Bi-weekly News and Opinion Roundup - Sep. 15, 2022

The Global War on Terror Doubles as a War on Peacebuilding

C&SN’s Associate Director for Policy and Advocacy Ashleigh Subramanian-Montgomery argues that Global War on Terror has hampered the ability of civil society to operate peacebuilding and humanitarian programs abroad, and that U.S. policymakers should create safeguards and employ more restraint in the application of counterterrorism sanctions that too often undermine such programs. Read her analysis in Inkstick. (Sep. 12).

Afghanistan: One Year into the Taliban Takeover

ACAPS, an independent information provider that specializes in humanitarian needs analysis and assessment, published a report on Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis one year into Taliban rule. It includes sections on governance, human rights, humanitarian needs and assistance, displacement, and more. Read the full report here. (Sep. 9).

When Will Bankers be Held Accountable?

Frank Vogl, co-founder of Transparency International and chairman of Partnership for Transparency Fund, argues that the culture that enables impunity for bankers involved in corruption needs to change, and that “conditions need to be established that make the risks of facing justice by bankers and other enablers for crimes of corruption far greater than is presently the case.” Read his analysis in Inkstick. (Sep. 6).

‘The Cavalry Hasn't Arrived’: Somalia on the Brink of Famine

Sara Jerving, a Senior Reporter at Devex, offers analysis and shares images from Somalia, which is currently experiencing severe drought and widespread famine. “Over 7 million people in Somalia — nearly half of the population — need urgent assistance for acute malnutrition and at least 330,000 children need treatment for the deadliest form of malnutrition.” Read her reporting here. (Sep. 7).

Joint Declaration on Protecting The Right to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly in Times of Emergencies

International human rights experts issued a joint declaration on protecting the right to freedom of peaceful assembly in times of emergencies, offering 38 general principles and recommendations for states to protect this fundamental right. Read the full declaration here. (Sep. 15).

Israeli Officials in D.C. Try to Justify Terrorist Designation for 6 Palestinian NGOs

A group of Israeli officials met with representatives from the U.S. State Department, the CIA, and the office of the Director of National Intelligence in an effort to convince the U.S. of the veracity of Israel’s terrorism allegations against leading Palestinian human rights organizations. Thus far the U.S. has maintained that nothing Israel has shared has convinced the U.S. the change its position on these organizations. Axios reports. (Sep. 13).

9/11 Anniversary: When ‘Never Forget’ is Used to Justify the ‘Forever War’

Dr. Maha Hilal, a researcher and writer on institutionalized Islamophobia, argues that the phrase “never forget” is often used to justify and perpetuate “policies of collective guilt and punishment,” against both Muslim Americans and Muslims abroad. She asks, “what is the threshold of injustice that can be committed to obtain justice?” Read her analysis in Middle East Eye. (Sep. 12).

Who is Volker Türk? Guterres Picks Confidante for Human Rights Chief

Colum Lynch, a Senior Global Reporter for Devex, offers background on the appointment of Volker Türk, the new UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, characterizing him as “a relatively unknown U.N. insider.” Read his reporting here. (Sep. 9).

Russia: ‘Filtration’ of Ukrainian Civilians a ‘Shocking Violation’ of People Forced to Flee War

Amnesty International condemned Russia’s “filtration” of Ukrainian civilians, arguing that “deportation and forcible transfer of civilians in occupied territory are prohibited by international humanitarian law and can constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity.” It called on Russian authorities to “urgently allow the international community to access and monitor temporary placement shelters for Ukrainian civilians and evacuation procedures for civilians trapped in the conflict,” and to “​​ensure that Ukrainian civilians are able to safely leave warzones and enter Ukrainian-controlled territories.” Read Amnesty International’s analysis here. (Sep. 8).

Lawmakers Press Biden to Track U.S. Aid Tied to Civilian Harm in Yemen

Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Mike Lee (R-UT) sent letters to the Pentagon and the State Department urging them “to review whether or not the Saudi and Emirati governments are taking the necessary precautions to prevent harm to civilians in Yemen,” and “if either are found to be in violation, to halt all arms sales to either country until it can verify they are taking steps to protect civilians.” The New York Times reports. (Sep. 7).

The US Response to the World’s Worst Humanitarian Crisis: Seize and Privatize

Andrés Arauz, a Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Economic Progress and a former Central Bank General Director in Ecuador, argues that the U.S. decision to divert $3.5 billion in frozen Afghan reserves to a private fund in Switzerland is effectively privatizing what should be a public function of the Central Bank of Afghanistan. He contends that the U.S. conditions for eventually releasing the funds to the Central Bank of Afghanistan are highly questionable, that “fears that the reserves will go ‘to the Taliban’ ignore how banks work and operate, and completely ignore central bank accounting,” and that the funds should be released directly to the Central Bank of Afghanistan. Read his analysis here. (Sep. 15).

US Creates Fund to Disburse $3.5bn of Frozen Afghan Bank Reserves

The U.S. is releasing $3.5 billion in frozen Afghan reserves to the Bank for International Settlements in Switzerland, to be “directed towards bolstering Afghanistan’s macroeconomic stability, including paying for electricity imports and covering arrears at international financial institutions, rather than for humanitarian aid.” A board composed of a U.S. official, a Swiss official, and two Afghan economic experts will decide precisely how to disburse the funds, and an independent auditor will monitor the fund. Read the joint statement by the State and Treasury Departments here, and the Financial Times’ coverage here. (Sep. 14).

Testimony of Daniel Jasper before the Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government

Daniel Jasper, the Asia Public Education and Advocacy Coordinator for the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, arguing that “the urgency and importance of conducting impact assessments on comprehensive sanctions regimes cannot be understated.” He pointed to AFSC’s experience in North Korea as an example of the harmful impacts of broad-based sanctions regimes, and urged the committee to support proposals to conduct impact assessments on sanctions. Read his full testimony here. (Sep. 8).