How a UN resolution is drafted

Yesterday we had an interesting exercise in one of our classes. Titled "UN Peacekeeping in the Middle East", the course i have signed up with Dr Isaac Kfir, a visiting professor from Israel attempts to look at the historical role that UN has played in the peace keeping process in the greater Middle East ( including Israel). Just for the sake of clarity, Middle East includes Turkey, Israel and all the other Arab countries which are part of the Arab league.

One of the biggest take-aways from yesterday's class was a look at how complicated the process of writing a UN resolution is. Having looked at several dozen resolutions - Uniting for peace resolution ( 1950), Resolutions 452 etc.. we had gotten used to the language, the ambiguity and the nature of resolutions. But actually drafting a mock resolution for a hostile situation between Syracusia ( hypothetical state) and Cornellia with a non-state actor ( Onandaga county college) brought home some key points that one needs to keep in mind when drafting one. Here are some insights :
1) Never appear to take sides while drafting a resolution
2) Do not open a door you cannot close( in the matter of rehabilitation of victims, compensations etc..)
3) Do acknowledge the long-term implications of the words being used
4) Always be ware of the power of each word you put down on paper and be prepared for criticism
5) Consult other members of the team when drafting it
6) Look at how the big 5 ( permanent members of the Security Council ) are going to react to it. Will it ever make it past them ?


The exercise appeared to be a great one in principle. But the bigger question is : Will i ever get an opportunity to actually draft one ? Perhaps time will tell...

Afghanistan, Writing, Politics come to the fore during a Q&A with Khaled Hosseini

Well known writer Khaled Hosseini was at the Hendricks Chapel, Syracuse University last night for a Q&A session with well-known writer Firoozeh Dumah.

Here are some excerpts

F.D : Do you think anyone can write ?
Khaled Hosseini : No. Anyone can put sentences together, but to have a voice as a writer is something entirely differnt. Writers are more or less born. It is not out of arrogance or any elitist perspective that i say this, but writing calls for a certain temperament, a certain talent which very few people have. It is innate and akin to musical talent almost. The ability to add tension, to look at possibilities in the development of characters is a different talent.

My daughter is a great budding musical talent and it shows that in just 6 months, she has gone much further in her music classes than i ever could.

F.D : What do you have to say to counter people who say there is so much violence and sex in the Kite Runner ?
Khaled Hosseini : I believe that it is not gratuitous sex and violence, but part of a broader context of what Afghanistan went through in the last three decades and if looked at it from this perspective, the opponents would understand why it is there. I believe there is more harmful content on some of the TV shows that kids watch these watch than in reading the Kite Runner, which aims to sensitise young people to a different culture, part of the world.

F.D : How much of your writing is from your life ?
Khaled Hosseini : My life and my work has a lot in common. I grew up in Kabul and in the surroundings that my characters have. I flew up flying kites and going to cinemas and exposed to Iranian films, Indian films and B Grade Hollywood films and i grew up with a love of writing and a lot of my experience of growing up is the basis of the Kite Runner.

F.D : How did you find an agent ?
Khaled Hosseini : It was my ability to face so much rejection. I had read about it. But I really struggled to get published, and many of the publishers rejected me even without a reason. Many were justified in rejecting me. But one sent me a letter saying "Afghanistan is now passe, write about Iraq". This was a very upsetting thing for me. This to me was the writing on the wall on how things went wrong in Afghanistan.

F.D: What are you working on now ?
Khaled Hosseini : I am presently working on a family based story of the tribulations, tensions of a family based in Afghanistan.

F.D : What do you think of the American presence in Afghanistan ?
Khaled Hosseini : I believe that Afghanistan is the most American friendly nation in the region. Not that the Afghans like the Americans to be there, but their leaving will create more tensions and in-fighting in the region and is harmful in the long-run. I believe that the people's lives have improved in the last few years and infrastructure is improving. One can hope that things get better over time.

F.D : Tell us a bit about the Khaled Hosseini Foundation
Khaled Hosseini : It is a foundation that works for providing shelter to homeless Afghanis. Millions of Afghanis live without a proper roof over their heads and thousands die every winter due to the cold and the cost of providing a shelter is minimal in the country. We are a funding agency and identify deserving NGO's working for shelter provision and provide funding.