PRAGUE — It is finally happening. After 13 years of negotiations, delays, and hesitation, the U.N. General Assembly will vote this month on the proposal for a universal moratorium on the death penalty. A large majority of the U.N. adopted the proposal on Nov. 15, despite attempts by some member states to obstruct, amend or bury it. Fortunately, in the end, the opponents were forced to fight a will stronger than their own: the will of those who — after the abolition of slavery and torture — want to mark another turning point for civilization.
But will this December's vote be a mere formality? Experience teaches us to be prudent. I have not opened my bottle of spumante yet.
To be honest, I am not sure that all of the world's governments have accepted the inevitable, or that even the most inflexible will now agree to the moratorium. But I continue to have faith that the General Assembly will know, as always, how to meet this challenge.