http://www.project-syndicate.org/series/history_in_motion <p><em>Are hypocrisy and double standards a necessary part of diplomacy? When and how should military force be used to stop or prevent mass atrocities? Can a sustainable peace and balance of power be built in Asia? Is a nuclear arms race in the Middle East unavoidable?</em></p> <p><a href="http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/11/28/the_fp_top_100_global_thinkers?page=0,37#thinker52"><img src="http://www.project-syndicate.org/images/FP/490x200-PS-ads-4.jpg"/></a></p> en 2012-02-10T06:00:48+01:00 webmaster@project-syndicate.org Gareth Evans 1994-01-01T00:00:00+01:00 4 hourly http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/evans14/English <a href=http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/evans14/English>EVANS: Responsibility While Protecting</a> Ten months ago, the UN Security Council, with no dissent, authorized the use of “all necessary measures” to protect civilians at imminent risk of massacre in Colonel Muammar el-Qaddafi’s Libya. Now, however, the "responsibility to protect," applied for the first time in the subsequent NATO-led campaign, must be revised if it is to be used again. Gareth Evans 2012-01-27T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/evans13/English <a href=http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/evans13/English>EVANS: A World of Gray</a> Countries should pursue what the great international-relations scholar Hedley Bull called “purposes beyond ourselves.” But the real world is a place of gray shades, and more often than not the cause of human decency and security will be better served by recognizing and working around that constraint rather than challenging it head on. Gareth Evans 2011-12-26T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/evans12/English <a href=http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/evans12/English>EVANS: Asia’s Month of Milestones</a> In recent weeks, nervousness about the rise of China has seen a fundamental strategic repositioning by the Asia-Pacific region’s major players, with President Barack Obama vowing to reassert US power and interests there. But, while concerns about China's behavior should be a part of US allies' strategic planning, they should not be exaggerated. Gareth Evans 2011-11-22T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/evans11/English <a href=http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/evans11/English>EVANS: The Responsibility to Protect Comes of Age</a> To be optimistic about almost anything in international affairs is to run the risk of being thought ignorant, naïve, or demented. But, on the issue of mass-atrocity crimes – situations in which the international community has long had good reason for shame – real optimism is now justified. Gareth Evans 2011-10-26T00:00:00+02:00 http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/evans10/English <a href=http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/evans10/English>EVANS: Israel and America on the Wrong Side of History</a> Being on the wrong side of history is never a comfortable position. But that is exactly where the US, Israel, and its closest friends will be if they resist the tide of international sentiment now in favor of recognizing Palestinian statehood. Gareth Evans 2011-09-20T00:00:00+02:00 http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/evans9/English <a href=http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/evans9/English>EVANS: The Asian Power Squeeze</a> No one believes that the US-China relationship will end in tears any time soon, but the outlook a decade or two from now has already focused attention on the tensions that fester throughout the region. What, if anything, can the region’s other countries do to avoid the pain that they would certainly endure if US-China competition turned violent? Gareth Evans 2011-08-26T00:00:00+02:00 http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/evans8/English <a href=http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/evans8/English>EVANS: Taming Bigotry</a> At a time when the horrific events in Norway remind us how much murderous bigotry there still is in the world, perhaps a story from the other side of it can restore a little optimism that some positive, historically significant, changes in attitude really are occurring. That example comes from Australian football. Gareth Evans 2011-07-29T00:00:00+02:00 http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/evans7/English <a href=http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/evans7/English>EVANS: Too Much Information</a> Those of us who see significantly more potential for harm than good in WikiLeaks' ongoing disclosures are probably trying to resist an inexorable tide. We will all have to get used to more exposure and make the best of it, but that shouldn’t stop efforts to draw lines where they really matter. Gareth Evans 2011-06-28T00:00:00+02:00 http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/evans6/English <a href=http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/evans6/English>EVANS: Bombs Away</a> One of the most dispiriting features of contemporary international debate is that the threat to humanity posed by the world’s 23,000 nuclear weapons has been consigned to the margin of politics. Indeed, Japan’s Fukushima disaster has generated a massive debate about the safety of nuclear power, but not about nuclear weapons. Gareth Evans 2011-05-26T00:00:00+02:00 http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/evans5/English <a href=http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/evans5/English>EVANS: Hypocrisy and War</a> When our common humanity is under threat, even if we can’t do everything we should, shouldn’t we at least do what we can? Libya and Côte d’Ivoire pass the five tests of legitimacy that any outside military intervention must meet, whereas Bahrain, Syria and Yemen do not, partly because other options have not been exhausted. Gareth Evans 2011-04-27T00:00:00+02:00 http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/patten39/English <a href=http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/patten39/English>EVANS: Turkey and the Future of Europe</a> As an EU member, Turkey would add a new dimension of massive historic importance. And Europeans would show that we could embrace an Islamic democracy and build a strong bridge between Europe and Western Asia. Chris Patten 2011-03-31T00:00:00+02:00 http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/patten38/English <a href=http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/patten38/English>EVANS: No Exceptions</a> For years, the West talked up democracy around the world, but, despite the occasional gentle slap on the wrist, we accepted that there was an Arab exception to the desire for freedom and accountability. The West now has to accept that if there is no “Arab exception,” there is no “China exception,” either. Chris Patten 2011-02-18T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/patten37/English <a href=http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/patten37/English>EVANS: Mr. Hu Goes to Washington</a> US/China relations have taken a turn for the worst over the past year. Will Hu Jintao’s visit to Washington starting January 19 narrow or widen that gap? Chris Patten 2011-01-11T00:00:00+01:00