The Bloc That Dare Not Speak Its Name

The Arab Spring has brought to the forefront a dominant dichotomy in the UN Security Council between human rights and sovereignty: The US and EU tend to support the former, while Russia and China tend to advocate the latter. Global observers had hoped that the emerging powers known as IBSA – India, Brazil and South Africa – might break the deadlock. Indeed, they had promised a voice from the south during their time on the council, explains journalist Graham Usher in Al Ahram. However, the loose coalition has failed to deliver on that promise and instead been a “force for inertia,” according to one diplomat. An overall strategy of advocating “human rights in theory while backing sovereignty in practice” is neither here nor there. UN policies are often pragmatic and selective in nature. If the emerging powers wish to take on greater responsibility on the global stage, Usher concludes, they must take a stand and demonstrate a credible “third way.” – YaleGlobal