Comments on: Ahmadinejad and the UN General Assembly http://anthonyclarkarend.com/internationallaw/ahmadinejad-and-the-un-general-assembly/ Commentary and analysis at the intersection of international law and politics Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:32:42 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 By: Seyed Mirmiran http://anthonyclarkarend.com/internationallaw/ahmadinejad-and-the-un-general-assembly/comment-page-1/#comment-575 Seyed Mirmiran Sat, 15 Aug 2009 17:27:55 +0000 http://anthonyclarkarend.com/?p=864#comment-575 If you search the internet, you will find at least 3 other sites posting an electronic petition to deny Ahmadinejad visa to attend UN General Assembly this year (i.e.2009) These electronic petitions are created and posted by Iranian-Americans. I believe they are fully aware that legally-speaking, in terms of international laws, United States cannot deny any world leader, elected or not, legitimate or not, visa to attend the U.N. meetings. The posting of such electronic-petitions are merely symbolic. Even those who sign it, I believe, are aware of that, as signatures on such electronic petitions would be very hard to verify since: 1. It cannot include hand-signatures but only names are typed in. 2. Any name can by typed by anyone. 3. Often no other identification information, such as residence address, phone number, social security number, are required. Yet, Iran is and has been the most flagrant violater of international laws for the past 30 years, beginning with the U.S. Hostage Crisis of 1979-1980. The leaders of the current Iranian regime have been indicted in various courts for crimes committed against their opposition or other world citizens. For example, the assassination of Kurdish leaders in Austria and Germany, the assassination of Iran's former Prime Minister, Bakhtiar, in France,... Some of the current leaders of Iran are on the Interpol wanted list. Iran has repeatedly ignored several U.N. General Assembly and U.N. Security Council resolutions. That advances the question of how effective international laws and organizations are. What would happen if other governments in the world would follow suit and pay no heed to international laws. Has not Iran's actions in the past 30 years undermined international laws and the ability of UN to enforce them? Could we then conclude the the UN authority and international laws are also effectively symbolic? By all appearance, at least in how the Iranian government has behaved in the past 30 years, it seems so. So, if the UN authority and international laws are only a symbolic gesture, would the proposing of such petitions be in line with those as another symbolic gesture? If you search the internet, you will find at least 3 other sites posting an electronic petition to deny Ahmadinejad visa to attend UN General Assembly this year (i.e.2009)

These electronic petitions are created and posted by Iranian-Americans. I believe they are fully aware that legally-speaking, in terms of international laws, United States cannot deny any world leader, elected or not, legitimate or not, visa to attend the U.N. meetings.

The posting of such electronic-petitions are merely symbolic. Even those who sign it, I believe, are aware of that, as signatures on such electronic petitions would be very hard to verify since:

1. It cannot include hand-signatures but only names are typed in.
2. Any name can by typed by anyone.
3. Often no other identification information, such as residence address, phone number, social security number, are required.

Yet, Iran is and has been the most flagrant violater of international laws for the past 30 years, beginning with the U.S. Hostage Crisis of 1979-1980. The leaders of the current Iranian regime have been indicted in various courts for crimes committed against their opposition or other world citizens. For example, the assassination of Kurdish leaders in Austria and Germany, the assassination of Iran’s former Prime Minister, Bakhtiar, in France,…
Some of the current leaders of Iran are on the Interpol wanted list. Iran has repeatedly ignored several U.N. General Assembly and U.N. Security Council resolutions.

That advances the question of how effective international laws and organizations are. What would happen if other governments in the world would follow suit and pay no heed to international laws. Has not Iran’s actions in the past 30 years undermined international laws and the ability of UN to enforce them?

Could we then conclude the the UN authority and international laws are also effectively symbolic? By all appearance, at least in how the Iranian government has behaved in the past 30 years, it seems so. So, if the UN authority and international laws are only a symbolic gesture, would the proposing of such petitions be in line with those as another symbolic gesture?

]]> By: Ben Miller http://anthonyclarkarend.com/internationallaw/ahmadinejad-and-the-un-general-assembly/comment-page-1/#comment-462 Ben Miller Thu, 23 Jul 2009 21:12:55 +0000 http://anthonyclarkarend.com/?p=864#comment-462 This petition is the kind of grandstanding I really don't like. As the host country of the UN we have a responsibility to allow equal access -- this responsibility is not only legally defined but seems to me to be morally defined as well, in some way. This petition is the kind of grandstanding I really don’t like.

As the host country of the UN we have a responsibility to allow equal access — this responsibility is not only legally defined but seems to me to be morally defined as well, in some way.

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