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The rise of impunity–and its human cost
What happens when global norms collapse and no one is left to enforce them? On GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, International Rescue Committee president and CEO David Miliband warns that we are living through what he calls an “Age of Impunity,” where power is exercised without accountability, and civilians in conflict zones from Syria to Ukraine to Gaza are paying the price. “The Age of Impunity is becoming the Age of Cruelty,” Miliband says, as rights guaranteed under international law are ignored and no one is holding the powerful to account.
Miliband highlights findings from the Atlas of Impunity, an annual index published by the Eurasia Group, that tracks accountability across 170 countries. The data shows not only extreme cases of impunity in war-torn regions but also surprising results in advanced democracies like Canada, the US, and Nordic countries. Still, there are some signs of progress. For Miliband, the challenge is clear: it will take a massive push from governments, civil society, brave civilians, journalists and human rights advocates to reverse the retreat of accountability and uphold basic principles of human rights.
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, the award-winning weekly global affairs series, airs nationwide on US public television stations (check local listings).
New digital episodes of GZERO World are released every Monday on YouTube. Don't miss an episode: subscribe to GZERO's YouTube channel and turn on notifications (🔔). GZERO World with Ian Bremmer airs on US public television weekly - check local listings.
David Miliband and Ian Bremmer discuss the Atlas of Impunity
What is power without accountability? Impunity. On GZERO World, Ian Bremmer and President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, David Miliband, discuss the Atlas of Impunity, a global project created by Eurasia Group, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and funded by the Open Society Foundations. You can find the Atlas of Impunity at: www.atlasofimpunity.com. The Atlas ranks every country in the world on five aspects of impunity: conflicts, human rights, governance, economic exploitation, and environmental degradation.
Miliband argues that impunity, or “the exercise of power without accountability,” is increasing and “covers swaths of national and international life,” well beyond just war zones. He also emphasizes the importance of including the environment as a standard of of measuring impunity.
The Atlas of Impunity is meant to be a tool for people around the world to see how their own country scores on the five indicators. And what does this Atlas tell us? Miliband stresses the need for a “countervailing power, which starts with transparency,” followed by actions that "governments, businesses, and civil society” need to take to counter the increasing danger of the abuse of power.
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Will sanctions work against Lukashenko?
Are the European Union's sanctions against Belarus effective? The initial European response to the fraudulent election in Belarus was swift, but didn't go far enough, said opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, emboldening President Alexander Lukashenko to think he could continue to act with impunity and even hijack a Ryanair plane. The EU has stated that while it wants to impose sanctions that will punish the Belarusian president and the government, they don't want to hurt the Belarusian people - but Tsikhanouskaya affirmed that sanctions are the leverage that people on the ground are asking for. "People don't feel safe, and they want to end the regime as soon as possible," she told Ian Bremmer in an interview on GZERO World.
Watch the episode: The fight for democracy in Europe's last dictatorship