On Friday, the second day of Citizens for Global Solutions’ 2011 Conference, members took action and went to Capitol Hill to lobby their Congress people to protect funding for the United Nations and stand up against genocide by passing a comprehensive genocide prevention bill.  The general feeling was that visits were successful, as the Congressional staffers were for the most part receptive and sympathetic to our cause.  Some members found their Congress people whole heartedly supportive of our initiatives while others ran into cautious staff intent on avoiding commitments.

Resolution 1973 adopted last week by the United Nations Security Council authorizing a multinational intervention into Libya has created a new precedent for the enforcement of international law.  Resolution 1973 incorporates principles that the international community has been hopeful to see come to life.  These include the “responsibility to protect,” jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, the loss of sovereignty for governments that commit mass atrocities, and the principle of “human security.”  These principles were expressed when the Resolution provided that the international community was “to take all necessary measures ... to protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack….”  This is a momentous statement, especially with regard to traditional U.S. military action.  The driving force of the strategy enunciated by the Security Council is civilian protection, not regime change.  Civilian causalities represent a failure in mission objective, rather than merely collateral damage.  The world is finally recognizing, and with haste I might add, the responsibility to protect world citizens from imminent danger.

President Obama gave what I consider to be a great speech on Libya tonight.  Here's an excellent quote:

Sometimes, the course of history poses challenges that threaten our common humanity and common security - responding to natural disasters, for example; or preventing genocide and keeping the peace; ensuring regional security, and maintaining the flow of commerce. These may not be America's problems alone, but they are important to us, and they are problems worth solving. And in these circumstances, we know that the United States, as the world's most powerful nation, will often be called upon to help.

In such cases, we should not be afraid to act - but the burden of action should not be America's alone. As we have in Libya, our task is instead to mobilize the international community for collective action. Because contrary to the claims of some, American leadership is not simply a matter of going it alone and bearing all of the burden ourselves. Real leadership creates the conditions and coalitions for others to step up as well; to work with allies and partners so that they bear their share of the burden and pay their share of the costs; and to see that the principles of justice and human dignity are upheld by all.

While the world’s attention is focused, and understandably so, on the events unfolding in Libya, another conflict and brewing humanitarian crisis has been unfolding on the other side of Africa for months.  Ivory Coast, the small West African nation which saw a disputed presidential election result in a political stalemate late last year, is sliding ominously downhill towards civil war.

The November 2010 election in the country resulted in a victory - widely recognized by the international community - for candidate Alassane Ouattara over incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo.  However, Gbagbo has refused to leave office and has ordered U.N. peacekeepers out of his country, though they have remained anyway.  Now four months later, Gbagbo is still clinging to power, and opposition rebels supporting Ouattara have been battling with his forces.  Meanwhile U.N. peacekeepers have surrounded the hotel where Ouattara is living in order to protect him, and are also attempting to protect civilians in the country.