Ethically Unbalanced

Former Czech President Vaclav Havel rips into the EU for its ethically unconscionable decision to blacklist human rights and democracy activists from parties held at its embassies in Cuba (link: Volokh). It is one of the most poignant pieces I've read in a long while. Highlights:

"I can hardly think of a better way for the EU to dishonor the noble ideals of freedom, equality and human rights that the Union espouses -- indeed, principles that it reiterates in its constitutional agreement. To protect European corporations' profits from their Havana hotels, the Union will cease inviting open-minded people to EU embassies, and we will deduce who they are from the expression on the face of the dictator and his associates. It is hard to imagine a more shameful deal.

Cuba's dissidents will, of course, happily do without Western cocktail parties and polite conversation at receptions. This persecution will admittedly aggravate their difficult struggle, but they will naturally survive it. The question is whether the EU will survive it.

Today, the EU is dancing to Fidel Castro's tune. That means that tomorrow it could bid for contracts to build missile bases on the coast of the People's Republic of China. The following day it could allow its decisions on Chechnya to be dictated by Russian President Vladimir Putin's advisors. Then, for some unknown reason, it could make its assistance to Africa conditional on fraternal ties with the worst African dictators.

Where will it end? The release of Milosevic? Denying a visa to Russian human-rights activist Sergey Kovalyov? An apology to Saddam Hussein? The opening of peace talks with al Qaeda?

Coexistence with dictators

It is suicidal for the EU to draw on Europe's worst political traditions, the common denominator of which is the idea that evil must be appeased and that the best way to achieve peace is through indifference to the freedom of others.

Amen. The EU has a lot of balls (or more accurately, a tragic lacking in them) in making this proclamation, and Mr. Havel is right to call them out on it.

One good way for the EU to make amends is to make an effort to stop the atrocities in the Darfur region of Sudan. Strategy Page recommends they set up a no-fly zone to end Sudanese air strikes on defenseless African villages. This wouldn't require too much investment (bases could be set up in neighboring Chad), but it doesn't appear that the EU or UN has the willpower to see it out (surprise, surprise). As usual, when the choice is between political inaction and saving lives, we can depend on the world to take the path of least resistance (Hurray! They've filed a report!).

The National Review has argued that UN-recommended gun control standards are at least partially to blame for the genocide, since they prevented blacks from defending themselves against Janjaweed raids (Again, hat-tip to Volokh). Not getting into the general merits of gun control on the theory level, it is definitely true that gun control is only feasible when there is an alternative, professional, non-oppressive entity able to provide security. When none such group exists--or worse yet, the group nominally in charge of security is actively facilitating or participating in the atrocities--then gun control cannot work and acts to enable the oppressors. Since the UN is at least partially responsible for irresponsibly promligating gun control statutes to locations where they don't make sense, they have a corresponding obligation to correct their error where it has led to a genocide (as in Darfur). Will they? Of course not, because the UN never actually does anything.