Flawed Diplomacy: The United Nations & the War on Terrorism

by Victor D. Comras

There have been numerous attempts to engage the United Nations in a meaningful campaign against state-supported and other terrorist activities. But the inherently political nature of terrorism has made it exceedingly difficult to gain global consensus on who even qualifies as a terrorist, much less agreement on counterterrorism measures to pursue.

The rise of al Qaeda, the events of 9/11, the Madrid train bombing, and the London mass transit bombings provided the international community and United Nations with new impetus to respond to terrorism. Although a series of international conventions were adopted and a short-lived independent monitoring group was established, the strategy that UN secretary general Kofi Annan proposed to the General Assembly in May 2006 contains many proposed measures and objectives that remain unfulfilled, thus rendering the UN virtually impotent against terrorism.

As one of five Security Council–appointed international monitors on the measures being taken against al Qaeda and the Taliban, Comras had the rare opportunity to observe the UN’s counterterrorism activities. He delves into the UN’s role in dealing with terrorism, explores the international political realities and institutional problems that make it difficult for the UN to successfully implement and monitor counterterrorism measures, and describes both the UN’s successes and failures, ultimately laying out a case for creating a stronger, more effective UN response. Flawed Diplomacy is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the war on terrorism and in gaining knowledge about the UN’s inner workings.

284 pages, Hardcover

Published November 1, 2010

About the author

Victor Comras has pursued a public service career in international law and diplomacy, and is an internationally recognized expert and frequent speaker on international sanctions and the global effort to combat terrorism. His articles have appeared in numerous national and international press media, books and professional journals. His latest book: Flawed Diplomacy: The United Nations and the War on Terrorism, published in November by Potomac Books, is now available in major bookstores and on line.
Victor Comras’ diplomatic career extended over three decades. He led the international sanctions program on Serbia which brought down the Slobodan Milosevic regime and ran the US sanctions efforts against the Saddam Hussein regime. He also served as the State Department's point-man on sanctions related to Iran, Cuba and North Korea, and other crisis areas. He has also taught graduate courses on sanctions, diplomacy and U.S. foreign policy at the University of Pittsburgh where he served as Diplomat in Residence.

In 1994 Mr. Comras was appointed by President Clinton to serve as the first U.S. envoy to the Republic of Macedonia. His other diplomatic assignments included postings in Africa, Europe and Canada, and at the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the European Union and COCOM. He served as the first State Department Coordinator for the Restitution of World War II (Holocaust) assets.
Victor Comras was appointed in 2002 by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to serve as one of five international monitors charged with overseeing the implementation of Security Council measures against al Qaeda and the Taliban. And, in 2009 he was selected to serve as the US member of the UN Security Council's Panel of Experts on North Korea.

Mr. Comras received his LLM from Harvard University in 1975 and his J.D. (with honors) from the University of Florida Law Center in 1966, where he was on the Law Review. He earned his B.S. from Georgetown University in 1964. He is now a practising attorney admitted to the bar in Florida and before U.S. Federal Courts.