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14 March 2013
The 16th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) held in Bangkok closed on 14 March, after reaching agreement to add a number of plants and animals to the list of species over which international trade is regulated or banned. New species added to the list include tropical timber, sharks and manta rays.
The Press Release asserted that ‘international cooperation to combat serious wildlife crime have seen past differences set aside to stop the poaching of elephants and the rhinoceroses for their ivory and horn’ and that the ‘international community has today decided to make best use of this pragmatic and effective agreement to help it along the path to sustainability in our oceans and forests’.
Source: BBC | Landmark shark ban upheld at conservation meeting
Source: Press release | CITES conference takes decisive action to halt decline of tropical timber, sharks, manta rays and a wide range of other plants and animals
14 March 2013
France and the United Kingdom made announcements that the two States were considering bypassing the European Union (EU) arms embargo in order to arm Syrian rebels. The EU is set to discuss its embargo again in May.
Source: BBC | France, UK 'may bust Syria arms ban'
13 March 2013
Alex J. Bellamy and Paul D. Williams have recently published the book Providing Peacekeepers: The Politics, Challenges, and Future of United Nations Peacekeeping Contributions (Oxford University Press 2013).
The book addresses the question why states contribute forces to United Nations (UN) missions and what factors restrain them from doing more. The book summarizes challenges confronting the UN in its force generation efforts and develops a new framework for analyzing UN peacekeeping contributions in light of the sixteen case study chapters which examine the experiences of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, the People’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Nigeria, Ghana, Nepal, Uruguay, Brazil, Turkey, South Africa and Japan.
Source: OUP | Providing Peacekeepers: The Politics, Challenges, and Future of United Nations Peacekeeping Contributions
13 March 2013
The United States (US) has delayed the transfer of control over the Bagram Prison in Afghanistan to Afghan control, in view of the dispute of the continuing involvement of the US in matters of detention policy.
The New York Times reports that the US is concerned about dangerous insurgents being freed, and that they ‘want to keep a veto power over whom the Afghans release; they want promises that the Afghans will not release certain dangerous prisoners, whom the American military calls Enduring Security Threats, or E.S.T.’s, even if they cannot be prosecuted in court for specific offenses; and they want promises that the United States will retain access to Afghan-run cellblocks to ensure that detainees are not being abused.’
Source: The New York Times | U.S. Again Delays Transfer of Bagram Prison to Afghan Forces
12 March 2013
According to news reports, United States (US), French and British troops train Syrian rebels in the east and south of Jordan. While the Pentagon had already confirmed in October 2012 that US special forces and military advisers had trained select Syrian rebels together with the Jordanian military in the summer of 2012, the British and French Defense Ministries have not yet commented on their involvement in the training activities. In a statement made on 6 March 2013, however, British Foreign Minister William Hague revealed a wide understanding of the EU arms embargo against Syria, explaining that ‘technical assistance can include assistance, advice and training on how to maintain security in areas no longer controlled by the regime, on co-ordination between civilian and military councils, on how to protect civilians and minimize the risks to them, and how to maintain security during a transition’.
Source: The Guardian | West training Syrian rebels in Jordan
Source: RT | US, UK and France training Syrian rebels in Jordan - reports
Source: Der Spiegel | US-Unterstützung im Bürgerkrieg: Heimliches Waffentraining für Syriens Rebellen (in German)
