United Nations Seat for DR

CarpeDReam

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Feb 17, 2006
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Pardon my ignorance, but why is Leonel so interested in getting a non-perminent seat in the United Nations? What benefits does this come with for the DR???

thanks,

j.m.
 

Celt202

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May 22, 2004
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The Dominican Republic is one of the fity one original member states of the United Nations since October of 1945.

Leonel is seeking election of the DR by the member states to one of the the 10 non permanent seats on the UN Security Council (there are five permanent members). The elected member states serve for two year terms and five are replaced every year.

My question would be what's the disadvantage?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council
 

Chirimoya

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Dec 9, 2002
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Leonel is very partial to this international statemanship lark. However, apart from the prestige of a seat on the UNSC, it is said that the DR is pursuing this to avoid awkwardness when choosing between the other candidates. If you yourself are a candidate, problem solved! Something about keeping oil suppliers to the south sweet while not ruffling the feathers of a certain neighbour to the north.
 

A.Hidalgo

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Apr 28, 2006
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Leonel is very partial to this international statemanship lark. However, apart from the prestige of a seat on the UNSC, it is said that the DR is pursuing this to avoid awkwardness when choosing between the other candidates. If you yourself are a candidate, problem solved! Something about keeping oil suppliers to the south sweet while not ruffling the feathers of a certain neighbour to the north.

It is Venezuela right? I believe they are trying for that seat also.
 

Dolores1

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May 3, 2000
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DR1 Daily News, Thursday, 17 August 2006:

DR aspires to seat in UN Security Council
The Dominican Republic has submitted its candidacy for the soon-to-be vacant non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, and thus will not be backing either of the two other strong candidates, Venezuela and Guatemala. The DR has strong ties with petroleum-supplying Venezuela, while Guatemala is being strongly endorsed by the United States, the DR's leading trade partner. The UN vote will take place in October. The DR also sought the seat in 2002 and almost managed to secure the entire Latin American and Caribbean vote, but ended up losing to Mexico, which won the vote with 138 to 40, when shortly after a change in government, that country expressed its interest in the seat. http://www.coha.org/2006/08/10/venezuela...
 

Tuan

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Aug 28, 2004
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Walking the line between Hugo and the U.S. is a good reason.
The longstanding reason, which also applies here, is that a small nation member has one year in which it can sell its votes to big nations.
E.g., IMF, WB, AID favors; petroleum product contracts; business investments; personal bribes (not necessarily last in order) ...
The benefits continue long into the future.
 

Rick Snyder

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Nov 19, 2003
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A seat on the UN Security Council is an important position for any country that doesn?t have a permanent seat. For an explanation of the UNSC look here. The UNSC was first used by the US against North Korea in 1950.

Such a position will place the DR in a much higher position in the workings of the many nations of the world and would have a tendency to put the DR ?on the map? so to speak.

Rick
 
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CarpeDReam

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Alas! It all makes sense. For what it's worth, LF has the politics game down pat.

Do you feel the DR is ready/worthy of such a role?
 
Sep 20, 2003
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My opinion

I think this is a big mistake. Let just say, a miracle occurs, and the Dominican Republic does gain a seat on the security council.

Venezuela, well almost every country in South America except Paraguay, has elected government that, to various degrees, does not see eye to eye with the American government. Venezuela has become the leader of the anti-American, anti-free trade bloc. Venezuela also has multi-billion dollar oil deals with China, billion dollar arms contracts with Russia, and is on extremely friendly terms with Iran(Iranian oil engineers are working to upgrade Venezuelan oil works and Iranian President Khatami(the previous President) paid a State visit and President Chavez decorated him with the highest decoration in the country, the Order of the Liberator)).

Okay. First vote in the Security council. Sanctions against Iran. Russia, China, and Venezuela ALL vote aginst the American sponsored sanctions. How does the Dominican Republic vote? Let me see. Do we anger Venezuela and risk losing cheap/subsidized oil, refinery projects, and a market for Dominican produce, and vote for sanctions against Iran? Or does the DR vote against the United States and risk the wrath of G.W. Bush and the gates of hell opening onto the country?

Now what?
 
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CarpeDReam

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I fail to see where the "mistake" is.

The point is, as someone has said, by running for the position, LF is avoiding having to side with the US or Venezuela and risk the close ties he has/is trying to establish w/both. Both countries can offer the DR some kind of value, but they can't hold anything against the DR if it runs for the same seat Venezuela wants.

You make it seem as though Venezuela has a whole lot more to offer than the US--i'm sure u know this isn't the case.
 

qgrande

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Jul 27, 2005
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I think Joel is right that it can get risky. The position offers prestige for president and country, but if you're actually in the council you can get in a position where you would have to vote and openly side with one party. Elected members are in for two years; in the present international situation you're bound to have important votings like the one descibed by Joel, in which the DR would have to choose for either Venezuela or the US. You could of course opt for voting for a different side every time or abstain, but if you've spend some efforts in the ast years to let both parties think you're actually in their camp, decaring yourself publicly to be neutral won't be good enough.
On the other hand, when the DR would be a key vote for an important resolution, that would mean lots of global attention and more prestige.

Frans
 

A.Hidalgo

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Apr 28, 2006
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Interesting scenario by Joel, but as most things in life we'll do what is necessary now and worry about that in the future of course diplomatically speaking.
 
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cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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The UN is a toothless hound. What's the point of getting further involved at any level?

There is substantially more downside to the Security Council than upside.

Besides: like Cuba with Fidel, will Venezuela survive "as is" when Chavez is gone? Who wants to bet the farm on that horse?
 

CarpeDReam

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I see what Joel means, but if that's really the case, the DR will have to "side" sooner or later regardless. They might as well choose while playing a more important role.
 

Rick Snyder

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Nov 19, 2003
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As abstention is not considered a vote then that option is always available to a member to the UNSC. This is an option for a country to convey the idea that they consider the resolution presently before the committee to be a no brainer.

One thing must be remembered about the UNSC is that they take their job very seriously. This is especially true when the conversation turns to nuclear. As the rules are well set concerning nuclear weapons then the argument comes down to whether Iran is striving for such or is in fact only doing so for the generation of electricity. Iran?s statements concerning Israel serve as a catalyst in making a decision. All of these actions are all part of diplomatic maneuvering and therefore a sort of game to be played and the fact that you are afforded a position in this game speaks volumes.

Foreign Ministry spokesman for China, Qin Gang, said his country won?t support sanctions as they always insist on dialogue and negotiations to resolve the Iran issue. Russian President Vladimir Putin said, ?they made the mistake of saying that they wanted to destroy Israel and under these circumstances Russia could not support the full demands of Iran?, but at the same time he said it was too early to talk about sanctions against Iran for its nuclear ambitions. As these sanctions are for the purpose of suspending uranium enrichment as demanded by the international community and as the UAE foreign minister has said that Iran's enrichment program was of concern to Gulf countries in particular as they have expressed fears over the consequences for the region should a nuclear accident occur in Iran should help in what decision is made. Regardless, the decision for or against sanctions will be made by one of the five permanent seats.

Regardless as to whether sanctions are applied or not the availability of the DR to make a moral judgment call and statement by a vote that actually counts in the workings of the world is a large step up from its present position. LF has worked hard to put the DR into a position where the DR is recognized by the other parts of the world and I hope they get the position.

Rick
 

aegap

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Mar 19, 2005
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Chirimoya said:
Leonel is very partial to this international statemanship lark. However, apart from the prestige of a seat on the UNSC, it is said that the DR is pursuing this to avoid awkwardness when choosing between the other candidates. If you yourself are a candidate, problem solved! Something about keeping oil suppliers to the south sweet while not ruffling the feathers of a certain neighbour to the north.

Brilliant!!

..I never thought of it that way..
 

RHM

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Sep 23, 2002
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I am pretty sure that he is not doing it in order to sit on the fence and not have to "choose". Correct me if I am wrong but I think that Venezuela and Guatemala are this year's candidates and that Leonel is shooting for a seat in the next round.

The 10 rotating members have a voice and a soap box but not much more. The 5 permanent members have veto power.

Why is he going for it? For his own ego.

With Leonel everything is about him.

Scandall
 
Sep 20, 2003
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I think some people are missing the larger picture.

I know that I'm probably going to come under harsh attack for writing this(well, from the Americans at least), but someone has to. America is a country in sharp decline. The national debt was 5.2 trillion when Bush came into office. It is somewhere around 9 trillion now. It is projected to be 10 trillion by next year. Even the real estate developer who designed and put the the famous "debt clock" up in New York City in 1989 is now having a new one built to make room for an additional digit when the deficit hits 10 Trillion. When the debt clock went up in 1989, the National debt was "only" 2.7 trillion. G.W. Bush will have easily doubled the National debt by the time he leaves office. The National debt is a critical problem.

The US dollar has lost around 1/3 of it value in the last 3-4 years.

America was still an industrial nation(39% of American workers were employed in Manufacturing) in 1988, when I started college. By Feburary 2004 the figure was only 9%. What is the % today? What will the % be if Ford or GM go bankrupt? Outsourcing and Free trade have done a number on the United States. I know, NALS will probably disagree.

I could go on. Whether some want to listen or not. My point is this. What do you think America will look like in 3 years? I don't have a lot of optimism that America will rebound and enter another Golden Age like the 1950's. I'm having visions of America more closely resembling Russia in the mid 1990's.

How much could America really do for the DR? Really? America has to import 70% of its oil. Venezuela accounts for 20% of that. I've read about big dreams of turning Montana's coal fields into synthetic oil and supposed big finds in Alaska or the Gulf of Mexico, but I'll believe that when I see it. I can't imagine that Americans will care enough to help the DR. Venezula has the surplus oil, not America. The DR needs oil. America nees oil even more.

The American tourist dollar has lost one third of its punch in the last few years. If(when) the dollar drops further, how much will American tourists be able to prop up the economy? Tourism is a low paying job for Dominicans and according to what I've read, 80% of the hotel workers are Haitian.

I think the DR needs to be more worried about integrating with Latin America and the Caribbean than the United States. Trujillo paid off the National debt without using tourist dollars. The DR under Trujillo could feed itself and most of the clothes and shoes Dominicans wore were manufacted inside the country. CAFTA will destroy the Dominican dairy industry, Lord knows what else will be destroyed.

Free trade with America(forced onto Haiti after Baby Doc fled in 1986) destroyed the Haitian poultry industry and has ruined the average rice farmer. Haiti could feed itself in 1986, not it cannot. If the fuel costs suddenly spiked and Haiti could no longer afford to ship in food, there would be a massive famine. The dominicans will bare the brunt of that fall out.

Why bend over backwards for America when that country could be on its knees in a few years? Why make enemies in the United Nations by siding with America? The DR needs to keep a low profile and tread lightly as to not alienate its neighbors. People keep posting about trusting that Chavez will still be in power in a few years. That what Americas have been saying about Castro for 46 years. Why don't these same Americans who doubt Chavez or Castro's staying power start to question their own nations ability to sustain the astronomical National debt load. Why do they not discuss the future(even current) ramifications of massive outsourcing of American factory jobs.

The DR needs to think about its future. If it is all dependent on tourism, then the DR better start looking for Chinese or Gulf Arab state tourists to fill the gap.
 
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