Inner City Press -- Investigative Reporting From the United Nations to Wall Street to the Inner City

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, December 26 -- Earlier this month, the UN was calling on Bangladesh' Sheikh Hasina to show flexibility. On December 11, the UN announced that Secretary General Ban Ki-moon had expressed to Sheikh Hasina concern about

"the widespread violence that has left dozens of people dead since last month. The Secretary-General urged the Prime Minister to resolve differences over the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for January through dialogue."

Now two weeks later UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has contacted Sheikh Hasina asking to transfer 1000 Bangledeshi soldiers to South Sudan, and she has nearly immediately said yes, and bragged about it -- as nearly all leaders and countries do -- witness Norway bragging it's giving $50 million to South Sudan where its Hilde Johnson is UN envoy, or the Netherlands bragging about spying in Mali where its Bert Koenders is envoy.

  But it's worth considering the relation between the UN's pressure on Sheikh Hasina before this South Sudan crisis erupted, and after Ban's request and Sheikh Hasina's quick approval.

  So too the case of President Kenyatta of Kenya. In November, either Security Council members abstained on the African Union's request that the Council suspended the International Criminal Court's proceedings against Kenyatta for one year.

Now, along with Ethiopia's prime minister, Kenyatta is going to South Sudan to mediate. What do the abstainers say now? Watch this site.