Tunisia joins international war crimes court

Tunisia is the fourth Arab country to join the International Criminal Court and the first to join up since a wave of pro-democracy uprisings started sweeping the region.

James Reinl
James Reinl

25 June, 2011

NEW YORK // Tunisia became the fourth Arab country to join the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal yesterday, and the first to join up since a wave of pro-democracy uprisings started sweeping the region.

Ghazi Jomaa, Tunisia's envoy to the United Nations, formally joined the International Criminal Court (ICC) in a ceremony at UN headquarters, saying the North African country is "witnessing historic changes" and is taking "steady steps" on political reforms.

Tunisia's interim government decided to join the court, which is based in The Hague, in February, and is in the process of signing up to other global treaties on political rights and torture, after the ousting of president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

The ICC has 116 members but only four from the Arab world: Jordan, Comoros, Djibouti and Tunisia. Key countries such as the United States, Israel, Russia and China have not joined, saying it would undermine their sovereignty.

Dr Amor Boubakri, a professor of law at the University of Sousse in Tunisia, said: "This great step has become possible only after the collapse of Ben Ali's 23-year rule."

William Pace, head of the Coalition for the ICC, an advocate of the court, said Tunisia's membership will "inspire other nations and peoples throughout the region".

Last month, ICC officials met Arab leaders and jurists in Doha to try to increase membership.

Several Arab envoys expressed fears about a double standard in the court, which cannot probe Israeli violations against Palestinians.

Since the ICC was established in 2002, it has launched prosecutions for atrocities in Uganda, Kenya, Congo, Sudan, Libya and the Central African Republic. It is criticised for disproportionately targeting African leaders who have been eschewed by the West.

It prosecutes those accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide by nationals of or within the territories of its members, when domestic courts are unwilling or unable to pursue justice, or following a UN Security Council referral.

On Monday, the court's pretrial chamber will announce whether it will issue arrest warrants against the Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Qaddafi, one of his sons and the country's intelligence chief, who are accused of crimes against humanity while repressing pro-democracy demonstrators.

[ jreinl@thenational.ae ]

How to keep control of your emotions

If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.

Greed

Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.

Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.

Fear

The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.

Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.

Hope

While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.

Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.

Frustration

Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.

Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.

Boredom

Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.

Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.

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While you're here

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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Quick pearls of wisdom

Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.” 

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