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UN in the Arab World |
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Working Paper Series
WPS #5: Europe's Lopsided Foreign Policy
Israel, Lebanon and the PalestiniansStuart Reigeluth, Managing Editor of REVOLVEAbstract: Europe is in the process of creating a common foreign policy. This is a difficult task since, as a supranational entity, the European Union must take into consideration the different interests of its 27 member states. Externally, these efforts have translated into EU civilian and military missions that aim to reform police and judicial systems, as well as to professionalize border management, such as in the Palestinian territories. However, beneath the umbrella of another supra-national body, the United Nations, European nation states also participate in peacekeeping missions, such as UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), where they do not officially represent the EU. Europe's nascent foreign policy therefore provides a 'soft' buttress to the overarching foreign policy of the United States. This is also evident in the eastern Mediterranean where the European Union is part of the U.S.-led Middle East Quartet (along with the UN and Russia) that strives to advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Behind these efforts to promote peace, Brussels has created its closest ties with Tel Aviv, while being engaged in conflict management and reform missions in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. This has created a lopsided European foreign policy in Israel's favor.Related Materials: EU Decision-making Structure ||| EU Trade Balance in the Eastern Mediterranean ||| EU Treaties WPS #2: Is It Wrong or Illegal? Situating the Gaza Blockade between International Law and the UN ResponseNoura Erakat, Adjunct Professor of International Human Rights Law in the Middle East, Georgetown University Abstract: To demonstrate the United Nations Security Council's failure to uphold the rule of law this paper begins by providing a background of the Gaza Strip leading to the imposition of a blockade. It then shows that the blockade is illegal pursuant to international humanitarian law. Third, this paper demonstrates how the UN is in violation of its own Charter because of the Security Council's failure to respect international law and the grotesque discrepancy between its handling of crisis in Gaza as compared with other international case studies. Such a discrepancy renders the situation in Gaza a legal black hole where might, as opposed to law, is right. This paper concludes with recommendations made to the UN to redress such failure as well as to posit questions for future research.Read working paper: English ||| ArabicNoura Erakat lecture: Video ||| Audio ||| Lecture presentation ||| Event poster
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