Some relatively good news

On March 25 the United Nations Human Rights Council concluded its Sixteenth Session with all sorts of agreements, statements, adoption of texts, extension of mandates and, indeed, all the paraphernalia of transnational activity. But there was one item missing: no global blasphemy code.

This has been the perennial demand from Islamic countries, led by Pakistan but, apparently, Western opposition to it has been growing since 2006 when the Bush Administration announced its adherence to world-wide democratic principles (something the UN and its various organizations know nothing about).

Nina Shea goes through the history of this infamous measure and the reasons for its (probably temporary) demise.