New Year Message 2011

Rounding up 2010, I must admit that this has been one of the most productive year for me. I am en route to completing my Master's in Diplomatic Studies, my novel is complete and currently under review for publication, and politically speaking - the UK has seen a great change to having the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Party join forces in a Coalition Government to run the country. The country is in a bit of mess though. Students' are rioting on the streets due to an increase of annual tuition fees risen from £3000 to £9000, many household benefits have been cut to force people back to work - specifically those under 25 who already have a family, and as of 4th January 2011, our VAT (value added tax) is rising to a staggering 20%. London is not going to be an easy place to live next year, especially if looking for a job will cause some difficulty. But looking on the bright side, Britain seems secure with its relationship with other countries and with all these public financial increase, let's hope that the national debt actually decreases as the government has promised us.

What has 2010 taught us? That war benefits no-one. If Tony Blair's Labour Party did not send Britain to war with Iraq, our social benefits and educational system would not have been suffering as much as it is now. The Coalition Government have to deal with a lot of financial slack which makes them quite unpopular, but someone has to clean up the mess and I think it is better that two parties of polar opposite views have put their differences aside to do the job. Diplomatic secrets revealed by WikiLeaks has taught the world that social media is ever more powerful than traditional media, and that the individual has more freedom of speech and transparency than ever. But I would like to stress a hint of warning. Rupert Murdoch plans to buy the rest of BSkyB TV, and if this happens then he will have control of more than half of the UK national newspapers and television, which endangers our media democracy and freedom of speech, and we can't let corporations and certain individuals turn industries into monopolies of power.

On another note, the world is hanging by a thread with its commitment towards reducing the carbon footprint of industrial nations, the effects it has on climate change, and the promise for all nations to reduce the proliferation of nuclear weapons. I would like to acknowledge the wonderful work done by ItsOneHumanity in presenting global youth voices in regards to climate change at COP16 Cancun in Mexico this year, as well as The Art Effect team in Seattle which empowers and mobilises youth leaders to create social through education, artistic expression ad community engagement. I am proud of my many friends who are taking initiatives to lead the next generation in important political issues that are limiting the life of the future.

2011 will be another incredibly busy year but I am positive that leaders of the youth world, alongside with members of embassies and world leaders, will look into the best interest of its citizens over national interest, and will prioritise its funds towards better human security. This statement is extremely idealistic, but without having hope, one will never be motivated enough to do the best they can.

I want to leave you with a video from our Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg (leader of the Liberal Democrats), and I want to wish you all a happy and prosperous start of the New Year. (above)

A thousand messages of hope for Cancun

This story was featured in TckTckTck, as the European Regional Ambassador for ItsOneHumanity.

http://tcktcktck.org/stories/campaign-stories/thousand-messages-hope-climate-deal-cancun#comments 

In September of this year, ItsOneHumanity launched its Global Visual Petition Project for Climate Justice with the goal of giving young people a voice in the United Nations climate talks in Cancun. With the help of like-minded youth from around the world, they built a website with a visual petition system in 54 languages.

“To many of us young people, it made no sense that we were still approaching the issue of climate change as divided nation states, being fully aware of the potential damage it could have on our common planet and on everyone of us” says founder Elliott Verreault, 22, of Canada.
Over the past two months the petition has gathered more than 1,000 messages of support. You can watch a short video summary of their campaign progress so far at right.
Testimonials from ItsOneHumanity’s supporters show the depth and breadth of reasons why they’re calling for a global climate deal.

"Having witnessed firsthand the failure of the Copenhagen COP15 Climate Change Summit in 2009, I felt incredibly frustrated that world leaders were unable to look beyond their own national self-interest rather than to securing a binding treaty that benefitted the entire world” - Talyn Rahman, 25, United Kingdom

“World leaders need to realize that they represent global citizens when they sit in the conference. What we really need to do for climate justice is to have them take off their ego and think about real actions for our future generations. I would blame myself if my future children cannot live like they should.” - Sahid Priambodo, 19, Indonesia

The organization plans to present the signatures to representatives from the UNFCCC at the climate negotiations in Cancun later this month. If you want to add your name and support to the campaign, visit their website: ItsOneHumanity.org

Make your voice heard for Climate Justice!

Having witnessed firsthand the failure of the Copenhagen COP15 Climate Change Summit in 2009, I felt incredibly frustrated that world leaders were unable to look beyond their own national self-interest rather than to securing a binding treaty that benefitted the entire world. I was very pleased to join 'ItsOneHumanity' as one of the Regional European Ambassador. Training in diplomacy, I felt that the 'ItsOneHumanity' project was incredibly valuable in reaching out to young people from all over the world as a uniting voice to re-instate that we belong to one humanity.

As a team of young people ourselves, this project gives us a platform to remind people that we all serve a purpose to look after our planet - as one unit. Within a short space of time, the team of 'ItsOneHumanity' were able to draft a strong statement of solidarity for all to sign. This petition will then be presented to world leaders at the next global summit in Mexico as a form of lobbying. Whether or not they listen, this is a great opportunity for everyone to show that people across the world are in support for a better, protected world for now and the future. 

To support this project, please spread the word and the sign the petition.

http://www.itsonehumanity.org/GVPP.html

UN Intensive Training

In July 2010, I was accepted by the John C. Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University to participate in an intensive training course at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. This unique opportunity enabled me to learn about the workings and political dynamics of the UN from a combination of 19 top-tiered UN officials and practitioners.

Since its creation in 1945, the UN is till the only organisation that brings together 192 nations as tact for political intervention and preventive diplomacy. Unique for its peacekeeping capabilities and humanitarian assistance, members rely on the UN when no other options are available to them. This is true of Africa as 70% of UN time is spent on African matters. As a member unit, 150 countries participate in peacekeeping by sending troops or contributing financially. Developing countries like Bangladesh and Ghana are leading in troop contribution, whereas members of the Security Council and member donors like Japan concentrate their efforts in financial aid. Even then the UN is in a fragile state as a result of reduced political support and shrinking funds. In recent years, UN bases and blue-helmet troops have been attacked by terrorists as they no longer accept the UN as impartial party. Now, UN bases look more like armed camps which ultimately sends the wrong signal to rogue actors.

The biggest scepticism shown towards the UN is surprisingly by the United States. Before Barack Obama’s presidency, the tone of US statements was confrontational and self-serving. US public opinion of UN work was superficially shallow and widespread. In an effort to shift public attitude of the US-UN relationship, President Obama has opened up engagement with the UN by resuming financial support to particular UN missions, and accepting to host the 64^th General Assembly this September. Nevertheless it is clear that the UN is doing a poor job in relaying positive news of its missions to the public. The most current media spectacle is generated around Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon’s public perception. A week before this training, a highly controversial document known as the Alhenius Memo had described Moon as being a spineless, deplorable leader compared to Kofi Anan. Depicted as the “invisible man”, UN members are pondering whether Moon was the “wrong” Asian candidate for the job. This week, officials have confirmed that Moon is likely to secure a second term in office, unless China and Russia change their mind.

On a positive note, the UN is leading on “global goods” issues such as emissions of greenhouse gases, global health, and cross-bordering diseases. One of the biggest focuses for many UN offices is the Millennium Development Goal (MDG). While the main MDG targets will not be met in 2015, the general poverty level has been halved since its initiation. In collaboration with corporations, the UN Office for Partnership is working to leverage investment in developing countries so that local governments can establish social security for its people through infrastructure, governance, and education. The three pillars of the UN – development, peace and security, and human rights – is central for rebuilding a failed nation. However, many practitioners have argued that these pillars exclude underlying problems that inevitably lead to insecurity. Like a vicious cycle, human security cannot be sustained without tackling poverty, corruption, human and drug trafficking, preventable diseases, deforestation, climate vulnerability, arms trade, and gender discrimination. Much of the poor rely on these methods to survive. Development cannot happen without combating weaknesses that can potentially break the political infrastructure. The UN must integrate these issues into the three pillar system, or else root problems will continue to hinder any achievements.

Stigma and discrimination is the biggest killer for change, specifically for issues linked to HIV/AIDS, women’s rights, trafficking and global health. According to the UN Secretariat office, about 33.4 million people are living with HIV of whom more than 30 million live in low and middle-income countries. There has been a decline in AIDs due to prevention education to help change attitude of sexual behaviour in African youths, yet the problem is being crossed over border through human-drug trafficking and the sex trade. This is certainly true of Eastern Europe. Currently, Russia is giving no money to HIV prevention owing to stigma and discrimination barriers. Even the US still suffers from HIV stigma dating back from 1981, when the disease was called the “gay cancer”. In relation to the MDG, mothers are most stubborn in allowing their children to be vaccinated in fear that the needles will make their child sicker. Nigeria has the biggest number of polio as mothers are unwilling to immunise their children due to cultural and religious beliefs.

Involving women in the political and educational development is becoming ever more important. Although Security Council Resolution 1325 (SCR1325) was initiated to involve women in all aspects of decision-making, it seems that even the UN is slow to adopt. Currently, there are 21 female ambassadors to the UN, and 5-6 women are leading peacekeeping operations. This is an improvement but taking into account that 192 countries are UN members, such a number is far and short off target. When considering applicants for a senior position, 1 out of the 3 recommended candidates must be a woman. The author of the Ahlenius Memo was shortlisted for top appointment but she refused as felt discriminated to be shortlisted because of her gender. The question begs whether female appointment is an issue of equality or a struggle over principle or power. Ban Ki Moon supports SCR1325 but without NGO pressure, implementation will continue to be side-stepped by member states.

During training, the biggest surprise for me was to learn about the UN Democracy Fund. This office was set up in 2005upon Kofi Anan stating that democracy is a human right. This is all well and good but as a Western concept, I doubt that democracy will be accepted as a norm for every society. China is a clear example. Chinese foreign policy revolves around compromise and this is evident in their peacekeeping contribution. Anan had defined the basis of sovereignty as ruled by the people and if the sovereign violates their rights, the UN has the right to intervene. China may not agree with this definition, but as a compromise to support conflict prevention, China is willing to contribute troops. Democratisation is an internal matter. The agency cannot do its work without the aid and support of local governments and civil society. At present, 4200 NGOs are accredited to the UN. UN staff is too few and resources are limited, therefore the UN rely on NGO relationship to drive and support the organisation. It is clear that the best way to work with the UN is to join a UN-accredited NGO.

For more information on how to work for the UN and the speakers I have met, please email.

Moroccan Executive Summary

As part of our diplomatic training, professors of Al-Akhawayn University had opened our eyes to domestic and foreign issues related to Morocco and the Middle East. Together with classroom training and visits to the Moroccan Parliament, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rabat, I have compiled a short summary of what we have learnt on Moroccan and Middle Eastern Politics.

The Middle East is made up of 21 countries, 16 of which are ruled under the single party ‘populist authority’, or the family-ruled monarchical regime. Morocco falls under the monarchical political system, whereby the King is constituently the overriding political decision-maker. As the direct descendent of Prophet Muhammed (pbuh), Morocco’s current sovereign HM King Mohammed VI is also recognised as the Head of Religion. Educated with a law degree, the King has the expertise to modify Islamic law to modern circumstances, which is unlike many Islamist state.

Domestically, the King is favourable for the improvement of women’s rights. After decades of protests by feminist organisations, the King has supported the reformation of the ‘Family Code’ which ensures that women become men’s partner in rights and obligation. Reforming the Moudawana has enabled women the right to divorce, retain property, pass national rights to her children, and increase the minimum age of marriage to 15. However, even with these changes, women’s freedom of movement remains restrictive especially in rural areas. Morocco has one of the highest illiteracy rates (80-90% of all ages) and is still 47% rural. The law says that everyone must attend school, however the mixture of French, Arabic, Spanish and local Berber dialect makes educating the nation a difficult process. Universities remain available for the elite, which leaves the rest of the nation behind. Furthermore, the implementation of laws is quite a big problem. For example, the law states that alcohol is forbidden, yet the purchase of alcohol is readily available.

On an international level, Morocco prioritises its foreign agenda around counterterrorism, the unification of the Maghreb, and the Western Sahara. It is quoted that 17% of Al-Qaeda organisation is from Morocco, however Moroccan officials were in denial that terrorism could ever affect them. Such thinking changed when a bomb exploded on May 16, 2003 in Casablanca. Since then, Morocco has been cooperating in counterterrorism strategies in North Africa, and has even issued special permission for the US to keep military bases on its soil. 

Our visit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rabat confirmed that the issue of Western Sahara and the Maghreb Union is much complex. Western Sahara is seen as a geo-political issue between Algeria and Morocco, however Morocco had withdrawn from the African Union as they did not support Moroccan claim over the Western Sahara enclaves. People of the Sahara would prefer to be independent yet the right for self-determination is clearly not acknowledged by either party. Similarly, the issue of the Maghreb Union is unlikely to be resolved. The unification of the Northern African region (between Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Libya and Mauritania) became homogeneous after French colonisation, however each nation have conflicting interest that fail to keep the alliance together. A diplomat at MOFA told us that such issues will be resolved once the problem between Palestine and Israel subsides, hinting that these security matters will continue for some time.

Straight-shooting Marrakech

As one of the most popular tourist destination, I was excited to experience a weekend in Marrakech. At first, I didn’t understand what was so fascinating about this city until we were bombarded by countless palm trees and camels, the scorching 50°C heat, and the vibrant and populated ‘suk’ (marketplace) that seemed to amplify the Morocco’s exoticness.

Unlike Rabat, the trip to Marrakech was purely for pleasure, despite the unbearable heat and 2-day bus ride from Ifrane. As part of the tour, we visited the Bahia Palace designed by the architect Muhammad al-Mekki of Marrakech, the Royal Tomb, the olive garden, and the Medersa Ben Youseff. The architecture of the Medersa Ben Youseff mosque was incredibly beautiful. The traditional Islamic art sculpting of the walls and ceilings truly added an ornate feeling to the already serene and beautiful monument.

Apart from the traditional sightseeing offered by Marrakech, I felt intrigued to explore the famous suk – the Jamaa-El Fna Square, where you can watch snake charmers, storytellers, henna artists and musicians. We came here twice, once in the dead heat of the afternoon and then in the more comfortable evening, which was when the marketplace came to life. A quick walk through the square would take 20 minutes on average with the constant distraction of local traders desperately seeking attention away from their competing neighbours. As a country that is extremely reliant on the tourist trade, the suk is the perfect tourist trap. We were warned by our tutors that Marrakech would be filled with imitators who pretend to be the Blue Men of the Desert, like the man I met in Chefchaoen, and to not buy items blindly without haggling down the price.

Considering that I live in a London borough scattered with Indian fashion stores, negotiating prices for goods wasn’t a new concept for me. However I recognised that my British upbringing in being polite to avoid confrontation made me an ineffective haggler. Although the prices of many items were jacked up for tourist, I felt guilty in persuading traders to knock off £2-5 off my purchase when I knew I could afford it. My colleague, Anca Sol from Romania, had a very different approach in to negotiating, which I have dubbed the ‘straight-shooter negotiation technique’.

The ‘straight shooter’ technique is a very direct approach – you name a price without any room for negotiation, full stop! If the trader disagrees with the price, you walk away and look elsewhere. The advantage of this technique is that it is 100% effective if the right pressure is applied. However, such a technique can quickly lead to an ill-feeling of anger by the other party to the point where they will never want to do business with you again. The ‘straight shooter’ technique isn’t for everyone – and it most certainly wasn’t for me.

Trip to the North

This “trip to the North” was an exciting spur-of-the-moment opportunity after our scheduled weekend to Rabat was cancelled. I quickly became excited with the idea of hiking and touring in the deep valleys of the Northern Moroccan borders even if the decision to participate was sudden. The two day tour included hiking and swimming in Cabo Negro beach, Akshour, and Chefchaouen with 52 students including 15 exchange students.

The journey to the North began at 1.30am on Saturday where we drove approximately 7 hours to our first destination. Cabo Negro beach in Tetouan is close to the borders of Spain, therefore the Spanish language (instead of French) was widely spoken in this region. After a short break for breakfast, we arrived at the beach, which was deserted largely due to the cold wet weather. Our so-called ‘beach day’ lasted only 30 minutes before the temperature dropped and the skies opened up to torrential downpour.

Disappointed, we returned to the mini vans to travel to our next destination – Chefchaouen, where our accommodation for the night awaited us. As we left Tetoun, I was amazed to see the city littered with the Moroccan flag. Every few yards, another set of flags waved in the air. We were told that the King Mohammed VI had visited Tetouan a few days ago, and it is a tradition to decorate the town with its national flag and colour for the special visit. It is apparent that the King of Morocco has great executive power in the country more so than the Moroccan Prime Minister. Security forces in uniform are seen everywhere. While police presence indicates the autocracy of the nation, the sheer volume of security actually makes me feel safe in this country, especially when terrorism is a major problem.

In the local Berber language, Chefchaouen means “the horns” - I presume, of the mountains, which was exactly what we saw when driving through the valley. The scenery was spectacular with the additional treats of seeing farmers ploughing the land, people riding donkeys and even some locals waiting by the roadside for a hitch-hike. The town of Chaouen is well-known as the ‘blue city’ – all the buildings are painted sky blue, which brings about an immense sense of calm to the general atmosphere. I was surprised with how touristic the town was and even more surprised with just how windy it was. It felt like a typhoon but we still managed to explore cute little stores that sold very interesting handicrafts and jewellery. I was in awe of our accommodation – Casa Hassan – which looked like a room from an Arabian fairytale. I also met a man who was apparently from the desserts of Morocco. He seemed quite taken by me being ‘dark-skinned’ – I get mistaken as a Moroccan quite often due to my complexion. He dressed me up as a typical Berber woman, which was quite a strange experience.

The next day, we travelled to Akshour, the deep Northen valley of Morocco where we hiked through rocky terrain. Unfortunately I had many technical issues with my footwear. As we were trekking through shallow rivers, my sandals broke twice. I actually ended up hiking for 5 minutes bear-foot until finally deciding to destroy my trainers in the water. The hike must have taken 2 hours until finally reaching ‘the bridge of God’ where we rewarded by cold mountainous streams to swim in. I only soaked my foot in the water, but many students were brave enough to dive straight into it.

The trip to the North was most certainly a memorable experience and on behalf of the Diplomatic Academy of London, I would like to thank the Students Activities Department of AUI for organising this amazing experience for us.

Ifrane

Ifrane is a small town where Al-Akhawayn University is located. While the university looks like it is in the middle of nowhere, my friend Badr proved to me that the town had some special qualities to it. On a total three hour walking tour, I discovered that the centre town was actually not too far from campus. We walked through the centre where there were bustling little shops surrounded by local people. We shoot some pool at a kid’s park, took photos with the famous lion statue which apparently brought the release of the artist who was in formerly in jail, and ate chicken hotdogs at a local café under the becoming sunset whilst feeding chips to a stray cat.

During my tour, I noticed how the women in Ifrane dressed. On first impressions, I was extremely surprised with how super liberal women at the university dressed; skimpy shorts and tank top. However, outside the campus, women dress conservatively for the most part not only because it is a Muslim country but to avoid sexual harassment, which is a common problem. Accompanied by my Moroccan friend Badr and my American friend Geoff, I was in good company away from local men.

The next day, Badr kindly drove me around Ifrane in a very unsteady car. In fact, he warned me not to wear the seat belt but in fear, I did, and the seat belt became stuck in its holster - so I had to climb my way out of it. On Saturday morning, Badr took me to a marketplace known as suk, which is where locals sell second-hand goods in vast quantities. Such an experience made me laugh. In London, I donate many clothes, household goods and unwanted shoes. Now I know that our unwanted goods get sent to poorer countries such as this to be sold to poor people. I was taken to the suk as I was on the hunt for cheap trainers/sneakers for this trip. Sub-consciously, I was looking for clothes that could possibly belong to me from London – you never know!

From the suk, Badr drove me to Ifrane’s forest area where we sat near a lake accompanied by at least 50 goats. At one point, we were ambushed by local men and their horses who insisted that we take a ride. I didn’t feel too comfortable riding a horse that was drooling, and knowing my luck with animals, the horse would probably kick me off. Nevertheless, it was a lovely spent afternoon, and now I shall return to my Arabic alphabets and phrase book.

First day in Morocco

Hooray – I made it to Morocco in one piece… after a two hour flight delay and my driver leaving me stranded at Fes airport. Nonetheless, I am safe at Al-Akhawayn University in Ifrane, which looks more like a holiday resort than a university campus. I’m surprised with how big this place is, but I guess most campuses look large compared to my home universities in London. The mosque is at the centre of the university, and all buildings have a high pointed arch, to enable snow in the winter season to run down it.

After an extremely bumpy landing, I tagged along with an American family in figuring out how to get to our destination, considering our drivers ditched us. After some contemplation, I decided to grab a taxi and was lucky to share it with an American student, Geoff, who was heading to the same university as I. As the first students to arrive from our group, we stuck together looking for our tutors, ID cards, and most importantly, food! 

Security is quite tight in this university. There are security guards everywhere, but people seem very friendly. As I post this on my second day, I have managed to make a friend, Badr, who has agreed to show me around Ifrane after his library shift. I’m looking forward to it.

I was surprised to be sharing a room with someone, a really nice native Moroccan girl, Ayda, whom I hope will teach me the basics of Arabic, and how to get to certain places. I’m quite pleased with how this trip is panning out.

I have 3 days spare before the rest of the Diplomatic Academy of London group joins me in our lessons in North African and Middle Eastern politics. During this time, I aim to learn the basics of Arabic, buy gym gear in order to work out hardcore, read through my United Nations briefing paper, and educate myself on Moroccan culture and system.

Metro newspaper

As part of my summer fundraising initiative, I have been working for Metro at the Associated Newspaper London head office. Metro is Britain’s third largest newspaper, and the paper is distributed for free at stations every weekday morning. Throughout my education, I have studied media and actively taken part in broadcast media and editing, and it is very interesting to be working in one of the biggest newspaper associations in the country.  I currently work for the distribution team, and I would like to kindly thank the team for making feel a part of their group.

The Associated Newspaper London headquarters has quite an impressive interior with its large, super high glass ceiling, spiral staircase, a fountain that flows against black marble, massive lips to sit on, and the glorious koi pond which I walk by every day into the Metro office. When colleagues learned that I was training in diplomacy, the comment was often that this was an office with no diplomatic tact whatsoever. It is quite an... interesting experience to say the least. Below is a link to a short video of where I worked at Metro.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wHeBuM9x_w

In the next few days, I will begin my journey in Morocco to study at the Al-Akhawayn UniversityUnited Nations in New York. These trips would not have been possible without the support of a few individuals. I would like to give massive thanks to Edwin, Bhavna, Professor Nourallah, Izzy, Abdalhamid, Tanvir, Bunmi, The Gilbert Murray Trust, and importantly Anthony for all the support each and everyone one of them have given me. I would also like to thank all my friends, colleagues and family for providing me well wishes, and having so much faith in me and my work.

Thank you all, and please do follow my progress on this website.

Personal Empowerment

As part of the ‘personal empowerment’ seminar, I was invited by the Human Culture Collective to speak about “maximising one’s image through social media strategies”. This was an opportunity to discuss how far this blog has taken me and how I was able to build a personal brand through extremely cost-efficient ways. The seminar was held at Birkbeck University. I was quite astounded with just how big the audience was. At least 40 people had shown up.

I was the first speaker to open up about brand social media, followed Sidney Sanni discussing the world of self-publishing, and finally a video presentation by Julene Siddique. While there were many concerns about issues of privacy and online identity, my discussion was primarily focus on how to broaden one’s horizon through blogs, Facebook, twitter and other social mediums.

I would like to thank the Human Culture Collective for the promotion of this event and the success we had achieved on that night.

If you would like a copy of my presentation, please do leave a comment.

Mind of a trainee diplomat

Through my diplomatic training, I have noticed that I am beginning to position myself more strongly on issues I care about. Recently, I have taken great interest in militarism and armed conflict - not that I support it, but on how to eliminate war and the violence women face by male combatants. In researching my dissertation of the topic of 'Women versus Militarism', I came across an interesting book that supported very strongly the ideas I would like to bring forth in international diplomacy when I finally reach that point in my career. Here are a few thoughts I would like to share with you which I would like to strengthen in diplomacy and international relations - and I fully welcome any comments in support or argument of these points. 

1. Holding no official position does not relieve one of responsibility. Being a non-combatant does not make one innocent, nor does ignorance, especially not deliberate ignorance. “Conscious avoidance” or “deliberate ignorance” is a legal term which diminishes or negates a claim of innocence. Ignorance about one’s military does not make a citizen innocent.

2. Governmental secrecy does not absolve a citizen. Citizens who accept the necessity for government secrecy are complicit. In time of war, operational secrets are permissible. However, citizens should insist that every member of Congress have access to every government file, and that no file be kept secret longer than ten years. Withholding information from citizens subverts democracy. Lying to them is criminal.

3. If we can participate in choosing our government, we are accountable for the nature of our military and where and how it is deployed.

4. Military personnel kill on behalf of citizens. Citizens should be ashamed that the military is killing in their name.

5. In many developed countries military technology has created such impunity for its users that the moral question, “What is worth dying for?” has been replaced with “What is worth killing for”?

6. A military that “outsources” is a military which makes war profitable. Contracts let without standard procedures because of an “emergency” are not only enriching but a likely source of corruption.

7. In democracies, the military is sent to war by civilian officials who are charged with protecting the citizenry. The role of “protector” leads officials to authorise actions they might not take even in self-defence. The problem is that those charged with protection know that they cannot guarantee it.

8. Security means safety and well-being. It attaches to people not necessarily to the states, or to corporations, or religious or other institutions. Importantly, even “opponents” need to be and feel secure.

9. A crucial tool in diplomacy and warfare is to be able to think as the person one is dealing with thinks.

10. “Terrorism” has been used to justify pre-emption but terrorism is not special. It is experienced everywhere, including in democracies like England, India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and Spain. “Terrorism” is not necessarily more heinous than the random killing of non-combatants as “collateral damage”. Both involve the killing of non-participating civilians.

11.Instead of focusing on war’s cost and its horror, attention should be given to whether or not the outcome of a conflict fulfils its stated purpose.

12. The stationing of any country’s troops abroad should be prohibited unless they are part of a United Nations sanctioned force.

13. Article VI of the 1968 Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty calls for nuclear disarmament. Even, if the US were to destroy 9000 of its existing nuclear weapons, it would still have enough left to destroy civilization. The goal of non-proliferation should be expanded to include the goal of eliminating all nuclear weapons just as they treaty says.

14. “Gender” does not just mean the biological sex. In practice, a policy of “gender mainstreaming” involves bringing females into an institution.

15. The government is said to have a monopoly on the legitimate use of force. If men have a near monopoly on force, what can we learn from how women manage in a culture where they are, essentially, unilaterally disarmed?

16. When women focus on issues like rape in war, a military tactic, their energy and thoughts are diverted from the larger issues, which replacing strategies which select force as a legitimate means to achieving a goal. The goal should not be to make war more humane but to eliminate it.
 
17. Enforcement of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 which requires women's presence at all peace negotiations would serve as a useful reminder that women are participants in every conflict and have a stake in every conflict's resolution.

*Stiehem, Judith Hicks. "These on the military, security, war and women", in Sjoberg, Laura, ed., Gender and International Security: Feminist Perspectives. London, New York: Routledge, 2010. pp 17-23

Broken British System

The election in Britain is over. The results are in, and the people have spoken… but the problem is, no-one still knows what the results are. We have no parliament, and Gordon Brown is still Prime Minister… without being voted in for the second time! Furthermore, thousands of voters were turned away at the polling station. There was a 65% rise in voter turnout and there was not enough polling stations and staff to handle the pressure. Is this really democracy when people were told that they would not vote because there simply wasn’t the space? This could have made the difference in the votes today, but instead, we have something that is known as a “hung parliament”. This situation has opened our eyes to just how broken the British electoral system is and the British people are furious.

In order to secure a Prime Minister, a party will need to secure a majority of 326 seats. These seats depend on the voters voting for which party a certain borough wants to be presented by. The problem with this is that the UK is dominated by two parties: Labour and the Conservatives…which means that they will always have more members in the party, and always have a higher number seats than candidates from independent parties, fringe parties or even parties like the Liberal Democrats. Confusing? Carry on reading!

Currently, the Conservative party have secured approximately 302 seats, Labour with 232, and Liberal Democrats with 55 – which was incredibly disappointing. The balance of power now depends on the Liberal Democrats. If they pass over their seats to the Conservatives, they will gain the majority votes and David Cameron will become Prime Minister.

In the next few days, Gordon Brown and David Cameron will have to negotiate with Nick Clegg and other independent parties to negotiate on passing their seats onto either Labour or Conservative, but this means a lot of game playing and political ‘bribery’… “Give me your seats and I will work with you on the child tax”.

You can keep reading about what the outcome of this election is but we are confused too! We have no government, many prominent MPs have lost the vote, and Gordon Brown is still our Prime Minister. I shake my head at this poor system. This is not democracy and it is indeed a very poor, unsatisfying and disappointing result.

Summer Fundraising

I am half way through my diplomatic training at the Diplomatic Academy of London with a huge 4 months gap before beginning semester II. The plans for summer are in fact quite busy with projects and activities in the pipeline. However, in order to represent my country and continue with my diplomacy training, I am seeking for funds to support my work. By the end of June, I aim to raise a total of £5000. Here is a short outline to where the money will go and how you will be supporting me. Please help me reach my target, and support this work. Every project will be covered by this website.

GRASSROOT DIPLOMAT

OUTLINE: Grassroot Diplomat acts as a broadcast media platform to bridge the gap between politicians and people under the age of 30. This age group is heavily underrepresented by the media, and very often, their views are ignored by politicians. The project seeks to highlight positive aspects of every nation through the eyes of young people. Grassroot Diplomat is cost effective, relying on people across the world to send footage about their local community. Documentaries will be edited in the London HQ, then uploaded online and sent to local TV stations for wider coverage.

FUNDS: £1000 to set-up a comprehensive website where documentaries can be accessed in areas with low bandwidth internet.

MOROCCO EXCHANGE

OUTLINE: As part of my Masters programme, the Diplomatic Academy of London has organised an exchange programme with the Al Akhawayn University in Morocco. This exchange will further my studies as an opportunity to learn Arabic, international relations from the perspective of an African nation, engage in global discussions, and train us as diplomats to protect and serve the interest of our own nation.

FUNDS: £1000 towards flights and meals.

UNITED NATIONS SUMMER PROGAMME

OUTLINE: Students studying diplomacy or international relations are confirmed places based on merit. This course will allow students to attend official sessions at the United Nations headquarters in New York, and participate at workshops from distinguished practitioners in the field of multilateral diplomacy. The program is structured around a series of seminars led by U.N. officials and representatives of governments and civil society on a wide range of global issues currently on the U.N. agenda.

FUNDING: £2000 towards course fee, return flights, and course materials.

SINGAPORE CONFERENCE

OUTLINE: I have been invited to represent my university and country at the Global Scholars and Leaders Conference in Singapore. Admissions to the conference are merit based, and upon completion of the conference, delegates will be recognised for past accomplishment and participation at the GSLC with the Global Young Leaders Award, an award that will distinguish me as a high-achiever.

FUNDING: £1000 towards accommodation and admission fee

The Election Live Debate

For the first time in British history, the three main political leaders: Gordon Brown (Labour Party), David Cameron (Conservative Party), and Nick Clegg (Liberal Democrat) debated on live television against one another’s policies. Three weeks before the general national election on 6^th May, this debate was important in laying out the domestic priorities of each of the main parties, and to help sway the national vote. Questions were asked by selected studio audience on issues related to healthcare, the MP expenses scandal, neighbourhood crime, the army, immigration, and education.

The Labour Party has been in power since 1997, first led by Tony Blair, but then succeeded by Gordon Brown in 2007, who was the former Chancellor of the Exchequer. In his opening speech, Brown stated that, “we are moving from recession to recovery… every promise depends on a strong economy and this is the defining year”. However, as revealed by the Conservative Party posters, Labour had doubled the national debt, and judging by this debate, Gordon Brown’s priorities remain stagnant and unchanged. Conservative leader David Cameron, hopes to “restore some of the faith and some of the politics” from the expense scandals by changing the current political party to “build a bigger society”. Stepping away from the two party fistfight, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg clearly defined that “the way things are, are not the way things have to be,” and opinion polls after the debate suggests the LibDems as favourites to winning the election.   

Unfortunately for Labour, the issue of the national debt was a reoccurring theme in the debate. Brown clearly stated that the national debt will remain the same, which means he intends on NOT cutting any sector budgets. “Pull out money,” Brown said, “and you will have less growth, less jobs and less business,” but this statement is quite unrealistic given that Britain is still very slowly recovering from the financial crash. Cameron pointed fingers at Brown by giving an example of Labour increased managerial pay to 7% and allowed civil servants to spend tax payer money by issuing them with credit cards. Cameron stressed that the deficit needs to be removed now so that £6billion can be later be saved to stop job tax. Clegg was the only leader bold enough to argue that the renewal of the Cold War nuclear Trident missile is a “waste” of money, and such financial resource could be diverted into education, healthcare and policing. “We all know that we have a great black hole in our recovery,” Clegg said, “the question is, who is being straight with you on these cuts?” Unfortunately, it was neither Cameron nor Brown.

Gordon Brown seems insistent in continuing the ‘business as usual’ model. He stressed the urgency of maintaining current police surveillance, to the point where he wants 80% of police time being spent harbouring the streets, and giving dissatisfied citizens an injunction in case the job is not done right. Surely investment in the police should be maintained if they are fulfilling their job to the highest standard? Furthermore, on the issue of immigration, Brown still wants to issue ID cards and enhance the points system as a means to decrease the rising number of immigrants living and working in the country. The already difficult point system greatly ignores professionals who have intangible skills like linguistics or researchers, and only takes into account the quota of immigrants coming into the country. David Cameron argued for the ‘caps system’ which keeps a count on successful immigration and supported the points system to limit number of immigrants coming into Britain for economic reasons. Nick Clegg contested the matter by allocating immigrant workers to regions where the need for special skilled workers is required. If there is a job and the applicant has a sponsor, migration will be entitled. Clegg too agreed that police patrol is necessary but the “conveyor belt” in turning yobs into citizens is underdeveloped. Prisons are “overcrowded colleges of crime,” where 9 out of 10 prisoners re-offend. Therefore to combat this, young offenders need to be engaged in behavioural activities. Cameron was adamant in lengthening the sentence of criminals and sending drug addicts to boot camp, however he also said that if money is not spent on the right things, i.e. purchasing police cars instead of training more people, funding towards healthcare will most certainly be cut.

In the case of education, Brown promises to maintain investment in “education per pupil” which seems far-fetched considering that his arguments in making budget cuts were vague and to a point non-existent. The only plausible suggestion he made was for local federations and academies to takeover underperforming schools. But Cameron argued that the issue of the national debt means Labour cutting the education budget, something which is already put into practice as experienced by my own university. He stated that the education system has become “terribly bureaucratic” and discipline should be exercised by Head Teachers without appealing against students who were excluded for bad behaviour. In agreement, Clegg added that the national curriculum should be made smaller. The paperwork is currently 600 pages long, which stems from Cameron’s talk about bureaucracy. Classes should be made smaller so that teachers can use the resources and teach effectively. Furthermore, LibDem’s “Education Freedom Act” proposes weekend and evening classes, and promises to freeze the government from dominating education, which should promote creativity in schools.

The general debate about healthcare was fairly divided. While Brown urged that the number of NHS staff has risen, Cameron and Clegg argued that money is spent on the wrong resources. Using the example of his late son, Cameron highly praised the NHS on their job, thus supported the need for NHS budget to grow against inflation, as well as giving patients more control over their treatment. In his recall, Cameron said the number of managers is going up 5 times faster than nurses, which ironically stalls the NHS from performing. Brown said that Labour “will support the front line services,” and has already done so as there are now 30,000 doctors, however there is a shortage of nurses and specialists. Brown gives his “personal guarantee” that GPs and specialists will be made available in evening and weekends, however this does not close the gap for the shortage of staff suffered in maternity wards and A&E departments.  Clegg reminded that money should not be spent on upgrading computer systems and hiring managers, but providing services to help people who require it. 

The argument was similar to the treatment of the elderly, and each party leader proposed fair solutions. Cameron was blunt in saying that not all care can be made free due to the current national debt, however, under Conservative leadership, those turning 65 will be guaranteed free residential care which is a “good start, a fair start.” The question is how this care will be paid for full-time if it is not covered by the residents themselves. Clegg suggested to using the money in paying full-time carers of elderly or disabled people a respite period. By providing carers with a week paid rest, this will encourage citizens to continuing caring for loved ones, rather than sending them to residential homes. Brown suggested an alternate solution which will be put into effect in April 2011 under Labour power. If the elderly are in care for more than two years, their personal and medical care will be free thereafter. This will help ease the cost of care.

In regards to the MP expense, Clegg said that he doesn’t think “politicians deserve any credibility”. There are still MPs, who have yet to take responsibility for the abuse, and parties and constituents should have the right to sack corrupt members of parliaments. This idea was formally blocked by Labour and Conservative, but Brown and Cameron now agree with Clegg on this matter. Clegg also supported Cameron’s policy on cleaning up the House of Lords. The Conservative wants salary and MP cuts of 10% in the House of Commons, just like any other sector. Brown went further by suggesting an MP can only be selected in the House with more than 50% of the votes instead of the original 30%, and should cut the number of members in the House of Lords by more than 10%.

With less than 3 weeks to the election, this debate was a taste of how each of the main leaders will perform under pressure on pressing matters. I have always been a firm supporter of the Liberal Democrats, and after Nick Clegg’s outstanding performance against Cameron and Brown, I urge my fellow voters to cast your vote for this ‘alternate’ party.