The Dominion - Geoffrey Hamilton

EU Force Takes Over Bosnian Peacekeeping

Mon, 06 Dec 2004 04:40:15 +0000

On December 2nd, the European Union's 7,000-strong force in Bosnia-Herzegovina assumed command of NATO's peacekeeping mission in the area. The situation in the region has stabilized significantly over the past few years despite claims in the mid-1990s that the mission had failed completely.

Consequently, allied forces on the ground have been scaled back from their peak of 60,000 to the 7,000 EU troops in the region today. Canada currently has 85 soldiers in Bosnia-Herzegovina, which contrasts the 1,800 that were deployed as part of the UN implementation force in support of the Dayton accord. Over 40,000 Canadians have contributed to NATO peacekeeping forces in Bosnia since 1992.

The assumption of command marks a major step forward in the European Union's development as a more-than-economic federation. It is the first time the union has deployed an EU-directed military force. An ad hoc attempt in 1995 to bring EU forces together to end violence in the region met with failure and prompted calls for the development of a permanent EU military arm.

» CBC: European Union takes over Bosnia peacekeeping from NATO with 7,000 troops

» Al Jazeera: Patrolling Peace in Bosnia

» Rocky Mountain News: A military test for European Union

Confusion, Distrust in Ukrainian Election

Mon, 22 Nov 2004 05:03:22 +0000

Both sides in the Ukrainian presidential election are claiming victory following poll closures on November 21st. Independent election observers from around the world, including Ontario Liberal MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj, state that Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich is believed to be in the lead, though they hasten to add that the Moscow-backed candidate is known to have organized the election to boost his apparent support.

Liberal opponent Viktor Yushchenko, who is widely supported abroad, has stated, "I believe in my victory, but the government ... has staged total fraud in the elections in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions." Numbers released by the central electoral commission show Mr. Yanukovich leading 50% to Mr. Yushchenko's 48%, but exit polling conducted by foreign observers earlier in the day gave Yushchenko a decided lead. Further suspect is the commission's assertion that the Donetsk region, Yanukovich's homeland, enjoyed a 96% voter turnout in comparison with the country's 79% average. Independent observers were barred from monitoring polling stations in the Donetsk region.

The official results will not be known until all votes are counted, a process expected to take up to 15 days. Even once the votes are counted, it will not be known how the suspicions surrounding the electoral process will be resolved as there is no precedent for election recounts in Ukraine.

» Al Jazeera: Ukraine's election candidate cries fraud

» BBC: Ukraine's key election 'rigged'

» Reuters: Cheating alleged in Ukraine poll

European Constitution Faces Votes

Mon, 15 Nov 2004 03:49:16 +0000

Following the October 29th signing of the European Constitution on the Capitoline Hill in Rome by leaders of the EU's 25 member nations, the final decision to ratify the agreement will be made by voters in nine countries.

France, Denmark, Portugal, and the Czech Republic will hold referendums, whereas in countries such as Belgium and the UK, where there is no constitutional precedent for plebiscites, they will be held with the results subject to parliamentary approval. In the remaining member nations, ratification will be approved by parliaments directly. Failure on the part of any one country to ratify the agreement will stall the entire constitutional process.

Support is said to be particularly strong in Denmark, where almost 75 per cent of decided voters intend to support ratification. In the UK, where public support for the EU is viewed as political suicide, it is said that Tony Blair hopes France rejects the proposed constitution before he is forced to face what seems to be certain defeat on the issue in March 2006.

» The Economist: The Thing That Won't Go Away

» Berria: 25 EU Members Sign European Constitution in Rome

» Fenêtre sur l'Europe: The European Constitution: Signing is Not Enough

» CPOD: In Denmark, European Constitution Has Many Backers