At Risk of Early Derailment

Alisha Casey/ November 30, 2008/ 4: 45

Racism has been an issue globally and the United Nations hopes to combat racism and the violence that it causes. In 2001, there was a conference in Durban which was a world conference against racism. Recently there have been talks about another World Conference in Geneva. Several countries including Canada and Isareal are threatening to leave the conference unless the meeting avoids the anti-Israel excesses which many thought harmed the first conference.

There were 18,000 delegates at the first conference with the United States and the Israelis left the conference early deciding that criticism of Israelis were disproportionate. Emotions were extremely high at the conference. What is seen as giving the 2001 Conference a bad name was the NGO forum that declared Israel's places related to those of apartheid. Another additive to the situation was the anit-Israel views of Asian countries, mainly Iran.

There are hopes the the conference in 2009 will not be as extreme. I personally hope that the conference will be successful next year in helping to decrease racism and racism acts around the world. Racism has been a problem for many years and has added to the other problems around the world. Hopefully all the countries can come together in order to find a common ground around the world.

http://www.economist.com/research/articlesBySubject/displaystory.cfm?subjectid=348951&story_id=12705743