Lessons from Germany: some reflections occasioned by Schulenburg's "report"

Germany created the first national health insurance scheme, and its turbulent history has carried many lessons for all other countries. Health care financing--like all social security financing--redistributes wealth and inevitably is caught up in class politics. Cost-sharing by patients is not a neutral device in social engineering to improve efficiency, but it is a gambit in distributive politics. Health care involves the wealth and power of the doctors, and they become militant and successful forces in social politics. The forces for higher spending are stronger than the forces for restraint. Only exceptional political will be government can control costs.     

The UN Inadequacies

The author describes the results of the UN Independent Inquiryon the Genocide in Rwanda, which he headed. The internationalcommunity's reluctance to commit itself and its resources tothe UN Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR or UN Mission),coupled with the inadequacy of UNAMIR's initial mandate, areidentified as the crucial reasons for the Mission's failings.These weaknesses led to the failure of the UN forces on theground to respond effectively to the genocide and inhibitedtheir ability to protect civilians and UN staffers. The authordetails the failures both of the UN Mission in Rwanda and ofthe leadership in New York, with unflinching exactitude, drawingimportant lessons to help ensure that another such breakdownof the UN system during a time of crisis does not happen again.     

Norway in UN environmental policies: ambitions and influence

This is a study of Norway’s ambitions for influencing UN environmental policies and then on the scope for impact. On the whole, it is clear that Norway has not been particularly successful in its general efforts at strengthening UNEP. These proposals have failed, due mainly to opposition from key states. Norway is after all a minor player in global governance issues, even in those pertaining to the environment. Norway has been more successful in efforts that indirectly strengthen UNEP, by supporting UNEP in initiating new MEAs. We found three main factors that help to explain why Norway has a relatively high level of influence at the international environmental arena compared to its size. First, there is a relatively straightforward domestic decision-making process with little conflict. Second, Norwegian officials and NGOs possess considerable expertise in these issues, adding to the intellectual leadership role of Norway in pushing for new principles and international legislation through UNEP. Third, Norway is sometimes able to join forces in environmental alliances with other like-minded countries. This would seem to carry the widest scope for increasing impact.

Development without Destruction: The UN and Global Resource Management

Netherlands International Law Review -     

The abortion-funding cases and population control: an imaginary lawsuit (and some reflections on the uncertain limits of reproductive privacy)

An imaginary lawsuit is discussed wherein the issues involved in public abortion-funding and population control are brought out. Issues raised are: 1) the public hospital's charter which authorizes "medically necessary" abortions; 2) the constitutionality of state action providing free medical treatment for indigent women seeking abortions but not providing free antenatal and childbirth services; and 4) the individual rights of privacy, due process of law, and equal protection under the law.     

Studying Policing in China: Some personal reflections

Until very recently, little is known about Chinese policing, especially outside of China. This article makes a case for the study of Chinese policing, with a different—context dependent, bottom's up, facts driven—approach. The article is divided into three sections. Section 1 of the paper provides a brief overview of problems and issues with researching into policing in China, with Chinese sources. Section 2 takes issues with studying Chinese policing from a dominant and exclusive western theoretical perspective and argues for the studying policing in China indigenously and empirically, from inside out and bottom's up. The article concludes (Section 3) with some personal reflection of the author as a veteran China police researcher.