The UN Cracks the Whip on Burma

by Bradford Adams · 2010-03-30 13:36:00 UTC
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WaterHere’s how you know when diplomats –- people who are tasked to think twice before saying nothing –- are getting serious: when you no longer have to read between the lines. Last week senior UN diplomats started to take the gloves off, as diplomacy goes, in their effort to get the Burma junta to take democratic reform and human rights seriously. It’s about time.

The UK Representative to the UN, Mark Lyall Green, led the way last week — stating in no uncertain terms that Britain would support referring Burma to the International Criminal Court. The human rights community has been advocating for more UN action for more than two years (see here, here, here, here, and here). And it is starting to happen. It was only last month that a sitting U.N. human rights official, the Special Rapporteur for human rights in Burma no less, weighed in as well, saying the UN should consider investigating international crimes in Burma. When Green was asked for the UK’s views about referring Burma to the ICC, he stated that the UK “of course would support such a reference.” Don’t let the flippant tone fool you: threatening ICC referral is a big deal.

An ICC referral would require the support or acquiescence of all permanent Security Council members, and the others won’t be easy to come by. Least of all China. But Green put the Burma leadership on notice that the counting has begun.

The next day, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also shared his views on Burma. Asked about the progress toward demonstrating that this summer’s election will be anything remotely like legitimate, Ban said it was “disappointing,” “frustrating and disappointing,” oh, and did I mention “frustrating,” that Burma has done nothing to assure “that people of Myanmar can enjoy genuine freedom and genuine democracy.” Now, granted, this fit of pique doesn’t sound like saber-rattling. But you really don’t hear this sort of talk very often from the UNSG. When the Secretary General can’t stand you, you just don’t have many friends left.

Will Rogers quipped that “diplomacy is the art of saying ‘nice doggie’ until you can find a rock.” The authorities in Burma must have noticed that their friends aren’t playing as nice as they used to.

Photo credit: Franz Patzing

Bradford Adams is a member of the International Human Rights Clinic at Harvard Law School. He previously worked as a humanitarian aid worker in Africa and as an Army officer.
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