Peace Talks in Uganda Break Down

Well it appears that peace talks in Uganda have broken down because Joseph Kony has refused to sign the peace accords. He argues that he need more time to talk things over with tribe elders and to contemplate the charges brought against him. In response, the Ugandan government has threatened to withdraw from a year long cease fire. Complicating the matter are the ICC warrants that are still issued for Kony and two of his senior aide's arrest. After fifteen years of peace talks, Kony is still at large and the people of the Northern regions of Uganda are still at risk.

Again, this brings up the question of whether the ICC should continue if it means the war will continue. In my policy memo I wrote yes, but sometimes it is hard to argue for theoretical values when a war continues to go on. I still believe that only an arrest by the ICC can bring about long term peace, but it is hard to resolve this with short term hopes.

I couldn't resist!

Ok, so I really couldn't resist posting these videos. I warn you, these may hurt your ears AND these women are for real. Seriously, this is no spoof. Without further ado, I give you, the McCain Girls:






Don't say I didn't warn you!

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

Nancy Gibb's essay in the most recent Time Magazine discusses the fact that women are being rejected by some private colleges because the schools want to keep their male to female ratio more equal. Approximately 58% of undergraduates nationwide are female, and this number could grow to 60% within a few years. As a result, colleges have begun to target less accomplished men to make sure their gender ratios are more equal. This means women who are more qualified than men are being wait-listed or rejected from some schools.

It's amazing to me that historically women have had so many barriers to education, and yet within three decades of the women's movement, the tide has turned. I wonder if all those who scoffed at women's education in the past could have fathomed that women would be denied access to education because they're too accomplished and are outshining the men? And it's also amazing that the high enrollment of women isn't heralded as an amazing accomplishment by women, but an indicator that men aren't achieving as much as they could. I feel that if the tables were turned, and male enrollment continued to be higher than women's three decades after the women's movement, some would use this to indicate that men were just smarter than women. Funny how when it's the other way around, it means that we need to change the system so males can succeed.

You've got to be kidding me.

Ok, so apparently Joseph Kony is delaying the signing of a peace agreement with the Ugandan government because he has....wait for it...DIARRHEA! No, seriously. I mean, the man has killed and abducted tens of thousands, displaced millions and made life a living hell for all those near him, and now a little food poisoning is stopping him from signing a peace agreement? I mean, at least come up with something more creative than that..."I'm delaying it because I want immunity" or "I've decided to do some sightseeing in the Central African Republic before making my way to the border to sign the agreement." You've lived in the jungle for decades for God's sake! You're telling me that your stomach can't handle the roots and grubs or whatever the hell tyrannical on-the-run murderers eat? Come on now.

ICC Film

I think this film highlighted some of the important things we learned about the ICC. I found it particularly interesting to see the inadvertent affects of the trials on civilians or on the state of society. One of the most difficult quagmires the ICC seems to create is the idea of justice versus the idea of peace or stability. This can be in a larger sense, for example, whether or not to prosecute criminals or to end a war, or in a more localized sense, for example, in how the trials affect witnesses.

In the more localized sense, it's good to know that some attempts have been made to address the problems of witness protection, however, there still seems to be a lot that needs to be accomplished. As far as the larger picture goes, it seems important to weigh the symbolic gesture of justice versus the short term goal of ending a war. I grappled with some of these questions in my policy memo, and it seems to me that war will continue as long as those who are responsible aren't held accountable. Perhaps this particular war will end, but an atmosphere of impunity will reign if there are no ramifications for war crimes or crimes against humanity. Because of this, it seems important to go forward with ICC trials, even if it may make things more difficult in the short term.