts immediately factored in such potential and used us as a tool to campaign around the world, and secure even more releases.” This is an example of how the Court can help to prevent crimes.  While the ICC will only deal with a few cases, its “shadow” extends far beyond them and the 110 nations that are Parties to the Rome Statute.

Second, political leaders sought by the ICC, such as Sudanese President Al-Bashir, are increasingly being shunned by other leaders and nations.  According to Ocampo:

“President Al Bashir became a fugitive; he cannot travel to States Parties of the Statute. He looks for political protection in the African Union and in his party, the NCP. South Africa informed President Bashir that he was invited to the inauguration ceremony of President Zuma, but that he would be arrested upon entry into the country. Uganda, Nigeria and Venezuela did the same. President Lula from Brazil and President Kirchner from Argentina refused to approach President Bashir in an Arab-South America summit. President Sarkozy has taken the unprecedented decision to cancel a French-African summit rather than run the risk of meeting with him in a corridor. Turkey has ensured that he cancels his appearance to a meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference in Ankara. In the Guinea case, Morocco refused to keep on its territory President Dadis Camara. It did not want to harbor a possible ICC suspect. Burkina Faso’s President Blaise Compaore contacted the ICC to ascertain there was no arrest warrant before accepting to host Dadis Camara.”

Finally, during the question and answer session, Ocampo was asked a few questions regarding immunity for national leaders, particularly in terms of negotiating peace agreement.  His response was quite clear.  His job as a prosecutor is to uphold the law. National leaders can no longer act with impunity and hide behind their national sovereignty.  It’s about time.

If you like to find out more about the crimes committed by world’s worst criminals that are being tried by or wanted by the ICC, check out our new flash tool.

Don Kraus

Global Family Day Greetings from CEO Don Kraus and his family:

I was pleased by President Obama's 'aw-shucks' comments on winning the Nobel Peace Prize, saying:

"After I received the news, Malia walked in and said, "Daddy, you won the Nobel Peace Prize, and it is Bo's birthday!" And then Sasha added, "Plus, we have a three-day weekend coming up." So it's good to have kids to keep things in perspective."

But what really impressed me was how he framed his acceptance of it:

I will accept this award as a call to action -- a call for all nations to confront the common challenges of the 21st century. These challenges can't be met by any one leader or any one nation.... We cannot tolerate a world in which nuclear weapons spread to more nations and in which the terror of a nuclear holocaust endangers more people....We cannot accept the growing threat posed by climate change, which could forever damage the world that we pass on to our children -- sowing conflict and famine; destroying coastlines and emptying cities.

This is a call to action that needs to be answered.  Not only by nations, but by global citizens from across the world.  I believe President Obama understands the need for action. It's up to us to stand up together make this vision a reality.

It was a pleasure today to meet Sang-Hyun Song, the new President of the International Criminal Court who was on his first visit to Washington DC in this capacity.  He is meeting with staff on the Hill and the at the State Department.  Hopefully this will help the Administration's policy review process on the Court.  At present a new policy has not been officially adopted.

Don Kraus

Yesterday Pew Charitable Trusts ran this ad in the Washington Post and Politico, showing once again that the Law of the Sea convention has the largerst, broadest, extremely odd-bedfellow group of supporters of any issue moving forward inside the Beltway.  Where else can you see the American Petroleum Institute and the World Wildlife Fund sandwiching the likes of former Secretary of State Jim Baker, Lee Hamiliton, John Warner, the US Chamber of Commerce, Verizon, not to mention Citizens for Global Solutions. 

The ad gets right to the point:  our security can't wait.  Neither can our economy or our environment. It's great to see supporters coming together to speed ratification along. Pew is doing a great service and should be commended.  In addition their new site, RatifyLawOfTheSea.org is an excellent resource.

However, we are still waiting on word back from President Obama.  As I have said before, the Senate is not likely to adopt any major treaty without presidential leadership in raising the issue and pushing it to the floor.

President Obama, the ball's in your court.

Don Kraus

Dear President Obama,

I write to you to urge you to inaugurate World Oceans Day on June 8th by taking leadership and speaking out in support of U.S. ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The first ever World Oceans Day will focus global attention on the challenges facing our oceans. This day provides you with the ideal moment both to demonstrate American environmental leadership and to promote our country's security and economic interests.

You have already indicated support for the Law of the Sea convention and your State Department has listed it on the Treaty Priority List for the 111th Congress. The question is not "if", but "when" you will urge the Senate to take action. At this moment we finally have the right Congress, certainly the right President, and broad support across all of the relevant sectors of our society. I believe now is the time for you to engage.

Joining the Law of the Sea convention, widely supported on both sides of the aisle, would, to use your words, advance "the long tradition of bipartisan foreign policy that has been the hallmark of America...." The United States has not joined a major multilateral treaty since the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1997. Ratification of the Law of the Sea will demonstrate U.S. commitment to working cooperatively with the international community and prepare the ground for ratification of other important treaties, including the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, the Convention on Elimination of Discrimination in All Forms Against Women.

As you well know, the Law of the Sea convention has been endorsed by prominent leaders ranging from former President George W. Bush and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and by organizations ranging from the American Petroleum Institute to the World Wildlife Fund.

However, the Senate is not likely to adopt any major treaty without your Presidential leadership in raising the issue and pushing it to the floor. This should be done before the August recess. The Senate will be busy with many competing priorities in the Fall. Delaying beyond that would put us into 2010, and we witnessed in 2008 how difficult it is to advance a multilateral convention in the highly political context of an election year. While there will never be a convenient time to engage in this issue, I cannot think of a more appropriate time to do so.

Mr. President, by failing to ratify the treaty until now, we have prevented ourselves from taking advantage of its benefits, including the ability to stake claims in the resource-rich Arctic seabed. Delaying ratification postpones the expansion of U.S. control over an area larger than the continental United States. Holding up ratification defers assurance of U.S. rights to navigate the world's oceans safely and freely, one of the priorities that drove the U.S. to take a leadership role in the treaty's development. Slow ratification impedes our nation's capacity to protect marine life, conduct research, and prevent marine pollution in order to keep the seas clean and safe for future generations.

Our nation has waited too long to reap the many advantages that membership in this convention will provide. On June 8th, as the international community celebrates the first annual World Oceans Day, there is no better time to announce your support for U.S. ratification of the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea. Now is the time to engage members of your administration to clear the path for rapid U.S. ratification of this treaty. Mr. Obama, please steer the Law of the Sea towards ratification and urge the Senate to act before Congress goes home for the summer.

Respectfully,

Don Kraus, Chief Executive Officer
Citizens for Global Solutions

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Want to take action?  Go to http://globalsolutions.org/action/oceansday

Yesterday President Obama met with Former Secretary of State George Shultz, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, former Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Sam Nunn, and former Defense Secretary William Perry to discuss how to rid the world of nuclear weapons. It's great to see this incredibly important subject moving from a visionary goal to a real world challenge.  In his remarks Obama said:

"I don't think anybody would accuse these four gentlemen of being dreamers. They're hard-headed, tough defenders of American interests and American security. But what they have come together to help galvanize is a recognition that we do not want a world of continued nuclear proliferation, and that in order for us to meet the security challenges of the future, America has to take leadership in this area."

The group agreed on prioritizing the revitalization of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, working with Russia to reduce nuclear stockpiles, moving forward on ratifying the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and securing nuclear material that could "fall into the hands of terrorists."

Obama's vision and sense of priority are on target and should be applauded. The fact that the four senior statesmen "support enthusiastically what the President is doing" is significant as well. This is how consensus is built and the world changes.

But the one point of disagreement between Obama and the four is probably the most encouraging part of the conversation. Obama noted that the Shultz, Kissinger, Perry and Nunn working together and with him is "a reminder of the long tradition of bipartisan foreign policy that has been the hallmark of America at moments of greatest need, and that's the kind of spirit that we hope will be reflected in our administration."

However Shultz upped the ante saying to Obama that,

"I would only have one word of slight disagreement. You said that you welcome the fact that this is bipartisan. And, well, it is. At the same time, I think all of us have said, when people have told that to us, that it's really nonpartisan. This is a subject that ought to somehow get up above trying to get a partisan advantage. And it's of such importance that we need to take it on its own merits. And that's the way we've proceeded. And that's the way, at least it seems to us, you've proceeded."

For too long partisan politics have gotten in the way of responsible global policy that's good for America and good for the world. This change of tone is important and has implications far beyond the nuclear debate.

Thank you Mr. President. I hope Congress is paying attention to how this is done.

Don Kraus

The Council on Foreign Relations just released a report, The National Interest and the Law of the Sea, written by Scott Borgerson calling for Senate approval of the Law of the Sea convention.  The report is a well written and detailed document that methodically examines the treaty and the pros and cons of ratification.  Borgerson comes down strongly on the side of ratification for many reasons.  He says that the treaty will:

"Enhance U.S. global credibility -- by matching action to rhetoric regarding the rule of law. Joining this particular convention sends a powerful signal of commitment to this principle. The undeniable semantic message of the title "Law of the Sea" and the practical effect of officially becoming party to a legal regime over the vast expanse of the world's oceans combine to reinforce the strength of this signal."

Borgenson makes a strong case why joining the treaty now is strongly in the national intererest:

"Why is it imperative for the United States to join the convention? Why now? To fail to join the convention this year would be to lose a unique opportunity. The United States is experiencing a conjunction of circumstances that includes the "fresh start" effect of a new administration, the ascendance of two national security strategies founded on conflict prevention and partnership building, and a community of nations eager for renewed American multilateralism. By joining the convention now, the United States gains legal protection; for its sovereignty; sovereign rights and jurisdiction in offshore zones, the freedom of maneuver and action for its military forces; and protection for economic, environmental, and marine research interests at sea while seizing an opportunity to restore the mantle of international leadership on, over, and under nearly three-quarters of the earth. It is a bipartisan agenda, and one in the strategic interests of the United States."

During the reports release at the Council, Senator Kerry is reported to have said that the Law of the Sea could come up as early as June. Citizens for Global Solutions members have been working on this treaty since the late 1960's.  It's great to see the stars finally aligning.

Back in 2007 I urged progressives to support ratification and wrote:

If the Senate will not accede to this convention, how can we expect them to support the ratification of the backlog of multilateral treaties waiting for a vote including:, the International Criminal Court treaty, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, the Women's Convention (CEDAW), the Rights of the Child, the Biodiversity Treaty, and many others. What will happen when it is time for the Senate to consider the successor to the Kyoto protocol, which runs out in 2012?

This is just as true today as it was then.  So if you haven't already done so, act now and send your Senators a message to support ratification.

Don Kraus

Yesterday, 43 international policy, humanitarian, and religious organizations sent a letter to the chair and ranking members of the House and Senate full appropriations and foreign operations sub-committees calling on them to support the $886,900,000 requested for United Nations and other peacekeeping accounts included in President Obama's FY 2009 Supplemental Funding request.

The letter noted that while the United States has voted to support peacekeeping missions in the U.N. Security Council, our funding has not kept pace with our commitments. The money is needed to support U.N. and African Union missions in Darfur, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Somalia.

This money needs must be protected as the supplemental works its way through Congress. Not only is fulfilling our obligations to UN peacekeeping a smart investment - the Government Accountability Office reports that U.N. peacekeeping is 8 times less expensive fielding a comparative U.S. force - but it's the right thing to do. These funds will finally get the U.S. current on paying its fair share of current peacekeeping dues. It's excellent to see a great nation pay its fair share and keep its commitments to the U.N.  If you haven't already, send a message to your members of Congress to urge them to support President Obama's peacekeeping request.

Don Kraus

Yesterday the Senate adopted by unanimous consent the Kerry-Lugar Amendment to restore $4 billion to the International Affairs Budget cut by the Senate Budget Committee. The Senate budget now includes the President's request for this account of $53.8 billion in FY 2010 to fund next year's budget ' an increase of 8%, or $4 billion, over last year's funding level of $49.8 billion.

In his statement on the Senate floor, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) said:

From pandemics to climate change to failed states, this century's security challenges demand that a new level of commitment to diplomacy and development. With this relatively small investment, we are making significant strides toward restoring America's leadership role in the world. It will make the world safer, and it will make us safer.

Citizens for Global Solutions staff and members along with other members of the U.S. Global Leadership Campaign worked hard to make this happen. Thank you Senator Kerry and Senator Lugar.