In his prepared remarks, Feltman discussed the nuanced differences between multilateral and bilateral diplomacy. He talked about how important it is for the U.N. to maintain impartiality, which helps it gain “instant respect” in cases where it helps mediate between nations or groups.
Because the U.N. doesn’t pick winners and losers, he said, it can shape issues differently than can, say, the United States, which will always have a vested interest.
Feltman is convinced that global conflicts are inherently political. While military and humanitarian intervention can play a role, ultimately, he says, political solutions to conflict are the only lasting solutions. Further, prevention is not always feasible, and while the U.N. has developed many methods of early detection regarding global conflict, it needs to develop ways to respond quickly to those conflicts – e.g., by quickly dispatching its trained mediators to areas of need. Rapid diplomatic interventions are more successful than peacekeeping, he said. At the same time, Feltman pointed out, the U.N. must respect nations’ sovereignty; the U.N. can help mediate problems, but it cannot force countries to act.
He discussed the U.N.’s involvement in Somalia, Congo, Afghanistan and Yemen, citing areas of progress in each, and the success of the U.N.’s emergency mediation team. He also praised Norway for its support of early detection and mediation, which are funded entirely through donations; it is not included in the U.N.’s operating budget.
Amb. Strommen led off the panel discussion by detailing his background, which included a stint with the U.N. Security Council. Turning to the present day, he said that the U.N. needs resources: money, personnel, support systems and more, to be able to make a difference globally. He praised the U.N.’s mediation efforts as “laudable” and promised that Norway would continue to keep resources coming.
Feltman mentioned that early detection and mediation efforts had typically been funded by countries such as Norway and western European nations, and praised countries such as Turkey and India for their recent contributions.
The panel discussed the difficult situation in Syria. Amb. Strommen pointed out that the sheer number of deaths can seem “overwhelming,” but he said he thought the U.N. had done a good job with regional containment, including its help for refugees and its efforts to stabilize neighboring countries.
Jones pointed out that there has been a major reduction in wars in the last two decades, and he credited the U.N. with playing a large part. In 1992, he said, there were 30 wars fought internationally with 1 million killed, compared with six wars and an annual death toll around 10,000 in recent years (though that toll will rise in light of the large number killed in Syria, he added)..
Audio of the event is available for streaming via the Brookings website: http://www.brookings.edu/events/2013/07/15-un-diplomacy-crises
Jeffrey Feltman bio: http://www.un.org/sg/management/senstaff_details.asp?smgID=164
Martin S. Indyk bio: http://www.brookings.edu/experts/indykm
Bruce Jones bio: http://www.brookings.edu/experts/jonesb
Wegger Chr. Strommen bio: http://www.norway.org/Embassy/washington/Ambassador-Wegger-Chr-Strommen/