T U E S D A Y MARCH 16, 2004
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Volume CXXXIX, No. 33
An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891
www.browndailyherald.com
UN needs “worldclass force,” says former official BY JONATHAN ELLIS
Former United Nations Undersecretary General Sir Brian Urquhart admitted he had a difficult task Monday afternoon: to deliver a lecture encompassing the history and future of the United Nations without running past midnight. With President George W. Bush’s administration promoting a doctrine of preemptive war, terrorist organizations posing imminent threats and many observers considering the United Nations obsolete, Urquhart wondered aloud what direction the world should take now. “The U.N. is going to have to shape up and get into the 21st century, in which it is not at the moment,” he said. “The (U.N.) Security Council is kind of a museum piece with the British and the French as worldclass powers.” Urquhart did praise the U.N. charter as a flexible document “that’s extremely useful in an untidy world.” But he said neither a stronger United Nations nor a “Pax Americana” — a U.S.-imposed world peace — would be enough to solve today’s global problems. The United Nations needs a “world-class force” available for rapid deployment, Urquhart said. “(U.N. Secretary-General Kofi) Annan has no force to keep peace in Iraq, so it has to be kept by the coalition,” whose troops are now targets of attacks, he said. But the United Nations can often be blamed, he said. “It’s one of the great ironies of the English language that the initials of ‘secretary-general’ are S.G. — which are also the initials of ‘scapegoat,’” he said. Diplomacy can stall because “diplomats dilly-dally around the subject, present halfbaked ideas (and) try to avoid the issue,” Urquhart said. But bold action can backfire, he added. “Unilateral preventive wars will create more, not less, insecurity,” he said. Urquhart did not fully blame the Bush administration for intervening in Iraq without U.N. support. “It’s a great deal of fun to constantly blame George Bush and his people, but they do have a point — something needs to be done” about the United Nations, he said. The world faces new dangers, he said. “We’re now dealing with the possibility of nuclear proliferation in the hands of private people who have no concern about the Security Council,” he said. “I think we have to think in very scary terms about what could happen.” Urquhart said the best way to effect change in the United Nations is through public pressure on governments and diplomats. Urquhart also spoke about Thursday’s bombings in Madrid in response to a question from the audience. see URQUHART, page 4
Nick Neely / Herald
Laleh Ispahani, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Voting Rights Project, argued against state policies that deny felons and ex-felons the right to vote at a Monday night lecture.
ACLU representative says felons deserve voting rights BY STEPHANIE CLARK
Felons across the country are unfairly denied the right to vote, said Laleh Ispahani, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Voting Rights Project and leader of Right to Vote: A National Campaign to End Felony Disenfranchisement. Maine and Vermont are the only states that don’t take away any of criminals’ voting rights, while 14 states permanently disenfranchise felons and exfelons, Ispahani said in a lecture Monday night. She called the nation a “crazy quilt” of policies, with state laws ranging from immediate restoration of the right to vote upon release from prison to permanent disenfranchisement. The issue is particular to the United States, according to Ispahani. “We entered the 21st century with possibly the most restrictive disenfranchisement policy in the world,” she said. In Germany, felons are disenfranchised for five years if they have committed “serious legislative offenses.” And in Finland and New Zealand, disenfranchisement is limited to those caught buying or selling votes, and even then, it lasts for only two years, she said. An Israeli court ruling stated that denying felons the right to vote would hurt not the felon but the voting system, Ispahani said. As a result, there are now polling stations set up inside Israeli prisons. Ispahani said state laws disenfranchising felons and ex-felons are a seri-
ous threat to American democracy. The current policies are “truly criminal,” said Ispahani. “We’re effectively telling people, ‘Welcome back, pay taxes, don’t vote.’” She cited disorganization and red tape as other factors making it especially difficult for ex-convicts to vote. “Some
Laptop thief found, arrested in Barus and Holley Friday afternoon campus news, page 3
Rachel Lauter ’06 says Brown isn’t addressing the very real problem of sophomore slump column, page 7
see ISPAHANI, page 4
Simmons to help with search for new president of alma mater Dillard U. Dillard University is getting a little bit of help from one of its most famous alums — President Ruth Simmons. Simmons, who graduated from the university in 1967, is serving an advisory role in Dillard’s search for its new president. Dillard’s former president, Michael Lomax, left after a seven-year tenure to run the United Negro College Fund. The UNCF recruited Lomax partly because of his fundraising successes at Dillard, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Dillard has chosen an interim president until a permanent replacement is found to fill the role. Simmons said she feels the interim appointment is indicative of the amount of time and consideration the university will devote to finding the best possible president. “My hope is that they’ll take their time,” she told The Herald. Simmons said Dillard is a small
institution that lacks many of the resources Brown has. “I had the opportunity to go to college because a small college gave me a scholarship, and I’m very attached to it,” she said. Simmons said there are no plans for her to visit the school during the search process. Instead, she will offer advice about candidates and procedure by phone. Simmons said her role will remain strictly advisory because she feels her schedule does not allow for a greater commitment. “I made it clear that I don’t see myself as being very involved with the search committee and that I don’t need to be,” she said. “Certainly, when I retire from Brown, I’d love to have more time to help (Dillard) out,” Simmons added. “It means a lot to me as my undergraduate college.” — Leslie Kaufmann
W E AT H E R F O R E C A S T
I N S I D E T U E S D AY, M A RC H 1 6 , 2 0 0 4 Flasher marks Rock with indecent exposure in two Sunday night incidents campus news, page 3
states require a state-issued ID to vote, ... and they cost money. Many ex-felons don’t have an extra $20 or $30 to get an ID so they can vote,” she said. There are strong racial overtones in the issue of felony disenfranchisement,
The Boy Scouts are being unfairly persecuted, writes Laura Martin ’06 column, page 7
M. lacrosse improves record by defeating Fairfield University in weekend match sports, page 8
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