IR - One Definition A Day: Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) - Doctors Without Borders
Established in 1971 by a group of former International Red Cross (IRC) medics, MSF is now the world's largest non-governmental organization (NGO) providing emergency medical relief. Consisting mainly of doctors, nurses, surgeons and logistical experts it has six operational sections in Europe and twelve branches world-wide. It is an independent body but it often works in conjunction with other humanitarian agencies, notably the IRC and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). It maintains a strictly impartial status and believes in the cosmopolitan notion of an absolute right to humanitarian assistance. It scorns the Westphalian principle of non-intervention and, if necessary, is prepared to work clandestinely with people in need, and to speak out publicly against human rights abusers. Apart from providing medical refief in man-made conflicts or in natural emergencies, the bulk of MSF work is in primary health care. It is therefore not a one-shot operation; an important part of its remit is reconstruction and long-term amelioration of local conditions. In 1997 the MSF's largest relief effort was in Rwanda where it had 360 expatriate volunteers and over 1'500 support staff in Burundi, Tanzania, and Zaire. Other recent major emergency missions include Bosnia, Angola, Sudan and Afghanistan.
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IR - One Definition A Day: Fourth World
A shorthand term for what the UN has called the least developed countries. These states are distinguished by very low per capital Gross Domestic Products (GDPs), low levels of literacy and low levels of manufacturing development. Geographically, the Fourth World is confined to two continents: Africa and Asia.
In Africa, the so-called 'famine belt' stretches across the midlle of the continent from Mauritania to the Sudan; in this region the already vulnerable economies have recently been exacerbated by drought. In Asia, the paradigm Fourth World state is Bangladesh. States can slip into this category as a result of man-made rather than natural conditions. Afghanistan and Mozambique, states ravaged by revolutionary insurgency and forein intervention, can be cited here.
In terms of the global hierarchy of states, the Fourth World clearly refers to those actors at the margin of the system. The UN and agencies such as UNCTAD, as well as influential bodies of private interests such as the Brands Reports Commission, have sought to draw the attention of elites and attentive publics in the rest of the system to the plight of these states. See also quasi-states.
(Source: wikipedia)
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IR - One Definition A Day: Pivotal States
A geopolitical term applied to those (conventionally peripheral) states whose fate may well determine regional and/or international stability. The maritime equivalent would be choke points. The classic nineteenth-century examples are Turkey, simultaneously 'the sick man of Europe' and the epicentre of Russo-British imperial rivalry over respective spheres of influence in the Eastern Mediterranean, and Belgium. Regarding the latter, Napoleon, who had good reason to be well versed in these matters, described Antwerp as 'a pistol levelled at the very heart of England'.
In recognition of this, after separation from Holland in 1830, the new Belgian state was granted permanent neutrality status and thereafter (until 1945) its continued territorial integrity was considered a vital national interest by Britain. During the Cold War with the widespread acceptance of the Domino theory, virtually all peripheral states were pententially 'pivotal' since the 'fall' or 'loss' of one necessarily involved the collapse of others resulting in a threat to international stability. According to some recent commentators (Chase, Hill and Kennedy, 1996) in the post-Cold War era the new, holistic security agenda with its emphasis on non-military / diplomatic threats such as overpopulation, environmental degradation, ethnic conflict, migration, aides, hunger, poverty, narcotics etc., necessitates a 'new pivotal strategy' for the USA.
Identifying these states then becomes an important policy planning task for Washington policy-makers. Identification criteria are notoriously fuzzy and subjective but at least four sets of factors are crucial; a large population, an important geographical location, developing status as a big emerging market and of course, the capacity to affect regional and international stability. From the US strategic perspective the following might therefore be considered pivotal: Central and South America - Mexico and Brazil, Africa - Algeria, Egypt and South Africa, Near and Far East - Turkey, India and Pakistan, Asia-Pacific - Indochina and Taiwan. While these states may be pivotal from the American perspective, Russian, Chinese, Japanese and European policy makers would no doubt draw up a different list of candidates for inclusion.
(Source: wikipedia)
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IR - One Definition A Day
European Convention on Human Rights
Established since 1953 the Convention sought to create machinery for the protection of human rights among signatory states. To this end it is probably the most sophisticated multilateral treaty in so far it provides for a Commission which determines the admissibility of petitions and a Court of Human Rights which sits at Strasbourg to provide rulings on the cases presented. Most observers agree, though, that the Convetnion and the Institutions it established tend to favour 'the hight contracting parties' (i.e. member states) rather than individuals. the decisions of the Court as to the violation of rights are binding but generally enforcement depends on voluntary compliance since few sanctions, short of outright expulsion from the Council of Europe, are provided for. Apart from its intrincic importance in the development of human rights legislation, the Convention is significant in that it can and does command wide media coverage and public interest, it does seek to provide outside protection for individuals against national government and it could be seen as a role model for future world developments under the auspices of the UN.
View under 'Comments' the proposed translation by YourVietnamExpert Translators
French Translation by Anh Tho Andres @YourVietnamExpert.com
Vietnamese Translation by Kim Hoàng
About YourVietbooks.com
YourVietBooks is a collection of books on Vietnam for Readers who are interested in Vietnam's History, Culture, Language, Economy, or Business. Most titles are in English, but some are only available in French or Vietnamese. We can provide interested parties an accurate translation of some parts of the books for your research purposes. Translations are done by YourVietnamExpert's qualified and experienced translators. contact@yourvietnamexpert.com
