Many facets to Abbas' U.N. move, analysts say

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' ambitious push to gain full U.N. membership may seem unrealistic, but analysts say he is making hard-nosed calculations rooted in domestic politics.
"This is a move born of frustration," said Steven Cook, a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, referring to the consternation over dormant and deadlocked Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
"Right now, he's thinking about his domestic political situation in order to maintain his position," Cook said. "So he's not eaten alive."
The United States has vowed to block a Palestinian membership application should it reach the U.N. Security Council.
The Palestinians' current U.N. status is as an observer "entity." Observers can speak in the General Assembly but not vote.

While a veto by the United States in the Security Council would block any effort to gain full U.N. membership, a "yes" vote in the General Assembly would raise Palestinians to the status of permanent observer "state," the status the Vatican currently holds.
A formal request for full U.N. membership is expected to be submitted Friday.
Cook says Abbas wins if he comes home with "something concrete" and "can turn lemons into lemonade."
"Whatever it is, he has to tell Palestinians something," be it the permanent observer status or even a cogent political narrative. An example would be that the Palestinians worked to get recognized but the United States and Israel blocked their "legitimate rights."
Salman Shaikh, director of the Brookings Doha Center and fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, said the effort surely plays out into the future legacy of the 76-year-old Abbas, a major player in the Palestinian political movement since the late 1950s.
"He is definitely committed to nonviolence and negotiations. That's been his mantra his whole life," Shaikh said. "He wants to leave with something."
But "this guy is still a very political guy" and his U.N. initiative, which comes after the popular demonstrations for democracy across the Middle East and North Africa popularly labeled the Arab Spring, has "galvanized" people, Shaikh said.
The effort has bolstered the standing of Abbas, who has been frustrated with the lack of progress in peacemaking and disappointed with the Obama administration.
"This has been a smart political move," Shaikh said. "What they are doing is they are effectively bringing an end to a U.S. monopoly on peacemaking. They are internationalizing it."
The Palestinians realize Obama is facing tough circumstances. They cite domestic political obstacles and believe that the U.S. president won't push Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into the hard deal-making that is needed.
The Palestinians' instincts are still to let the United States lead negotiations, but "they don't believe it will happen."
In a Brookings article published Wednesday, Shaikh said the decision to approach to the U.N. Security Council "with the backing of the Arab League and regional power, Turkey, will start a high-stakes game of diplomatic brinksmanship."
But it is unclear how things will work out, he wrote.
One factor would be the fallout from an American veto in the Security Council -- a move widely seen as unpopular across the Middle East and one the United States would like to avoid.
"Contrary to conventional wisdom," a Security Council move "may not lead to a quick vote in September, " Shaikh wrote.
"Instead, the presidency of the Council will likely pass on the request to a 'Committee on the Admission of New Members,' which comprises all 15 members of the Security Council. While "death by U.N. committee' is a plausible scenario, more likely is a vote in the Council after weeks if not months of deliberations," he wrote.
If there is a U.S. veto, the Palestinians have other moves they could make. One is calling a "special vote of the U.N. General Assembly under the 'Uniting for Peace' resolution."
"In this case, a two-thirds majority of U.N. Member States could override the U.S. veto in the Security Council. Another option would be to return, if necessary repeatedly, to the Security Council. Bottom line is that this issue is likely to run and run," Shaikh wrote.
Haim Malka, deputy director and senior fellow in the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Abbas doesn't have much to lose at this point.
Malka pointed to Palestinian failures, such as the policy to reconcile with Hamas, the militant movement that controls the Palestinian territory of Gaza, and efforts to force concessions from Israel. Also, he has lost faith that the United States can mediate a negotiated settlement with Israel. Fatah, Abbas' group and Hamas' rival, prevails in the Palestinian West Bank.
"While he's been relatively successful overseeing stabilization and institution-building in the West Bank, he's made no headway on his two most important objectives: reconciling Gaza and the West Bank and negotiating an agreement with Israel," Malka said.
The U.N. strategy gives him "a chance to hit Israel diplomatically, but "any satisfaction that comes from a new status at the U.N. will likely be short-lived and could actually undermine Palestinian efforts to negotiate an agreement with Israel in the future."
If the Palestinians gain non-member state status through the U.N. General Assembly, Palestinians will have the right to bring legal action against current and former Israeli officials in the International Criminal Court. That could lead to an "avalanche" of court cases against Israelis, along with diplomatic harassment, which would deepen Israel's isolation, Malka said.
David Makovsky, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and director of its project on the Middle East peace process, said several factors are motivating Abbas.
"He has been in search of a legacy. He is someone who would like to tell his people that he has brought his cause to the leaders of the world. He has put this issue on the agenda in a way that cannot be ignored."
Makovsky said Abbas is looking for a "political masterstroke" that would capture the imagination of the Palestinians and Arab people.
He wants to show that he is "in sync with the times, that there has to be some public manifestation of his diplomatic efforts."
"It cannot just be negotiations, but an assertion of Palestinian will that all can see. It has to be dramatic, as these are dramatic times."
Citing a "plethora" of recent Palestinian polling, Makovsky said most Palestinians wanted Abbas to go to the United Nations, even though most Palestinians thought it wouldn't work.
"Defiance has sometimes been more important than success," he said.

Study: Power without status can lead to to rudeness, even abuse

Researchers at three universities believe that positions of power with low status contribute to abuses like those suffered by prisoners in Iraq's Abu Ghraib prisoner.

A new study by three universities shows that people holding positions of power with low status tend to demean others, one of the authors said.
The research sheds light on why clerks can seem rude or even why the Abu Ghraib guards humiliated and tortured their prisoners, the researcher said.
In an article to be published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, researchers studied the relationship between the status and the power of a job, said Nathanael Fast, assistant professor of management and organization at the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business.
The study, "The Destructive Nature of Power without Status," determined that the combination of some authority and little perceived status can be toxic.
"We found that people who had high power and high status, they were pretty cool," Fast told CNN. "But it was people who had power and lacked status who used their power to require other persons to engage in demeaning behavior."
In a field of study where psychologists and business schools are now jointly looking at how power shapes business relationships, the study's authors examined the notions of how low status is "threatening and aversive" and how power "frees people to act on their internal states and feelings," the researchers say.
"The world was shocked when pictures circulated in 2004 showing low-ranking U.S. soldiers physically and sexually abusing prisoners from the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq," the study says. "One could point to these examples as support for the popular idea that 'power corrupts.'
"However, we believe there is more to the story. Although it is true that the prison guards had power, it is equally true that their roles provided little to no respect and admiration in the eyes of others. They had power but they lacked status. We posit that understanding the combinations of these two variables — power and status — produces key insights into the causes of destructive and demeaning behavior," the study says.
The researchers held experiments with students who were randomly assigned a high-status "idea producer" role or low-status "worker" role.
The students were asked to select from a list of 10 activities for the others to perform. Five of the most demeaning commands were: Say "I'm filthy" five times, say "I am not worthy" five times, bark like a dog three times, state three negative personal traits and count backward from 500 in increments of seven.
The least five demeaning activities were: Write a short essay on your experiences today, say a funny joke, clap hands 50 times, do five pushups, and jump up and down 10 times on one leg, the study said.
The research found that "individuals in high-power/low-status roles chose more demeaning activities for their partners (e.g., bark like a dog, say "I am filthy") than did those in any other combination of power and status roles."
"Our findings indicate that the experience of having power without status, whether as a member of the military or a college student participating in an experiment, may be a catalyst for producing demeaning behaviors that can destroy relationships and impede goodwill," the study said.
Remedies to such situations include upper management telling persons in high-power/low-status posts "how important these roles are, so that they have status," Fast said.
The promise of bonuses or promotions could also help, Fast said.
But not all people in such posts are so disagreeable, he added.
"There are a lot of people in these roles who treat others well, and that's probably a function of personality," Fast added. "I don't want everyone in these roles to say, 'Wait a minute, I don't act that way.' There are other moderators like personality and culture."
The study was also conducted by Nir Halevy, acting assistant professor of organizational behavior at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and Adam Galinsky, professor of management and organizations at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
"It's important to study power and status because hierarchy is everywhere. You can't get away from it," Fast said. "Whether you're with family and friends, volunteering at a soup kitchen, or working in a big organization, there's always a hierarchy."

Post-revolution delegates from Egypt and Libya address U.N.

Egypt's Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr addresses the the United Nations in New York on September 24

A pair of north African delegates addressed the U.N. General Assembly for the first time Saturday, each representing a new government formed after revolution and civil war ousted their respective long-time leaders.
From Libya, the executive chairman of the country's transitional council formally addressed the assembly's 66th annual session, saying his country was ready to "redevelop itself" and "heal its wounds."
Mahmoud Jibril also called for a thaw of Libyan financial assets, frozen during the ongoing conflict between pro and anti-Gadhafi forces.

Col. Moammar Gadhafi -- who ruled Libya with near absolute power for more than four decades -- fled from office last month, although pockets of resistance have remained.
Jibril's speech was in stark contrast to a rambling 90-minute address given by the former Libyan leader two years ago in which he criticized the United Nations and the composition of its security council.
From Egypt, Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr also addressed the assembly -- the first time an Egyptian delegate has done so representing a post- Mubarak government.
Long-time strongman and former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stepped down in February, handing over power to the military and ending three decades of iron-clad rule following an 18-day popular revolution.
In a move that seemed to punctuate recent tensions between Egypt and Israel (rioters stormed the Israeli embassy in Cairo earlier this month) the country's foreign minister told delegates that Egypt is supportive of a Palestinian U.N. bid for statehood.
He added that the Quartet -- representatives from the U.S., the U.N., Russia and the European Union -- had failed "to come up with a balanced vision."
The first week of U.N. debates wrapped up on Saturday as delegates outlined their visions for peace and global security.
But one topic remained at the forefront of the annual session: The bid for Palestinian statehood.
On Friday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas put forth a historic request for full U.N. membership, a move Israel says is premature without direct talks that address its longstanding security concerns.
The measure prompted the Quartet to issue a call for renewed talks, after they broke down last year.
Their statement Friday outlined a timetable for an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement to be reached before the end of 2012, countering any anticipation of immediate change in the region.
Abbas told reporters traveling with him Saturday that he would not comment on the Quartet statement before studying it, according to WAFA, the Palestinian Authority news agency. But he added that any proposal that did not include an end to settlement activities and a return to the 1967 borders would not be dealt with.
He said there were many last-minute meetings on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, with diplomats seeking to persuade him to give up his request for Palestinian statehood.
"All these meeting, which were confusing, did not make us change our position because our goal was to deliver the official and humanitarian Palestinian message," Abbas said.
Abbas' application -- viewed as a largely symbolic gesture because an American veto is all but assured should it come to a vote in the Security Council -- drew applause in the assembly when the Palestinian leader raised the document at the podium.
"Peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the U.N.," U.S. President Barack Obama said in a speech to delegates at the General Assembly earlier this week. "If it were that easy, it would have been accomplished by now."
The American president said he supports Palestinian statehood, but reiterated a long-standing U.S. position that Israel must be part of the discussions.
Israel has described the bid as counterproductive, and has called for an immediate resumption of talks to begin in New York and to be continued in Ramallah and Jerusalem.
The Security Council is expected to meet Monday to further discuss the issue.
Also Saturday, the international body hosted a mini-summit on drought and famine in the Horn of Africa. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said more than 13 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Djibouti "need our help."
He said three-quarters of a million people are "at imminent risk of starvation" as a result of war, rising food costs and droughts that have continually plagued the region.
The mini-summit coincided with a World Bank decision in Washington to boost aid to the region to $1.88 billion from more than $500 million, the D.C.-based financial institution announced Saturday.

New world record for Gebrselassie

Haile Gebrselassie broke his own world record as he won the Berlin Marathon for the third time in a row.

Gebrselassie mixed with amateur runners in Berlin before the race

The 35-year-old Ethiopian became the first man to run under two hours, four minutes as he clocked 2:03:59.
His time was nearly half a minute quicker than his previous record, set over the same course last year.
"I am so, so happy, everything was perfect, the weather was perfect, the spectators were perfect, everything - I am so happy," said Gebrselassie.
"Since I started running, Berlin is my lucky city."
James Kwambai went with the Ethiopian when he broke away just after the 33km mark but Gebrselassie stepped up the pace 6km out and the Kenyan wilted.
Gebrselassie, the first man to win the event three times, picked up £39,000 for the victory and the same amount for his world record.

His achievement was all the more impressive given that his training had been interrupted by a calf injury.
"Two weeks ago I had a bit of a problem with my calf muscle, but I took a week off," he said. "It gave me a few worries coming here, but I forgot about it as the race wore on.
"I knew before I came here I could do something special."
It is the sixth time the world record has been broken over the flat Berlin course.
Irina Mikitenko, who won the London Marathon earlier this year, won the women's race in a time of 2hrs 19mins 18secs.
It was a personal best for the German and the fastest time in the world this year.

Patrick Makau breaks Haile Gebrselassie's marathon world record in Berli

                                Makau won the Berlin race in 2010 when Gebrselassie did not enter

Patrick Makau retained the Berlin men's marathon title in a world record time.

The Kenyan finished in a time of two hours, three minutes and 38 seconds to shave 21 seconds off the record set by Haile Gebrselassie on the same course.

The Ethiopian great failed to finish having experienced apparent stomach problems around the 27km mark.

"In the morning my body was not good but, after I started the race, it started reacting very well. I started thinking about the record," said Makau.

GEBRSELASSIE'S RECORD AT BERLIN MARATHON

Continue reading the main story

• 2006 - First in 2:05.56 (fastest time of year)
• 2007 - First in 2:04.26 (world record)
• 2008 - First in 2:03.59 (world record)
• 2009 - First in 2:06.08
• 2010 - Did not compete

"I didn't have any problems in the race. Last year I had some problems with my soles inside my shoe, but today everything went very well."

Gebrselassie, the 38-year-old double Olympic champion at 10,000m, had also been looking to post a fast time and ease the pressure on him to qualify for the Games ahead of strong Ethiopian rivals.

But he found himself forced to step off the road midway through the race as Makau, sensing the Ethiopian great was struggling, upped the pace.

Gebrselassie set the previous world record time with a mark of 2:03.59 in the third of his four consecutive Berlin victories between 2006 and 2009.

But he halted for a full minute as his hopes of a quick time evaporated, then pulled out for good before the 40km mark.

Nepal tourist plane crashes near Kathmandu killing 19

A small plane has crashed in Nepal killing all 19 people on board, officials say.

Witnesses said the plane was on fire and broke up as it fell

The Buddha Air plane was carrying 16 tourists to view Mount Everest and other peaks and was returning to the Nepalese capital.

One person was rescued alive and taken to hospital but died of his injuries.

Tourism Secretary Ganeshraj Joshi said there had been 10 Indians on board, two Americans, a Japanese citizen and six Nepalis, including the three-man crew.

The privately-operated Beechcraft-made 1900D aircraft lost contact with the control tower at 07:31 (02:46 GMT) local time.

The cause of the crash is still being investigated.

Local TV stations reported that witnesses saw flames coming from the plane just before it went down in foggy weather in Godavari, several kilometres from Kathmandu.

One eyewitness said the plane had hit the roof of a house in Bisankunarayan village before breaking up.

Police spokesman Binod Singh told Reuters that all the bodies had been recovered by ground search teams but that bad weather had prevented helicopters from landing.

"Once the helicopters land, we'll bring all bodies to Kathmandu and take them to the Teaching Hospital for post-mortem," he said.

Aviation accidents involving small aircraft are not uncommon in mountainous Nepal.

Last December, all 22 people travelling in a small passenger plane were killed when it crashed east of Kathmandu.

In August 2010, a plane heading for the Everest region crashed in bad weather killing all 14 people on board, including four Americans, a Japanese national and a British national.

Libya's NTC troops renew assault on pro-Gaddafi Sirte

Libya's interim government forces are renewing their attack on Sirte, one of the last pro-Gaddafi strongholds.

Alastair Leithead says anti-Gaddafi fighters have made a "major breakthrough"

National Transitional Council (NTC) fighters had regrouped overnight after making major gains on Saturday.

Troops entered from both west and east and, at one stage, were within 1km (0.5 miles) of the city centre, after weeks of stalemate.

Sirte is Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's birthplace, but it is not known if he is in the city.

The city has always been a hugely symbolic target for the NTC, and it seems close to being won, reports the BBC's Alastair Leithead, who is with anti-Gaddafi forces in Sirte.

Gaddafi snipers
Gunfire could be heard and black smoke was seen rising as NTC soldiers carried out their surprise pincer assault on the city on Saturday.

The advance was especially swift from the east, our correspondent says.

NTC fighters pushed far along the road towards the city centre, outpacing the protection of the artillery and rockets which had been bombarding what was left of the pro-Gaddafi positions.

NTC fighter El-Tohamy Abuzein told the Reuters news agency that pro-Gaddafi snipers were firing from mosques and other buildings.

"They're using the houses and public buildings," he said.

At least two soldiers of the interim government were killed, reports say.

NTC fighters tried to push into Sirte last weekend but were driven back by pro-Gaddafi forces entrenched in the city.

Nato aircraft hit targets in the Sirte area on Saturday, as part of the alliance's UN-mandated mission to protect civilians. Nato air strikes have played a major role in the conflict.

The NTC is also facing strong resistance in the only other remaining Gaddafi stronghold, Bani Walid to the south-east of the capital, Tripoli.

'Coming to life'
In Tripoli, explosions were heard on Saturday afternoon. Plumes of smokes were seen rising from the harbour area.

Officials later said it had been an accident at a military storage facility.

Also on Saturday, NTC chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil said a new interim government would be announced within a week.

At the UN headquarters in New York, Libya's interim Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril gave his first address to the General Assembly.

He said a new democratic Libya was "coming to life" and reaching out to the international community.

Mr Jibril asked member states to unlock all of Libyan assets, which had been frozen under UN sanctions, "to assure reconstruction and rehabilitation of the country".

Col Gaddafi went into hiding after Tripoli fell to NTC forces in August, six months into the uprising.

The whereabouts of the former leader - who ruled Libya for 42 years - are unknown. Many of his relatives and aides have taken refuge in neighbouring Algeria and Niger.

Meanwhile a report on the NTC's Qatar-based Libya TV criticised the Algerian authorities over an audio message broadcast by Col Gaddafi's daughter Aisha - who has fled to Algeria.

The message, in which Aisha Gaddafi criticised the new Libyan government, was broadcast on Friday by a pro-Gaddafi TV channel in Syria.

Libya TV said Aisha Gaddafi should not be allowed to make political statements. She was granted entry in Algeria for humanitarian reasons.

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