WBEZ | United Nations

Chicago, capital of the world

Mon, 21 May 2012 07:00:00 -0500

The just-concluding NATO summit reminded me of a story I’d come across in an old copy of the Tribune. The date was December 6, 1945. On that date, Chicago was in the running to become the headquarters of the brand-new United Nations.

Let’s go back and revisit that time.

The League of Nations had been unable to prevent World War II. That war had lasted nearly six years and cost tens of millions of lives. The UN was supposed to be an improved replacement for the old League.

For now, the UN was meeting in London. Most member countries favored putting the permanent headquarters in the United States. But where?

Among the sites being considered were Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, New York City, Westchester County (New York)–and Chicago. So a four-man delegation from Chicago traveled to London to meet with UN officials. Before boarding their plane for the trip home, they talked with reporters.

The Chicagoans were upbeat. Getting the UN headquarters for the city appeared to be a done deal. “We are more convinced than ever that Chicago meets every requirement,” said Corporation Counsel Barnet Hodes.

The war had been over less than six months, and much of Europe was still devastated and poor. UN officials were frankly worried about the high cost of living in the United States. That was one area where Chicago had an advantage over other American sites.

“We impressed on these people that they can get more for their money in Chicago,” labor leader William McFetridge said. Housing, food, recreation, and education were cheaper than in any of the other cities. Foreign diplomats could live very well in the Windy City.

The Chicago delegation had another reason to be optimistic about landing the prize. The city had its own “inside man” at the UN.

Adlai Stevenson, an up-and-coming Chicago lawyer, was then serving in London as deputy U.S. delegate to the UN. Stevenson wanted to get into politics. Helping make Chicago the Capital of the World would also help young Adlai’s career.

If the UN did come to Chicago, where exactly would it be located? Rumors were already circulating that the site would be Northerly Island. That would be close to downtown, yet separated from the mainland for security purposes. Build an airstrip there, and the delegates could fly in!

As we all know, Chicago never did become the UN headquarters. But after the experience of the last few weeks, maybe that’s just as well.

Security analyst Steve Clemons discusses U.S. strategy in the Middle East and Afghanistan

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 14:36:00 -0500

The U.S. is negotiating some rough and strategic waters. The end game in Afghanistan is at the top of the headlines today. Not far behind is the hemorrhaging crisis in Syria and the nuclear puzzle with Iran. Then there's the rebuilding of Libya. Today, Worldview talks with Washington editor of The Atlantic and founder of the American Strategy Program, Steve Clemons, about the much-needed strategies brewing on Capitol Hill.

Annan ends Syria trip with no deal

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 15:40:00 -0500

International envoy and former U.N. chief Kofi Annan left Syria Sunday without a deal to end the bloody year-old conflict as regime forces mounted a new assault on rebel strongholds in the north.

Annan said he presented President Bashar Assad with concrete proposals "which will have a real impact on the ground."

"Once it's agreed, it will help launch the process and help end the crisis on the ground," he told reporters at the end of his two-day visit to Syria.

Annan, who also met with Syrian opposition leaders and businessmen in Damascus, said he was optimistic following two sets of talks with Assad, but acknowledged that resolving the crisis would be tough.

"It's going to be difficult but we have to have hope," he said.

The former U.N. chief called for reforms that would create "a solid foundation for a democratic Syria," but added: "You have to start by stopping the killing and the misery and the abuse that is going on today and then give time for a political settlement."

The ongoing bloodshed cast a pall over the U.N. efforts to end the country's yearlong conflict, with both the regime and the opposition refusing talks with the other.

In his discussions with Assad on Saturday, Annan made several proposals to end the political crisis and start a political dialogue. He was rebuffed by the president who rejected any immediate negotiations with the opposition, striking a further blow to already faltering international efforts for talks to end the conflict.

Assad told Annan that a political solution is impossible as long as "terrorist groups" threaten the country.

The opposition's political leadership has also rejected dialogue, saying talk is impossible after a crackdown that the U.N. estimates has killed more than 7,500 people. That makes it likely that the conflict will continue to edge toward civil war.

Annan left Syria later Sunday, headed for Qatar, a U.N. spokesman said on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Syrian forces, meanwhile, kept up an offensive against rebel strongholds in the north of the country and shelled neighborhoods in the restive central city of Homs, activists said.

Military units loyal to Assad appear to have been freed up after finally crushing lightly armed rebels in the Homs neighborhood of Baba Amr last week, and are on the attack in Idlib province, across the border from key opposition supply bases in Turkey.

Troops on Saturday launched a long-anticipated assault to crush the opposition in Idlib province, bombarding its main city with tank shells from all sides and clashing with rebel fighters struggling to hold back an invasion.

Syrian forces had been building up for days around Idlib, the capital of a hilly, agricultural province along the Syria-Turkey border that has been a hotbed of protests against Assad's regime.

An AP photographer touring Turkish villages across the border from Idlib reported hearing constant artillery pounding. Turkish villagers said the artillery fire begins just before dawn and that refugees were trickling in across the border during lulls.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of activists on the ground in Syria, said a civilian and three soldiers were killed Sunday in the village of al-Janoudieh across from the border with Turkey where heavy clashes were taking place between troops and army defectors. A mother and her son were killed in the town of Ariha.

The dead troops were killed by army defectors when they stormed a village and began a campaign of raids and arrests, activists said.

In Homs, several activists reported intense shelling of the Karm el-Zeytoun, Bab Dreib and Job al-Jandali districts with mortars and rocket propelled grenades and said several people were killed and wounded.

"There is very heavy destruction. Cars are burning and smoke is rising from the area," said Homs-based activist Abu Bakr Saleh.

"They are trying to punish all districts of Homs where anti-government protests still take place," he said.

Many fear the offensive in Idlib could end up like the regime's campaign against the rebel-held neighborhood of Baba Amr in Homs. Troops besieged and shelled Baba Amr for weeks before capturing it on March 1.

Activists say hundreds were killed, and a U.N. official who visited the area this week said she was "horrified" by the destruction in the district, now virtually deserted.

In the northwestern city of Aleppo, gunmen assassinated local boxing champion Gheyath Tayfour. State-run news agency SANA said an armed group ambushed the 34-year-old Tayfour in his car near Aleppo University square and opened fire, killing him instantly with five bullets to his head.

Syria has seen a string of mysterious assassinations lately targeting doctors, professors and businessman, as the uprising against Assad turns more militarized.

Weighing the options for what’s next in Syria

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:12:00 -0600

The Arab League wants a joint Arab-UN peacekeeping mission to end the 11-month conflict in Syria. Damascus "categorically rejected" the resolution. The League's move comes one week after Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step aside. Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University, tells Worldview what he sees as the next steps for Syria.

U.N., E.U. presidency step up pressure to reunite Cyprus

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:03:00 -0600

Compared to other seemingly intractable political struggles, the one between Turkish and Greek Cypriots has received little attention in the last few years. But that’s about to change.

This summer, the Greek Cypriots are poised to take over the rotating E.U. presidency. In reaction, Turkey is threatening to freeze ties with the E.U. if Cyprus assumes control without a deal to reunify the island. The Republic of Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey took over the northern part of the island in response to a Greek military coup that aimed to make the island a part of Greece.

Recently, the United Nations has stepped up efforts to move the two parties toward reunification. In the next few days, Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders will meet with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to discuss a possible deal.

Endy Zemenides, the executive director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council, tells Worldview what these latest developments might mean for Cyprus.

Haiti’s earthquake recovery marred by forced evictions, cholera

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:38:00 -0600

Although it's been two years since the earthquake and billions of dollars in aid have gone into the country, Haiti is still struggling. Many of those who were displaced in the earthquake still live in tent camps. And a public health disaster has further destabilized the country: half a million people have been sickened by cholera and 5,000 have died from the illness.

Attorney Nicole Phillips says the epidemic was triggered by United Nations workers who contracted cholera in Nepal, and then brought it to Haiti. An attorney with the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti and assistant director for Haiti Programs at the University of San Francisco School of Law, Nicole is part of a team of lawyers that’s suing the UN on behalf of the Haitian people. She tells us why she's taking action and also gives us insights into the recent uptick in forced – and sometimes violent – evictions from Haiti’s tent camps under President Michel Martelly.

To watch a video of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon's spokesperson, Martin Nesirky, addressing the cholera allegations with members of the press, click here. His comments begin at 15:55.

Governments take steps towards a nuclear-free world

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 16:30:00 -0500

As the world prepares to welcome its seven billionth citizen next week, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed the need to achieve a future in which the human family is free of the threat of nuclear weapons. As he said this month in New York, “We know that the world of tomorrow is shaped by the decisions we make today. A world free of nuclear weapons is a concrete possibility.” He added, “Let us realize that dream so that seven billion people can live in peace and security.”

Global politics in the next year will determine how attainable this vision really is.

Last Friday, the United Nations, the U.S., Russia and Britain announced the first steps to convening what is certain to be a controversial conference in 2012 on turning the Middle East into a zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. An appointed “facilitator” will have the difficult task of consulting outlier states in the region, such as Israel and Iran, ahead of the conference.

Then, there's the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Ratified by about 155 states, it can’t go into effect because nuclear powers like the U. S. and China won’t sign on. The Obama administration affirmed its intention to deliver the treaty for ratification to the U.S. Senate but hasn't said when.

And next May, Chicago will host both the G8 and NATO summits. Last month, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen outlined goals for the NATO conference, including what he calls the “appropriate mix of capabilities - conventional, nuclear and missile defense" - especially for former Soviet Union States like Poland and Romania.

Kevin Martin joins us to talk about the state of the nuclear non-proliferation movement. He’s executive director of Peace Action in Washington D.C., a group that follows non-proliferation issues and attempts to develop citizen engagement toward a nuclear-free world.

Chicagoans question Palestinian state bid

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 21:36:00 -0500

Palestinian and Jewish Chicagoans say they’re anxious about how events in the Middle East may unfold if the United Nations recognizes a Palestinian state. Palestinian-American Magdi Odeh didn’t go to any local rallies in favor of Palestinian statehood because it’s still unclear to him what it would mean.

“Will we have self-determination?” asked Odeh. “Will we control our own borders? Will we be able to have East Jerusalem as a capital?”

Odeh said it’s also unclear what the ramifications would be for Palestinian refugees.

Meantime, Aaron Cohen of the Jewish United Fund said Israel wants a two-state solution, but Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s move could undermine negotiations to get there.

“The Palestinians seek to do an end-run around that shared path which raises the concern that there really isn’t a shared objective of what the future reality is going to look like,” Cohen said.

Odeh and Cohen said it’s not clear how state recognition from the United Nations would change the on-the-ground situation in that part of the world.

Two perspectives on the Palestinian bid for statehood

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 15:50:00 -0500

Despite intense U.S. pressure, this morning Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas handed a letter to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon requesting official recognition of a Palestinian state. The U.N. Security Council may consider Abbas’s request as early as next week.

President Obama has vowed to veto any action at the U.N. Security Council. “I am convinced that there is no short cut to the end of a conflict that has endured for decades,” he told the General Assembly in a speech on Wednesday. The move may be more symbolic than practical, but it certainly put Palestinian interests back on the international agenda and underscored U.S. failure to move forward on peace talks.

We talk to Ilan Peleg, a professor of government and law at Lafayette College and author of the recent book Israel’s Palestinians: The Conflict Within. He thinks the bid pushes the Israelis and Palestinians further away from the negotiating table and discredits the U.S. position as broker between the two parties. We also hear from Adam Horowitz, an independent journalist and co-editor of the progressive Jewish blog Mondoweiss: The War of Ideas in the Middle East.

Worldview 9.23.11

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:29:00 -0500

Today, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will submit a letter to the U.N. Security Council requesting official recognition of a Palestinian state. We talk to Ilan Peleg, author of Israel’s Palestinians, who thinks the move pushes Israelis and Palestinians further away from the negotiating table and discredits the U.S. as a broker between the two parties. Journalist Adam Horowitz also weighs in on the political maneuverings behind Palestinian aspirations for U.N. recognition. Later, we discuss Global Climate Action Day, which takes place tomorrow. The organization “350” has 2,000 events planned for public squares around the world, with citizens demanding everything from protection of precious water resources to sustainable urban transit to a global climate treaty. We talk to Jason Kowalski, 350’s global policy director, about the campaign. Lastly, film contributor Milos Stehlik talks about his personal encounters with Iranian filmmakers who this week were arrested and detained in Iran.