|
Jewish World Review May 9, 2001 / 16 Iyar, 5761
Michael Ledeen
Germany torpedoed us into World War I. Japan bombed us
into World War II (just in the nick of time). Stalin dragged us
into the Cold War. Saddam invaded Kuwait when we still
had an army left over from the Cold War. And China, instead
of whispering sweet nothings, and leaving us to our own
dangerous devices, decided to bully us around. Maybe we
even got the real message.
Now comes the United Nations riding to the rescue of some
of our sillier policymakers, most of whom gravitate, in
accordance with some fascinating principle of animal
magnetism, to the Department of State. The U.N. Human
Rights Commission, whose members are chosen by the
holier-than-thou crowd at UNESCO, kicked us out, while
making room for the monstrous Sudanese regime that
combines religious repression and mass murder with
trafficking in human slaves. You couldn't ask for a more
explicit demonstration of all that is wrong with the "new world
order" crowd, and their pathetic calls for the United States to
surrender sovereignty to the U.N. and other "international
organizations." Just a couple of days after the U.N. fiasco, the
European Court ruled that the British Government owes
money to the families of IRA terrorists killed by the British
Army. This is just a warm-up for the big-time, in which the
World Court will no doubt order the United States to pay
huge sums to the survivors, widows, and orphans of Desert
Storm, as well as the descendants of 18th- and 19th-century
slaves.
The American people well understand the rottenness of the
United Nations, but it still attracts a big following among the
intelligentsia and such runaway do-gooders as Ted Turner,
who believes that a millennium of peace can be achieved by
turning over the world's destiny to Kofi Annan. It also has
pockets of support within the aforementioned State
Department, most conspicuously in the person of Richard
Haass, the controversial nominee to head the Policy Planning
staff, and simultaneously serve as our special ambassador on
the Northern Ireland case. Haass is one of the most
outspoken advocates of a weaker America and more
powerful organizations like the U.N. He thinks we should
give up our superpower delusions ("On its own, the United
States can do little to promote order," he wrote recently),
give up "some freedom of action," tone down our
chest-pounding rhetoric, and "build or strengthen global
institutions that buttress the basic principles of order...."
This sort of thing so alarmed the good folks at the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee that they delayed consideration
of Haass's nomination. They can now ask him if he would like
to reconsider these deep thoughts, in light of the U.N.'s
odious action. While they're at it, they might like to ask
Secretary Powell the same question, and then show they have
their priorities in proper order by confirming John Bolton,
who has long argued against sharing our sovereign powers
with the United Nations.
Whatever Haass's destiny, we're clearly scheduled for a
rip-roaring debate on the U.N., which is long-since overdue.
The finest exposition of our concerns was given by Jesse
Helms a year or two ago, in a memorable discourse to the
U.N. delegates in New York. He pulled no punches. He told
them most Americans don't like them, considering them
corrupt, meddlesome, and irresponsible. He warned that
they'd better clean up their carnival if they want American
support.
Now we have their considered
05/07/01: Bye-bye, Blumenthal
|