Cherian Samuel replies: While there are compelling arguments both for and against the proposition, the empirical evidence, and this is something the United States cites repeatedly, lies in the voting record of India at the United Nations. A perusal of this shows that India has voted against resolutions supported by the United States more often than not. The voting record in the Security Council is more nuanced since many of the resolutions are brought to the floor only after a consensus has been reached among the members. In most cases, draft resolutions are voted out so they do not become a part of the official record. In the year since India became a non-permanent member of the UNSC, of the 67 resolutions that have been brought before the UNSC, it has abstained just once. 64 out of the 67 have been passed unanimously.
India was joined in abstaining on Resolution 1973 (authorising the use of a no-fly-zone over Libya) by China, Russia, Brazil, and Germany. While it is a coincidence that the so-called BRIC countries are together at the same time in the Security Council, they have merged as a formidable bloc, resisting US and Western pressures. Therefore, it would be incorrect to say that the United States has successfully leveraged India’s position in the UN Security Council to its advantage.
The powers in the Security Council and other prominent countries and groupings have hesitated to take action against Syria because of its profile and ability to manipulate events in West Asia.
Contrary to popular perception the US has adopted a cautious approach with President Obama outlining a limited role for the United States in the UN-authorised military intervention in Libya.
Since there was no clarity about the end goals of this operation, it would have been difficult for the Indian government to communicate and justify its support for this resolution to its domestic constituency.
The year 2010 commemorated ten years of the adoption of Resolution 1325 by the UNSC but the commemoration is without celebration. The apparent dissonance between the policy and the practice of the Resolution 1325 renders it inappropriate. This paper reviews the evolution of gender perspective in UN peacekeeping operations and assesses the gains and failures of the Resolution 1325 in gender balancing, recruitment and retention of women in the security sector.
The latest IAEA report dated September 6, 2010 to the Board of Governors, delineating Iran’s compliance or otherwise with the provisions and requirements of the IAEA and UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, indicates that contentious issues have not been resolved. As sanctions tighten, the US, China and Russia have urged Iran to fully cooperate with the IAEA.
UNSC Condemns Syrian Crackdown
The powers in the Security Council and other prominent countries and groupings have hesitated to take action against Syria because of its profile and ability to manipulate events in West Asia.