The United Nations was established after WWII to create a body that would peacefully resolve international issues, issues such as environmental protection, terrorism, child labor, weapons, health, etc. It consists of many differnet organizations: UNESCO, UNDP, WHO, General Assembly, and the Security Council among others that I'm not remembering right now. It does a pretty good job facilitating debates between countries based on how fractured world opinion can be on any particular issue. What I don't understand is how the U.S. has been able to damage its importance and reputation. Conservatives in this country do not like the U.N. because it represents some form of compromise with the world community and it's too much give for them to stomach. They don't mind the alternative, although they don't really propose or have an alternative to the United Nations.
I personally think it's not only Iraq that's playing a game of shadow puppets with the U.N. but also the U.S. Ever since the last Gulf War, there has been a radical fringe group of political and commercial interests that wanted to go back and destroy Iraq. They tried to persuade Clinton to wage war. (see New American Century) They don't really care if the Security Council can get Iraq to disarm peacefully, they want to see the destruction of the current Iraqi regime nonetheless. They point out that it's a malicious regime with Saddam, the despot, at the top. They're right of course, except, there are many other similar regimes in the world that we don't care so much about. There just isn't the same political and commercial interests in going to war with other dictators, Pakistan for example (our friend in the war against terror). Sometimes Americans forget that the enemy of our enemy may still be our enemy.
"If Iraq exported Brocolli, we wouldn't be going to war" - a sign at the past weekend's demonstration in San Francisco, a sad but true statement. It's true because of the two, Iraq and North Korea, the nation that poses a larger, more immediate threat to the U.S. is North Korea. All the rationale for immediate war against Iraq are shadows on the wall. You have that irritating fact that most terrorists came from Saudi Arabia (again our friend in the war against terror). The world laughed at Colin Powell when he tried to link Al Qaeda with Iraq because everyone knows it's not true. Bin Laden likes to called the U.S. and Hussein infidels and sometimes in the same breath. G.W. Bush has recently dropped charges of nuclear weapons because there's just no evidence of Iraq in possession of nuclear weapons. Anyway, somehow that radical fringe group got control of the White House, Congress, and the rest will be history.
Back to the U.N...
Recently, the U.S. has been trying to get Iraq to agree with security council resolutions to disarm. But there's a certain amount of hypocrisy that's eluded all the news that I've been reading and watching. How is it that it's unacceptable for Iraq to disregard U.N. mandates, but it's perfectly fine for the U.S. to do so? Why is there wide acceptance that it is okay if President G.W. Bush says, "Another resolution would be nice, but it's not necessary."? While if Hussein had said, "Who cares what the U.N. thinks..." there would be outrage and disgust. Millions would march in the streets and demand that Iraq bend to the will of the international community.
Although millions marched last weekend to demand the U.S. to do the same, Bush casually brushed off the will of the international community. I'm outraged and disgusted that the only measure of "moral clarity" for this administration is whether others agree with Bush... "You're either with us or against us" says G.W. Bush.
It's okay for Israel to have nuclear weapons, it's okay for the U.S. to flaunt world opinion, it's okay for the U.S. to bribe Turkish support for $36 billion, it's okay for the U.S. to act pre-emptively, and it's okay for the U.S. to put anyone but U.S. officials on trial for war crimes (thus sabotaging the creation of the international criminal court). Why aren't more people disgusted and outraged at the blatant hypocrisy?
Comments (2)
Hey, I totally agree with you! I don't understand why the U.S. (I mean, Mr. Bush) thinks that it's okay for us to disregard the will of the international community, it certainly isn't okay for Iraq to disobey the international community. But remember, we're "responsible" and Hussein is not, which is why we can do what we want and he can't. Doesn't seem right, the U.N. was set up to help promote peaceful relations in the world, but the U.S. government will only follow the rules when it benefits them. Hey, you can't only play when you like what's going on, you have to stick it out when you don't like what's going on. And the U.S. would be very upset if other countries didn't follow the resolutions and regulations of the U.N. Oh, but we're "responsible" so we don't have to follow the rules since we aren't going to do anything stupid, like invade another country just to control their oil. Actually, the U.S. needs to elect representatives who are willing to compromise and work out peaceful solutions with the U.N., we have to get rid of these oil-lovin' shoot-first-ask-questions-later politicians.
Posted by lisa | February 19, 2003 8:48 PM
Posted on February 19, 2003 20:48
Amen Bro, you're right on in your accessment of the current state of affairs here in our own back yard. I would hope that all those people protesting in the streets remember this in 2004 and maybe we can have a regime change here in the good old USA. I think think the Dubya Bush should be tried for war crimes and held accountable for destroying our relations those countries who have always been in our corner. The Clowns in the Whitehouse have done more damage to our foriegn policy than their little minds could ever imagine. I would also like to give a big shout out to Sec State Cornholieo Powell to think that I ever considered thinking that this man could lead this country, I thought that he was a man of character, etc etc but have found that he is nothing but a lap dog, errand boy or as Harry Belafonte said "House Slave".....and can anyone tell me what Condie Rice had to do to get The Shell Oil Company to name a big old oil tanker after her? Shell has interest the oil fields of Nigeria a troubled land in the news today where there is fighting going as I write, maybe when dubya get finished in Iraq he could make a stop on the way home, there's oil in them field boys, let go get it.
Posted by Professor Griff | March 22, 2003 4:07 PM
Posted on March 22, 2003 16:07