Arab League supports Palestinian bid for UN recognition

Jo Breiner — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 18:45:32 +0000

The Arab League said it will support a bid by Palestine to seek full membership in the United Nations later this fall. The move to statehood is opposed by Israel, the United States, as well as some countries in the European Union. It is believed that such a move will set up a confrontation with the U.S. in the U.N. Security Council. Boston University international relations professor William Keylor, author of “A World of Nations: The International Order Since 1945,” offers the following comment:

“If the Arab League resolution is introduced in the Security Council, the U.S. will probably veto it with a ‘no’ vote in deference to the concerns of its close ally Israel. Of the other permanent members, China and Russia will probably vote in the affirmative.

“Britain and France are the ones that would be put on the spot. Both are close allies of the United States, both in NATO and in the war on terrorism. But both also have a strong interest in preserving good relations with the Arab world.

“If both Britain and France vote ‘no,’ it will highlight Washington’s isolation on the Security Council concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

Contact William Keylor at 617-358-0197 or wrkeylor@bu.edu

World food prices hit record

Jo Breiner — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 15:15:38 +0000

The United Nations announced today that global food prices hit a record high in February and warned that rising oil prices will make an already unstable global situation much worse. Boston University professors are available to offer expert analysis and commentary on the impact of this new information.

Michael Salinger, School of Management Professor/Everett W. Lord Distinguished Faculty Scholar, Markets, Public Policy and Law; Expert in industrial economics; Former Director of the Bureau of Economics at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission; Recently quoted in the Boston Herald – “Rising food and gas prices a real downer”

Contact 617-353-4408, salinger@bu.edu

Adil Najam, Director of the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Longer-Range Future; Expert in Middle East politics, developing countries

Contact 617-358-4002, anajam@bu.edu, Twitter: @adilnajam

Professor Voices » United Nations

Arab League supports Palestinian bid for UN recognition

World food prices hit record