President Bush gave his second major policy speech at the UN today. This is a speech that shows that the US will be sticking with the UN, much to the chagrin of those who see the UN as a tyrant’s debating club rather than an agent for world peace.
I was hoping that the President would be firmer on the subject of Iraq. He needed to reinforce that Iraq was a humanitarian mission that needed to be executed for the peace and stability of the region and the world. I would have made it clear that the United Nations had been letting the Iraqi people down by refusing to ask. I would have made it clear that the United Nations must do better to fight terrorism.
Then again, I would have also told the UN to go to hell, so perhaps I’m not the best judge of this.
For better or for worse, Bush clearly thinks the UN has a role in Iraq. Hopefully Bush isn’t willing to compromise the essential mission in Iraq to the UN bureaucracy. Granted, there are functions like immunization that the UN can do and do well, but involving the UN in the Iraqi political process is a recipe for disaster.
I am also severely disappointed that the President didn’t stand stronger for Israel. The fact that the UN Security Council voted to protect the terrorist Yassir Arafat shows that the UN is not neutral towards the issue of Israeli security. Without the ability of Israel to secure itself by constructing a security fence and removing terrorist leaders, there can be no possibility of peace. Yet Bush only made one off-hand remark about Arafat rather than forcefully pressing the issue.
After this speech, I think a lot of conservatives are going to be wondering if Bush isn’t going wobbly on us.
Telling the UN to go to hell is a luxury afforded only by nations who go to war with a broader coalition of forces and enough foresight to plan for a much more effective nation-building strategy than what we’ve seen so far. I’m sure nothing would make Bush happier than to tell the UN to go to hell. Unfortunately for him, his abysmal and arrogant diplomacy, combined with a lackluster post-war strategy, has rained on Bush and the neocons’ parade.
“UN as a tyrant’s debating club ”
If this sentence is right, then the US are the leaders of this club. They have a veto right, so no decision can be taken without their approval, and nobody ever opposed their veto has they already did to other nations twice.