Saturday, 21 June, 2003Some EU stuffWhile I'm generally pro-EU, I won't deny it has some definite flaws, and one of the starkest is current shape of the common agricultural policy. "Charlemagne" is the pseudonymous commentator on European affairs in The Economist, and this week's column notes some things which are wrong with the CAP. It should be noted, however, that the CAP—like any other agricultural policy—does not exist for the sake of subsidising agriculture for the hell of it; its purpose is to provide Europe with "food security" by ensuring it can provide in its own needs without reliance on external sources. This objective should be borne in mind in any discussion regarding the merits (or lack thereof) of the policy. The Economist also has a special report on the EU Constitution, "Your darkest fears addressed, your hardest questions answered", which is freely accessible. Very informative. There's also this leader, which argues that, yes, the EU needs a constitution, but the current version isn't it. posted 1432 Z-8 [link] Thursday, 19 June, 2003'And now, let me play a little jazz trumpet for y'all...'The San Jose Mercury News has got a story off the AP wire, reporting that American lawyers are now banned from acting as defence counsel at the ICTY. An executive order is aimed a cutting off support to about 200 people and organizations in the former Yugoslavia blacklisted by the U.S. government. It outlaws providing goods, services and funds to those people.That includes legal services. (NB. this ban originated with the US government, not with the UN.) When I was still working at the Tribunal, we used to speculate which defendant might hire Johnny Cochrane, and how it long it would take before Cochrane got slapped with a contempt of court charge by one of the judges. No chance of that happening now, I suppose. posted 2303 Z-8 [link] The ICC gets a prosecutor (at last) The International Criminal Court has a prosecutor at last. Luis Moreno-Ocampo was sworn in last Monday in The Hague (actually, he took a "solemn undertaking," not an oath, but details). He's going to be busy, since over 200 cases have been referred to the ICC since 01-Jul-2002, and Mr. Moreno is going to have to sift through them with his staff and decide which can and should be prosecuted and which shouldn't. In the meantime, the UN Security Council quietly extended the immunity from prosecution granted to US troops on peacekeeping operations. UN Sec-Gen Kofi Annan told the Council on 12-Jun-2003, Allow me to express the hope that this does not become an annual routine.Annan commented that this practice might be interpreted as a sign that the Council wishes to claim absolute and permanent immunity for people serving in the operations it establishes or authorizes, which could hurt the legitimacy of UN peacekeeping. He's got a point; this measure is an ungainly stop-gap which is threatening to become a permanent fixture. posted 1832 Z-8 [link] The Council of Europe's "Right of Reply" proposal I doubt anybody has failed to pick up on this story by Declan McCullagh on CNET that the Council of Europe (not to be confused with the European Council) has come up with a recommendation regarding the "right of reply" in on-line media. Unfortunately, most of the online discussion has not been between proponents and opponents of the actual recommendation; the bulk of the discussion has focused on whether McCullagh overstates the potential damage to civil liberties this recommendation might cause, or whether McCullagh doesn't go far enough. Maria Farrell at Gallowglass, in the entry "Right to reply", succinctly points out the flaws in the article. She also notes she's against the proposal; however, she's the first person I've seen who doesn't base that opinion on some slippery slope fallacy, and refrains from using words like "jackboot," "stormtrooper" and "bayonet-point." Harry Hatchet sums up the Europhobia-inspired rhetoric in his entry "Eurosteria." I suspect both Harry and I (and likely quite a few others as well) haven't actually formulated an opinion on this recommendation, not in the least place because we've been too distracted attempting to counter the usual barrage of knee-jerk reactions. At the end of the day, it's all rather a storm in a teacup. As Maria Farrell notes, "the proposal is made as a recommendation only and is unlikely to get far." Personally, I find it mildly mind-boggling how citizens of a country which has legislation like the DCMA and the PATRIOT Act (with "PATRIOT II" reportedly on the way) somehow feel justified in claiming that the entire continent of Europe "doesn't get" something about civil liberties which America in its entirety supposedly does. Update: a not dissimilar observation from Iain "Mr. Happy" Coleman. posted 1820 Z-8 [link] Tuesday, 17 June, 2003Roll callSince I've been doing some rearranging on the blogroll lately, I thought it might be informative to give a rundown of what's on there, why it's on there, and why you—the reader—might or might not find a given item to be of interest. posted 0137 Z-8 [more..] |
Navigation: home archives backgrounder Blogs:
au currant Miscellanea:
Care to contribute |
