iR2P

Yuri Fedotov, who is the Russian Federation’s Ambassador to the UK, has written to The Guardian to defend his country’s decision to veto Security Council sanctions on Zimbabwean officials responsible for political violence since the elections. In aside, he writes:

“There is an important technical point at stake. UN security council resolutions exist as a mechanism to address urgent global peace and security issues. It is in clear contravention of the UN charter to use them to deal with domestic concerns within individual states.”

This is a direct challenge to the Responsibility to Protect principle, as agreed at the 2005 World Summit, and should be vigorously protested, not least by Russians everywhere. The following response from iR2P is now on the Guardian website:

It is surprising that the Ambassador is more worried about the charge of ‘inconsistency’ than that of abetting widespread and systematic political violence in Zimbabwe, or indeed that of further discrediting the UN Security Council.

As he points out, Russian diplomats have been remarkably consistent in blocking attempts by the Security Council to put pressure on regimes that persecute their own citizens. I’m sure they have some legitimate concerns, but to pass off the crisis in Zimbabwe as a mere ‘domestic concern’ and not ‘an urgent peace and security issue’ appears deeply cynical. And to conclude by suggesting that the Zimbabwean authorities should bring themselves to justice smacks of indifference.

Legitimacy and credibility are determined not only by democratic credentials, but also by responsible leadership and respect for the rule of law. This isn’t jargon, it’s fundamental to peace and security and the spirit of the UN charter.

At the 2005 World Summit, world leaders accepted their ‘Responsibility to Protect’: the obligation to protect their citizens from mass atrocities and to assist each other in doing so. In case a state fails to act appropriately, the responsibility to do so falls to that larger community of states. The Russian Federation was among a small number of states that tried to block this agreement, and insisted on various caveats. Is this how Russian citizens wish to be represented?

We would like to encourage iR2P enthusiasts and pledge signatories to look out for relevant news articles and to contribute to the public debate by commenting on news websites, calling radio phone-ins and writing letters to newspapers.