Opinion
- Editorial
Basil Ince:
What Japan wants from Caricom
Earlier
this week Japan's Minister of State for Gender Equality
and Social Affairs, Dr. Kuniko Inogochi, was in
town. The purpose of her visit-to lobby our Minister
of Foreign Affairs, Senator Knowlson Gift, for a
permanent seat on the Security Council. Trinidad
and Tobago is, of course, a major player in Caricom
but no doubt the Japanese minister will be visiting
other Caricom states. Caricom wants to act in unison
on this matter.
At present, the permanent seats
on the Security Council are dominated by the victors
of World War II, the United States, Russia (formerly
the Soviet Union), Britain, France, and the People's
Republic of China. To the powerful went the spoils,
but power relationships among states have since
changed. Two of the vanquished powers in that war,
Japan and Germany, are now seeking permanent seats
on the Council which is a major UN organ, and is
responsible for maintaining international peace
and security, and restoring peace when it breaks
down. The presence of the Big Five on the Council
registers their role as great powers. Japan and
Germany are great powers now and want that fact
to be reflected by being elevated to permanent membership
on the Council.
After being vanquished in World
War II more than 60 years ago, Japan and Germany
have risen Phoenix-like from the ashes to be numbered
among the great powers. Other countries, then not
among the powerful, have risen on the power ladder
and are certainly middle powers now. Count Brazil,
India, and Nigeria among them.
There is no equality among the great
powers. The United States stands head and shoulders
above the rest as the sole superpower. Its US$11
trillion GDP and its military might have placed
it at the top of the great power ladder. Japan,
its GDP, trailing only those of the US and China,
ranks third with a GDP of US$4 trillion. It also
possesses a capable military force to which it is
now paying attention, after its pacifist interlude.
Germany's GDP, though behind Japan's, is larger
than that of France, Britain and Russia, all Security
Council members. With this shift in status among
great powers, it is easy to see why UN reform has
become an issue. The Security Council is one area
where this proposed reform is being played out.
In this context, it is understandable why Japan
and Germany covet seats thereon.
A seat is not a seat on the Security
Council, which is comprised of 15 states, ten of
which hold two-year terms. The Big Five rule the
roost because at voting time, they have a veto on
important issues. In recent times we have witnessed
the importance of the veto. Resolutions before the
Council have been delayed at length in the cases
of North Korea and Iran because the veto-wielding
powers were on different pages. The latest example
relates to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah,
where a resolution on a ceasefire was deliberately
delayed because of an action, or rather inaction,
of a great power which did not want its passage
at that time.
The
non-permanent members have less powerful voices,
but their votes play important roles in the passage
of resolutions. Even when a permanent member vetoes
a resolution, it carries some moral authority when
all the non-permanent members support it.
That's why it is prestigious for states to become
non-permanent members of the Council. States lobby
furiously for this honour. From our region, Jamaica
has been on the Council on two occasions (1979-80
and 2000-2001), with Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago
having seats in 1982-83 and 1985-6 respectively.
This is indeed a position of responsibility for
these small countries which have an opportunity
to have their voices heard on the hot-button issues
of the day. They also have to be well-prepared to
carry out this responsibility.
Both internal and external factors
have impelled the Caribbean Community to make attempts
to coordinate their foreign policy. In fact, the
coordination of foreign policy is inscribed in the
Treaty of Chaguaramas.
In recent times Caricom foreign ministers have called
for the articulation of coordinated responses on
foreign policy matters. The purpose is to present
a regional response to the outside world to demonstrate
that the region is in unison on salient foreign
affairs issues. Caricom states have not always been
successful in presenting a united front, the UDI
issue of Anguilla from the state of St Kitts, Nevis
and Anguilla in the late sixties, and the Haitian
matter of more recent vintage, come to mind. It
is not always an easy task where all the states
are sovereign, save three.
Caricom leaders know that in unity there is strength
and are working together to present a united position
on UN reform. The visiting Japanese minister knows
that Caricom support is important in Japan's bid
for permanent membership on the Security Council.
That's why she's here in the Caribbean. Others states
will certainly be coming to the region to present
their cases, not only for election to the Security
Council, but on other matters on UN reform. They
value Caricom's votes.
Trinidad
Express
Sunday, August 20th 2006
Copyright
© 2006 The
Trinidad Express.
All rights reserved
