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STRENGTHENING PEACEKEEPING FORCES IN AFRICA
As international peacekeeping mission around the world grow, President
Bush has endorsed a five-year plan to commit about $660 million for
creating, sustaining, and enhancing peacekeeping forces throughout the
world. However, the Global Peace Operations Initiative will focus
primarily on building African peacekeeping forces. African forces will
be trained to deploy for regional operations, but the plan also foresees
African peacekeepers actively participating in international peace efforts.
African peacekeepers already bare the brunt of UN peacekeeping missions in
Africa, as well as internationally, their contribution to future UN missions
will be vital.
This plan aims to reduce the economic and resource
strains on U.S. forces that are currently spread thin in peace operations on
four continents. The administration intends for this initiative to be
multilateral, with other nations also contributing trainers and additional
resources, though partner nations have not been identified as yet.
Thus, it represents a concerted effort by the administration to engage
in multilateral peace operations with other countries and the need for
nations to work together to build international and regional peacekeeping
capacity.
+ Washington Post article on peace operations initiative
+ See S.2127
Stabilization and Reconstruction Civilian Management Act of 2004
A Bill introduced by Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Senator Joseph Biden
(D-DE) in February 2004 to address the peace operations capacity
gap within the United States.
THE HILL SEEKS ANSWERS ON MILITARY OPERATIONS IN IRAQ
AND AFGHANISTAN On Tuesday this week, the Senate Armed
Services committee will hold hearings on U.S. policy and military operations
in Iraq and Afghanistan. Deputy Secretary of Defense Wolfowitz,
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Myers, and Under Secretary of State for
Political Affairs Grossman will testify in open session. The Senate
Foreign Relations committee will hold hearings on Tuesday and Wednesday.
On Tuesday, James Schlesinger, Samuel Berger, and Richard Perle will be
among those giving testimony on the Iraqi transition. They will
discuss whether Iraq will develop a strong civil society or descend into
civil war. More expert testimony will continue in Wednesday's session.
On Wednesday, The House Armed Services committee will hold a hearing, taking
testimony from the same witnesses that the Senate Armed Services committee
hears from on Tuesday.
+ LA Times article on hearings
+
More on the recent uprisings in Iraq
GENOCIDE AND INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNALS
The Appeals Chamber for the International Criminal for the Former Yugoslavia
(ICTY) upheld its decision that genocide occurred in Srebrenica. The
court reduced the sentence of General Radislav Krstic by reinterpreting his
involvement in the specific crime. Krstic crime was reduced to aiding
and abetting the genocide of more than 7,000 Muslim men and boys in 1995.
However, the Appeals Chamber rejected his assertion that genocide did not
occur. This ruling is significant as it creates a strong international
precedent that genocide does not require the elimination of all men and
women in a targeted group, only that some were killed due to their group
membership. This ruling could have an impact in the ICTY trial of
former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. It may also serve as a
precedent that the International Criminal Court can refer to as it begins
its first cases this year.
+
BBC story on genocide appeal
+ AP story on ICTY appeals result
+
ICTY press release on Appeals Chamber finding
+ Remembering Rwanda DC events
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