Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Widely linked but worth one more.
US pressures UN to condemn Hizbullah
This condemnation - slamming Hizbullah by name for "acts of hatred" - marked the first time the Security Council has ever reprimanded Hizbullah for cross-border attacks on Israel. The condemnation followed by two days a failed attempt to get a condemnation issued on Monday, the day of the attack, when Algeria came out against any mention of Hizbullah in the statement.
When asked what changed from Monday to Wednesday, one diplomatic official replied: "John Bolton...'
Love that guy. That's just the type of thing we were hoping for from him.
The torture of this is that Bolton could have too much success and actually make the UN into a credible organization. That is, however, a far off fear. The organization is systemically flawed and one man/nation may make for some small victories, but never completely turn the ship. Every decision, position and pronouncement will continue to be a case unto itself. Good on 'im for this one.
Yay!
One small step for a man, one giant leap for...
Okay, so it doesn't really work in this case. But at least it's a step.
it took several centuries and two horrendous world wars (or as some historians have it, the thirty-years world war) to get a united nations. i am as aware of and appalled by the UN's current condition as you, but i don't think we shd be rooting for its demise. it can play a terribly important role in international affairs, esp in this age of globalization.
i know it's like the augean stables, but we need to look for the river to run through it.
r
Well, wars cause people to attempt hysterical cures. I'm not sure there was ever a past condition when the UN was any good barring a short window following WW2. As an international humanitarian coordinating committee I guess I can't say the UN would be so bad, but as a psuedo world government, where all sorts of semi-states, dictatorships and strongmen are elevated and granted all manner of rights with no responsibilities wrapped in a utopian facade I think it's a dangerous institution indeed -- one that needs to be tamed and kept at arm's length. American society and our Constitution is a miracle. The UN charter? As an American, I say "Eh."
At IRIS blog, UN Force Again Does Nothing, reading from Maariv, for another critical angle on this. We get so little from the U.N. that we're inclined to rejoice every time we receive something like this, which in fact represents a bare minimal standard, not something one would normally rejoice in. Instead we should be acting more like Oliver Twist, more boldly going forward to ask for another bowl of soup - not being content with this minimal helping.
More offense; less defense and less contentment with bare minimum servings.
An additional Bolton initiative, again via IRIS:
"Today brings news that he is the first reformer to attempt to scale back the UN's obsessive focus on Palestinians to the exclusion of all other refugees and to the exclusion of most other world problems as well."