The Biden administration has decided to return to the UN Human Rights Council in order to reform it and to call time on its notorious anti-Israel bias. Gerald M. Steinberg explains that while the structural and political obstacles to those goals are formidable, some improvements might be possible if the US prioritises objectives, which should include the removal of Item Seven from the permanent agenda, acts consistently and robustly in their pursuit, is willing to publicly criticise key officials, withhold funds, and cooperate with like-minded states. Having rejoined, a failure to make that effort would undermine the future credibility of the liberal internationalist approach to foreign policy and the United Nations.
Lawman: Tunku Abdul Rahman in wig and gown after his call to the Bar at the Inner Temple, Inns of Court, London, in 1947. Filepic
“A LEADER takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.” This statement by Rosalynn Carter sums up the life and work of Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj whose 118th birthday we commemorate today.
Tunku is best known as our nation’s founding father and the driving force behind the peaceful transition of power from British colonialism to Malayan independence. But we forget the other scintillating aspects of his multifaceted personality.
The issue of Indian Chronicles alive, kicking
National
February 1, 2021
The Indian Chronicles case was revealed by a team comprising Gary Machado, Alexandre Alaphilippe, and Roman Adamczyk in late 2019. According to them, the EU DisinfoLab uncovered a massive operation targeting international institutions and serving Indian interests.
They found the network active in Brussels and Geneva, “producing and amplifying content to undermine – primarily – Pakistan.” They said the Indian Chronicles resurrected dead media, dead think-tanks and NGOs. It even resurrected dead people.
In a nutshell, the investigators described the Indian Chronicles as a 15-year-long operation running since 2005 with 10 plus UN Human Rights Council accredited NGOs, mostly resurrected; Prof. Louis B. Sohn, a prominent figure in human rights, deceased in 2006, resurrected; several identity thefts, including the name of Martin Schulz, former president of the European Parliament or the photo of James Pu
Emerging Sino-Pak-North Korea-Turkey nexus for nuclear proliferation January 27, 2021, 11:02 AM IST
S D Pradhan has served as chairman of India s Joint Intelligence Committee. He has also been the country s deputy national security adviser. He was chairman of the Task Force on Intelligence Mechanism (2008-2010), which was constituted to review the functioning of the intelligence agencies. He has taught at the departments of defence studies and history at the Punjabi University, Patiala. He was also a visiting professor at the University of Illinois, US, in the department of arms control and disarmament studies. The ministry of defence had utilized his services for the preparation of official accounts of the 1971 war and the counterinsurgency operations in the northeast. In the JIC/National Security Council secretariat, he was closely involved with the preparation of the reports of the Kargil Review Committee and the Group of Ministers on national security as also
UNHRC presidency 2021 | In Fiji vs Bahrain contest, India set for a key role
The 47-member Human Rights Council has to elect a president from Asia-Pacific region this year. A total of 13-member states represent the grouping, with China, Russia and India being the major countries.
UN Human Rights Council (File Image)
The 2021 presidency of United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is expected to be decided by a vote, as the Fijian candidate, Nazhat Shameem Khan, has met with opposition from Russia and China, and India is poised to play a key role.
Russia and China have backed Yusuf Abdulkarim Bucheeri, the Ambassador of Bahrain who was declared as a candidate last month after being supported by the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC), Hindustan Times reported on January 13.